The Dragon Queen Selection Chapter 147

LIRA

'You are trying to save his life.'

"I know."

'That is not betrayal. That is love.' 

I picked up the quill again.

\---

Callum,

Cassian knows. He went to Vale. He saw everything. The estate. Lord Vale. The portrait. The tomb. He knows I'm not Lira Vale. He knows who I really am. You have to stop the attack. Call it off. Find another way.

Please.

I cannot lose you too.

— Lira

\---

I read it three times.

Then I folded it carefully, pressed my palm against the crease, and slipped it into my sleeve.

'Now you must find a way to deliver it,' Luna said.

"I know someone."

'Can you trust them?' 

I thought about the boy, young, quiet, with eyes that had seen too much and a mouth that knew how to keep secrets. I didn't know him really well. I didn't. But he had delivered something to my brother before.

"I have to," I said.

\-——————————

The stables smelled of hay and horses.

I found the boy in the tack room, mending a bridle with quick, practiced hands. He looked up when I entered, his dark eyes widening.

"Lady Lira."

"I need your help."

He set down the bridle. "What kind of help?"

I pulled the letter from my sleeve.

"I need this delivered. To them. Today."

The boy's expression flickered.

"Thats... that's not possible, my lady. The guards is..." 

"I know where Callum is. And I know people who know where he is." I pressed the letter into his hands. "There should be spies in the palace. Find one. Give them this. Tell them it's for Callum Sutton. Tell them it is for the Lady Lira and it is very important!" 

The boy stared at the letter like it might bite him.

"My lady..." 

"Please." My voice cracked. "It's a matter of life and death. I wouldn't ask if it weren't."

He was silent for a long moment.

Then he tucked the letter into his shirt.

"I'll try," he said. "But I can't promise anything. The palace is crawling with guards. I haven't been in contact with any of them in weeks now. Besides, the prince has doubled the patrols. If I can't find a way to deliver it..." 

"Burn it," I said. "So they can't trace it back to you."

He nodded.

"And if you do find a way?"

"Then he will have the letter by nightfall."

I closed my eyes.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He didn't answer.

When I opened my eyes, he was gone.

\-——————————-

'Now we wait,' Luna said in my mind as I walked back toward the palace.

"I hate waiting."

'I know.'

"It feels like something is crawling under my skin."

'That is anxiety. I heard humans are prone to it.'

"I'm aware."

'Perhaps you should eat something.'

"I'm not hungry."

'You are always not hungry lately. You will become weak and frail soon.' 

I didn't respond.

Because she was right.

\---

"Lira!"

I turned.

Elora was hurrying toward me, her brown hair bouncing with each step, her green dress swishing against the stone floor.

"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you! I was about to go to your room." 

"Why?"

"The instructors want to address us. Before the ball." She fell into step beside me. "Something about protocol. Or damage control. I'm not sure."

"Damage control?"

Elora lowered her voice.

"Apparently, there have been... rumors. About the Selection. About how it's being handled. The crown wants to make sure we don't say anything that might make them look bad."

"Of course they do."

Elora glanced at me sidelong.

"You look terribly tired, by the way."

"Thank you."

"I mean it. Have you been sleeping?"

"No."

"Eating?"

"Not really."

She stopped walking.

"Lira."

I stopped too.

"What?"

"What's going on with you? You've been different lately. Distant. Like you're carrying something heavy and you won't let anyone help you carry it. I am your friend, tell me what's wrong." 

I looked at her, at her kind eyes, her worried expression, the genuine concern etched into every line of her face.

She deserves the truth, I thought.

They all deserve the truth.

But I can't give it to them.

"I'm just tired," I said. "The Selection is exhausting."

Elora studied me for a moment.

Then she nodded.

"Okay," she said. "But if you ever want to talk..." 

"I know."

We started walking again.

\---

"My father told me about the Queen's proposal," Elora said after a moment.

I glanced at her. "The marriage proposal?"

"Yes." She shrugged. "I rejected it."

"Elora..." 

"Don't." She held up a hand. "I know what you're going to say. That Evander is a good man. That he would be kind to me. That I could do worse."

