The Dragon Queen Selection Chapter 153

CASSIAN

The war table was covered in maps.

Not maps of distant kingdoms or contested borders, maps of the palace. Every corridor. Every staircase. Every hidden passage that my ancestors had built into these walls over centuries of paranoia and power.

I had marked them all.

The entrances. The exits. The places where Norwyn's spies were most likely to strike.

Captain Rennick stood across from me, his finger tracing a route through the servant's quarters.

"We've stationed men here, here, and here." He tapped three locations. "Disguised as footmen. Carrying blades beneath their livery."

"The kitchens?"

"Covered. Four men, dressed as cooks."

"The wine cellars?"

"Two men. Though I doubt Norwyn will try to poison the wine. Too many variables."

I nodded. "And the tunnels?"

Rennick's jaw tightened. "We've sealed what we could. The main passage is guarded day and night. But there are smaller routes, old drainage channels, forgotten crawl spaces. We can't cover them all."

"Then cover as many as you can. And put lookouts near the ones you can't."

"Yes, Your Highness."

I stepped back from the table.

Rubbed my eyes.

I hadn't slept. Couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face. Every time I drifted toward unconsciousness, I heard her voice.

I love you.

I still love you.

I still…

"Your Highness?" Rennick's voice pulled me back. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"You look exhausted."

"I'm fine."

He didn't argue. He was smart enough not to argue.

But I saw the look in his eyes, the concern he was trying to hide.

Don't worry about me, I wanted to say. Worry about the attack. Worry about the Norwyn spies.

Don't worry about my heart.

\---

The plan was as foolproof as I could make it.

Men at every exit. Men at every entrance. Men disguised as courtiers, servants, guards, even guests. Weapons hidden beneath coats and dresses, in boots and sleeves and the hollowed-out books on the library shelves.

If Norwyn attacked tonight, they would not find easy prey.

They would find steel.

And fire, I thought. If Taheer is close enough.

If he can get here in time.

If…

If.

If.

If.

So many variables.

So many ways for this to go wrong.

Focus, I told myself. Focus on what you can control.

Focus on the plan.

Focus on anything but her.

\-———

The bath was hot.

Too hot.

I sat in the copper tub while servants scurried around bringing me different outfits, more bath oils and fragrance. They didn't ask why I was so tense. Didn't comment on the shadows under my eyes or the way I flinched every time someone knocked on the door.

They just did their work and left.

When I emerged from the bath, my dress clothes were already laid out on the bed.

Black and gold.

The colors of House Valemont.

I dressed slowly, methodically. Buttoned my coat. Adjusted my collar. Strapped a dagger to my forearm, hidden, but within easy reach.

Just in case, I thought.

Just in case everything goes wrong.

Just in case I have to kill someone tonight.

I pushed it away and walked out the door.

\-———————————

The ball had begun.

Guests poured through the main entrance in a river of silk and jewels, noblemen in their finest coats, noblewomen in gowns that cost more than most people earned in a year. Laughter echoed off the marble floors. Music drifted from the grand ballroom, strings and flutes playing a melody I didn't recognize.

I stood at the top of the steps, greeting the arrivals, smiling when I was supposed to smile, bowing when I was supposed to bow.

Act normal, I told myself. Act like tonight is just another ball.

Act like you're not waiting for an attack.

"Your Highness!"

I turned.

Lady Juliette stood before me, her golden hair piled high on her head, her pink gown ruffled and romantic. Beside her, Lady Evadne looked almost uncomfortable in her deep purple dress, her dark eyes darting around the room like she was searching for an exit.

"Ladies," I said, bowing. "You look lovely."

Juliette beamed. "Thank you, Your Highness. The palace is breathtaking. I'd forgotten how beautiful it is."

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

"It's wonderful to see everyone again. The selection feels like a dream now, doesn't it?"

"A dream," I agreed.

Evadne said nothing. Just curtsied and looked away.

I wondered if she even wanted to come at all. I know my mother probably had a hand in making sure every last one of the girls who were in the Selection would attend. 

They were here to dance and drink and pretend they had a great time during the selection. 

And I'm here to make sure they survive.

\-—————————-

Lady Lenora found me near the refreshment table.

She was dressed in white, simple, almost severe, with none of the jewels or ruffles that adorned the other women. Her brown hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and her face was calm.

Peaceful, I thought. She looks peaceful.

"Your Highness," she said, curtsying.

"Lady Lenora. How are you faring?"

"Well." She smiled, a genuine smile, warm and untroubled. "Very well, actually."

"Oh? That’s good to hear… I sent you a letter after your departure from the palace, to ask how you were fairing. I didn’t get a response.” 

"I must have missed your letter. Where I am now I can have no contact with the world. I've decided to become a priestess."

I blinked. "A priestess?"

"The Dragon Temple, in the northern hills. They've accepted my application. I started a few weeks ago, but the Queen demanded I be here for the ball, so I had to be here." She clasped her hands in front of her. "The selection taught me that I don't want what I thought I wanted. Marriage. The palace. The competition." She shook her head. "I want peace. Silence. A life of service."

"Service to what?"

"To the gods. To the dragons. To anyone who needs me."

I looked at her, at her peaceful face, her calm eyes, her simple white dress.

She's escaped, I thought. She's escaped all of this.

The politics. The schemes. The danger.

She's going to live a quiet life in the hills, and she's never going to look back.

I envy her.

"That sounds like a worthy calling, Lady Lenora," I said.

"Thank you, Your Highness." She curtsied again. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

She walked away before I could answer.

What I'm looking for, I thought.

What am I even looking for?

I don't even know anymore.

\-—————————————

Lady Saphira found me next.

She was draped in silver and blue, her gown sparkling like starlight, her arm linked through the elbow of a man I recognized.

William.

My friend.

The man I set her up with. They looked great together. 

"Your Highness!" Saphira's voice was bright, musical. "Isn't it wonderful? The ball, I mean. The end of the selection. The celebration!” 

"Wonderful," I agreed.

She tugged William forward. "You remember my husband, of course."

"Of course." I clasped William's hand. "How are you, my friend?"

"Well." He smiled, genuinely happy, genuinely content. "Very well. Marriage suits me I see.” 

Saphira laughed. "It suits us both!” 

They looked at each other, really looked, and I saw something pass between them. I was glad the match had favoured her. I had been worried it won’t but it looked like they had at least found some common ground. 

Saphira looked happy and my friend William did too, that was all that mattered. 

"I'm happy for you," I said. And I meant it.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Saphira curtsied. "We should find our seats. The dancing will begin soon."

They walked away, still holding hands, with Saphira laughing loudly at something William said. 

I watched them go.

And felt nothing but exhaustion.

\-———————————-

Lady Cassandra arrived with her husband, an old lord in his fifties, grey-haired and stooped, leaning on a cane. I was a bit surprised. 

She looked... resigned.

Not unhappy, exactly. Just resigned. Like she had made her peace with a life she hadn't chosen.

"Your Highness," she said, curtsying.

"Lady Cassandra. You look well."

"I am well." She glanced at her husband, then back at me. "The selection feels like a lifetime ago."

"It does."

"I don't regret everything," she said quietly. "I hope you know that. I don't regret any of it. The time we spent together. I cherish it even. And I thank you for it. I thank you for your kindness.”