The Last of the Firedrakes (34 page)

I was so relieved. At least I wasn’t a murderer.

“But,” he went on, “I hope you have learned your lesson. You must learn to control your fae magic soon, Aurora. You now understand the severity of the situation. Today you unleashed silver fire; only the deadliest of fire-fae warriors use this power. If Penelope hadn’t been there, and your strike had hit Damien directly, it would have not only killed him, but turned him to ash in seconds.”

I stared at him, wide-eyed. Was he serious? That was way too much power for me to handle. I was never going to take the amulet off again.

The old professor put his hand on my shoulder and said kindly, “Be strong, Princess Aurora. The mages of Evolon will always be at your service should you ever need us.”

I thanked Professor Dekela for everything he had done for me. I went to my dorm while everyone was at dinner, gathered my stuff from my room, found Erien and Penelope, and left Evolon in the dark of night.

24

The Summer Palace

It was dark, and we rode quickly through the city streets. Professor Dekela gave us the use of three of the academy’s horses. Luckily Penelope and Erien were accompanying me to the palace. I was relieved, since I was quite nervous about going there by myself. I’d heard from Penelope that Uncle Gabriel was on his way back and would be joining us at the palace.

Penelope had come to terms with the fact that I was a fae-mage. Her suspicions were raised, just as I suspected, when she saw how well the girl in the test was healed. Much to my relief, she was not afraid of me.

I was too scared to face Vivienne, and I had no idea how she would react to this, especially after I had lied to her time and time again. That was why I left Evolon without saying good-bye to her. I couldn’t bear the thought of her rejecting me, and I was worried that I had lost my best friend.

When the palace came into view, I was taken aback by its magnificence. It was an enormous structure that stretched the length of a football field. Although I had seen it from a distance, since it was situated on the other side of the city, I had never seen it up close.

As we rode up the massive tree-lined path leading to the palace, I wondered what the King and the Crown Prince of Eldoren were like and was very apprehensive about meeting them. Would they accept me and support my claim to the throne of Illiador? At this point I desperately needed allies.

The Summer Palace of Eldoren was a fantastic piece of baroque architecture. Perched high on a white cliff overlooking the Bay of Pearls, it looked similar to pictures I had seen of the royal palace of Versailles, but painted in the Eldorean colors of blue and white. The front colonnaded façade was at least fifty feet high and decorated with massive windows that lined the front of the palace. The towering columns interspaced with the windows were trimmed with gold leaf, creating a dazzling sight for those who laid eyes on the palace for the first time.

I was shocked. I thought all the castles and palaces of Avalonia would be like Silverthorne Castle, all medieval stone and battlements. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the Summer Palace looked almost eighteenth century. Even after living here for three months, this world never ceased to amaze me.

The splendid Summer Palace shimmered in the moonlight as we entered the massive gates into the palace’s outer courtyard. We were led through the great central arch of the north façade and into the inner courtyard, where Aunt Serena was waiting for us.

Erien jumped off his horse, ran to his mother, and hugged her. I followed, sliding off my horse most inelegantly, and hugged my aunt.

“I’ve missed you, little one,” Aunt Serena said.“Welcome to the Summer Palace, my dear.”

I smiled. I was happy to be here. And I would definitely be safer here than at Evolon.

“Are you all right?” she asked genuinely. “After Professor Dekela sent me a message telling me what happened, I immediately came here to speak to the king. He has given his permission for you to stay at the palace, under his protection, until my father gets back and decides what to do.”

I nodded. “Thank you, Aunt Serena. I’m sorry I acted stupidly. I shouldn’t have taken off the amulet.”

“What’s done is done,” said my aunt. “We cannot change that. The truth had to come out sometime. It’s just that we wanted you to be ready, and in full control of your powers, when that happened.”

I looked down, ashamed that I had let her and Uncle Gabriel down. He was going to be so angry when he heard what I did.

“It’s nice to see you again, Penelope,” said Aunt Serena to Mrs. Plumpleberry.

Penelope curtseyed. “It’s always a pleasure to be of service to you my lady,” she replied deferentially.

“Come,” said Aunt Serena to me. “I will show you to your rooms. You will be staying with us in the west wing of the palace where the Silverthorne family resides while we are at court.”

“Your room will be next to mine,” said Erien, “overlooking Cherry Blossom Grove.”

I smiled; I loved the names of all the places in Avalonia.

The foyer was an enormous, high-ceilinged room with a white marble floor that gleamed under the light of magnificent crystal chandeliers. Gilded columns stood like sentinels guarding the way as I followed Aunt Serena up a great marble staircase and through an immense hall lined with huge mirrors. Beautiful, intricate tapestries decorated the walls on one side, and big French doors led out onto white balconies and the gardens beyond.

We walked down exquisitely decorated corridors with portraits of what I assumed were royal ancestors, past ornamental rooms, and closed doors, to the west wing of the palace.

My room at the Summer Palace was a luxurious haven, which was even bigger and more spacious than my bedroom at Silverthorne Castle. Compared to this place, Silverthorne Castle could be called rustic.

