The Dragon Queen Selection Chapter 70

LIRA

The doors to the hall had barely closed behind us when the murmurs began. I had just got into the palace after dancing with Prince Cassian and my cheeks were still rosy with surprise.

“They eliminated her.” I heard a voice said.

“I heard she was sick.”

“No, not sick, disgraced.”

I stopped walking.

The instructor was still several paces ahead, and the girls far behind her, their voices sharp with curiosity and barely concealed excitement. The name passed from mouth to mouth like a delicacy.

“Saphira.”

My chest tightened.

I looked around, Saphira was notably absent, but so was Calista.. Amara, however, looked very pleased, her lips curled as if she had just been handed a secret she’d been waiting to share.

“Well,” Amara said loudly, ensuring everyone could hear, “I heard she wasn’t sick at all. I heard she’d been… entertaining one of the courtiers. Apparently the Queen found out."

Several girls gasped.

“That can't be true,” Vivienne said immediately, her brow furrowing. “Saphira was practically throwing herself at the Prince. Why would she waste her time with some court nobody? It doesn't make any sense."

Amara shrugged. “And what do you know about Lady Saphira Caelum? You don't know what she's capable of."

Something hot and ugly rose in my throat.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about Amara,” I snapped.

The girls went quiet.

Amara turned slowly, her eyes narrowing. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” I said, my voice shaking despite my effort to keep it steady. “You don’t know anything about Saphira. Stop spreading baseless rumours about her."

No one laughed. No one teased.

Instead, they stared.

“Well,” Juliet said carefully, “that sounded personal. I didn't know you and Saphira were so close."

Amara crossed her arms. “Funny. You always act like you don’t care about any of this, Lira. But now you’re defending her? The same Saphira that would laugh at you with us?!"

I felt my fists clench.

“That's enough,” I said. “You don’t get to tear her apart just because she’s not here to defend herself.”

“And you do?” Amara challenged. “What do you know?”

Too much.

I swallowed hard. “Does it matter?”

For a moment, I thought Amara might push it further. Her lips parted, eyes sharp and calculating.

Then the instructor turned.

“That is enough,” she said crisply. “Pipe down, all of you.”

She waited until silence settled before continuing.

“Today’s training will shift away from performance. You will begin studying the history of Aurelia extensively, its magic, and the First Pact with the dragons. These lessons are not optional. You will be examined on them and if you fail, you will be eliminated."

She gestured, and servants stepped forward, handing out heavy tomes bound in faded leather.

“These are your study materials. Study carefully,” the instructor added. “The past has a way of repeating itself.”

The girls dispersed slowly, still whispering.

Elora lingered beside me.

“When you talked about Saphira earlier, I could tell... You know something,” she said quietly.

I met her eyes and shook my head. “I know enough to tell you this, be careful. All of you. This place is not what it pretends to be. And whatever rumours you hear about Lady Saphira, it's not true. At all."

Her expression shifted from curiosity to unease. “Lira…”

“I won’t say more,” I said softly. “Not because I don’t trust you. But because I don’t trust this place. Someone could be listening to us."

She nodded slowly.

..................

I was halfway down the corridor to my rooms with the heavy tome when Evander appeared from a side passage.

“Lira,” he said gently. “May I steal a moment?”

I hesitated. “The library?”

He glanced behind me, then sighed as he took the tome from me, I was glad to be relieved of its heavy weight.

"It’s full. It's that time of the day. Come this way."

I followed him before I could talk myself out of it.

His chambers were nothing like I expected. And I was not expecting to enter his chambers, but Evander had assured me no one had seen or followed us.

His chambers looked warm. Lived-in. Sunlight spilled through tall windows, catching on shelves of books, maps pinned to the walls, a practice sword resting against a chair. It smelled faintly of parchment and cedar.

I stood awkwardly near the door.

“You’ve thought about what I said?” Evander asked.

I folded my hands together. “I have. But it's terrifying."

“Of me?” he asked gently.

“Of everything,” I admitted. “People already talk. If I leave the Queen’s selection and suddenly I’m seen with you, it could cause a lot of issues. I don't want that type of attention."

“I don’t care what they say.”

“I do,” I said quickly. “Because they won’t just come for me. They’ll come for my family. And the Queen, you know she'll never accept such union. I don't have much to offer."

“I’ll talk to her,” he said. “I’ll make her understand.”

“Don’t,” I said sharply, stepping closer. “Please. Don't tell anyone about this. It's best it stays between us."

He searched my face. “You’re afraid. What are you afraid of?"

“I am,” I said honestly. “And you should be too.”

He exhaled, frustrated. “I can't stand the thought of you being in the Dragon Queen Selection. I am serious about this Lira."

“I don't want to hurt you Evander. Whatever this is, it can't work." I said sadly, noting the crumpled look on his face.

"Time!" He said. "I'll give you more time to think about it. Take your time Lira."

I nodded reluctantly. “For now.”

A knock sounded.

My heart lurched.

Evander’s eyes widened. “Hide. Quickly."

Before I could protest, he ushered me into a tall wardrobe and shut the door softly.

Darkness swallowed me. There was a small opening in between the wardrobe, I took a peek.

The door opened.

“Why do you look like you’ve swallowed a sword?” Princess Aveline’s voice rang out, amused. She was in a pretty blue dress, her long golden blonde hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall.

“I—what?” Evander stammered.

“I’m teasing,” she said. “Relax. You’re terrible at secrets.”

I pressed my hand over my mouth.

“I came to tell you something,” Aveline continued. “Something that's been driving Father mad with anger."

"What happened?" Evander asked coolly.

“Father is mad at Cassian for releasing the dragons to go home. He went to the vaults in anger today to see if he could use the egg as leverage to get the dragons to come back,” Aveline said.

My breath caught.

“Really?” Evander asked.

“Yes,” Aveline said quietly. “But when he got there, couldn't open it. He was mad with anger. The vault did not respond to him and Cassian refused to open the vault for him."

Silence stretched.

Evander’s voice was careful now. “That doesn't make sense does it? Is Cassian strong enough to prevent Father from opening the vault?"

Aveline didn’t answer immediately. When she did, her words landed like a blade.

“Who knows? But it's supposed to respond to Father shouldn't it? I guess it also made father mad that even Lord Aidan Sutton could get into the vault and he couldn't."

The world tilted.

My father.

“He was the last and only non-royal to enter the vault,” Aveline continued.

Evander swore under his breath. “That traitor..."

“Traitor?" Aveline said as she laughed.

"Don't tell me you also believe what was said about him?"