"I was going to say..." 

"I don't care." Her voice was firm. "I won't marry someone who doesn't want me. I won't be anyone's consolation prize."

"Elora..." 

"My father is sending a reply to the Queen today. Rejecting the proposal." She smiled, small, but genuine. "He said marriage offers have been pouring in since I made it this far in the Selection. I don't need to marry Evander. I don't need to marry anyone I don't choose."

I stared at her.

"You're braver than I am," I said.

Elora laughed.

"I'm not brave. I'm just stubborn."

"That's the same thing."

"Maybe." She looped her arm through mine. "Come on. Let's go listen to the instructors tell us how to lie."

\-————————

The small hall was already occupied when we arrived.

Calista sat in the front row, her back straight, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall. She didn't turn when we entered. Didn't acknowledge us at all.

Elora and I took seats in the back row, as far from Calista as possible.

The instructors filed in moments later.

Lady Marcheline stood at the front of the room, her grey hair pulled back in a severe bun, her sharp eyes sweeping over the three of us.

"Ladies," she said. "Thank you for coming."

None of us responded.

Lady Marcheline clasped her hands behind her back.

"The ball is in two days. As you know, this will be the final public event before the Dragon Trials. Many nobles will be in attendance. Many important nobles."

She paused.

"You will be expected to mingle. To converse. To share your experiences of the Selection."

"Experiences," Calista repeated.

"Yes, Lady Calista. Experiences." Lady Marcheline's gaze was cold. "And we expect those experiences to be described in a manner that reflects well on the crown."

Elora shifted beside me.

"Forgive me, Lady Marcheline," she said. "But are you asking us to lie?"

The room went very quiet.

Lady Marcheline's expression didn't change.

"We are asking you to present yourselves in the best possible light," she said carefully. "The Selection has been... eventful. There have been challenges. Unexpected developments."

"People have been poisoned," Elora said. "A dragon has escaped. One girl was almost burned to death. Ladies have withdrawn under mysterious circumstances."

"Lady Elora..." 

"You want us to smile and wave and pretend everything has been wonderful."

Lady Marcheline's jaw tightened.

"We want you to be discreet."

"That is not the same thing."

"Lady Elora." Another instructor stepped forward, a man with a thin face and nervous eyes. "The crown has been good to you. To all of you. We are simply asking that you remember that."

"Remember what? That we owe you? Or you owe us?" 

"That you are guests in this palace. And guests do not bite the hands that feed them."

Elora opened her mouth to respond.

I touched her arm.

She looked at me.

Not now, I tried to tell her with my eyes. Not here. Not in front of them.

Elora's jaw worked.

But she said nothing.

Lady Marcheline nodded, apparently satisfied.

"The ball will be an opportunity for you to shine," she said. "To show the kingdom what you are capable of. To demonstrate that the Selection has been fair, transparent, and above reproach."

"Even though it hasn't really been," Calista murmured.

Everyone looked at her.

She smiled, bright and sharp.

"I'm just saying."

Lady Marcheline's eyes narrowed.

"Lady Calista. Do you have something you wish to share with the group?"

"Not at all." Calista crossed her legs. "I think the Selection has been wonderful, at least in my experience. I've learned so much. About politics. About survival. About the importance of keeping one's enemies close."

The threat in her voice was unmistakable.

Lady Marcheline stared at her for a long moment.

Then she looked away.

"The ball begins at sunset," she said. "You will be expected to attend. You will be expected to smile. You will be expected to perform."

She stepped back.

"This meeting is adjourned."

\-————————————-

Elora was fuming as we left the hall.

"They want us to lie," she said. "They actually want us to stand there and lie to everyone about how wonderful this whole experience has been."

"They're protecting themselves," I said.

"I know. That's what makes me angry." She stopped walking. "The royal family has done terrible things, Lira. To the ladies. To the kingdom. To..." She stopped herself.

"To who?"

She shook her head.

"Never mind. It doesn't matter."

"Elora..." 

"It doesn't matter." She forced a smile. "I'll see you at the ball. Try to get some sleep."

She walked away.

I watched her go.

After she left, I resumed my search for Cassian.