A massive four-poster bed, hung with beautiful cream and gold brocade curtains and raised on a platform, could be reached by climbing four carpeted steps. The floors were white marble, and dozens of exotic carpets were placed tastefully around the room. Comfortable chairs, a gold brocade sofa, and elegant chests of drawers created a lovely entertainment space. Gilded frames and massive mirrors decorated the walls. A great crystal chandelier hung from the impossibly high ceiling, which was carved with intricate designs. The massive chandeliers were already lit with glowing candles, and it spread a warm glow over the whole room.

I washed up and went across the corridor to Aunt Serena’s parlor. It was a beautiful room with blue and gold walls. A huge, blue-and-gold brocade sofa dominated the parlor, and Aunt Serena was lounging on it reading something.

When she saw me, she called me to sit beside her.

“Come, my dear,” she said, warmly patting the plump cushion next to her.

Aunt Serena looked at me with a kind smile on her porcelain face. Sometimes I couldn’t help staring at her. She was so beautiful. Perfect skin, beautiful blue eyes, long golden hair—she looked every inch a countess.

“The king is having a ball two nights from today,” said Aunt Serena. “I brought you some clothes so you will have something suitable to wear in the day, and your dress for the harvest ball should be arriving shortly.”

She showed me my new wardrobe, and I was quite speechless at her generosity.

“Thank you so much, Aunt Serena,” I said, giving her a big hug.

The next day was extremely hectic. I was woken up by one of the palace maids at the crack of dawn and told that Erien had asked me to join him in the courtyard for his morning ride. I dressed quickly in my green riding clothes, slipped on my soft riding boots, and followed the maid through the extremely confusing corridors, down the great staircase, and into the inner courtyard of the castle where Erien was waiting with a huge white pegasus.

Erien grinned his silly lopsided grin. He waved to me and said, “Surprise!”

“Snow!” I cried and ran towards my pegasus. I hugged her round her large neck and stroked her white mane. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“I am glad to be back, little princess,” said Snow in my mind.

“She got here last night with Grandfather,” said Erien. “You should have seen his mood. He was so angry. I figured you could use some flying time before you have to meet with the duke.”

Poor Erien. He was so sweet, and he looked quite worried. I could imagine what Uncle Gabriel must have looked like when he found out what I did and that everyone now knew who I was. I wondered who told him. Must have been Aunt Serena; no one else would have been brave enough.

I knew I was in trouble, but what was done was done. I did regret hurting Damien so badly. It was not my intention, but the truth had to come out sometime, and I felt like a great load of lies and deceit had been lifted from my shoulders. In some ways even though Morgana was hunting me, I felt freer than I ever had in my life. It was time to stop hiding, take my life into my own hands, and make my parents proud.

I held onto the leather strap that was wrapped around the pegasus’s middle and hoisted myself up onto her huge back.

“Snow, have you grown since I last saw you?” I said in my mind.

Snow laughed her musical laugh. “Yes, my princess. I am still a young pegasus, and I will continue to grow for a few more years. Soon I will be able to fly you across the Stardust Sea to Elfi with no problem whatsoever.”

Snow cantered a little, flapped her great wings, and soared into the sky.

“Why Elfi?” I asked. “I thought I was going to stay here.”

“Your uncle has been planning to send you to Elfi for your safety. To your grandmother Isadora, queen of the fae.”

“Sounds like Uncle Gabriel has already made up his mind,” I said.

I knew I had a fae grandmother and that she was queen of the fae. But I had gotten so involved in my mage life that I hadn’t thought much about my mother’s family. And if what Penelope said was true and she was very powerful, I would be safe from Morgana in Elfi. Right now I was a sitting duck. Morgana probably already knew I was here.

“Will I really be safer there?”

“Queen Isadora is an Immortal and extremely powerful,” said Snow as we soared over the azure sea. “It is only because of her that Elfi still exists. Morgana fears your grandmother and will not attack her kingdom directly.”

“If Morgana fears her, then why is she attacking the fae in Illiador?” I asked. “Why doesn’t my grandmother help them?”

“Morgana knows that Isadora cannot leave Elfi, as it is only her power and her presence that keeps the kingdom of the fae safe. She is trying to draw Isadora out, leaving Elfi vulnerable to attack,” Snow replied.

I nodded. It made sense that Uncle Gabriel would try and send me to the safest place in the seven kingdoms, but I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to run away and hide all over again. Although going to Elfi to learn to use my fae magic was probably not such a bad idea. I didn’t want another incident where I lost control. I hoped we would be able to stay at the palace for a little while, though; I really wasn’t looking forward to another long journey trying to evade Morgana’s minions.

We soared over the landscaped gardens of the Summer Palace, over the cliffs, out to the open sea, and back. Snow flew abruptly out of the sky and cantered to a stop inside the palace courtyard. My neck was jarred with the impact of hitting the ground.

“Sorry,” said Snow, “I’ve been used to the duke’s weight for so long that I misjudged my landing.”

I got off Snow and patted her on her neck as the grooms came scurrying to take the now sweating pegasus for a cool down and then back to the royal stables.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” said Erien enthusiastically as I came over to him.

I smiled, my mind racing. I was going over what Snow had just said to me. “It was fun, yes,” I said absentmindedly. “Thank you Erien.”

I followed Erien into the palace, through the great halls and massive corridors, to the west wing, where our rooms were. Aunt Serena was waiting for us.

“Well,” she said sternly, “where were you two?” She looked angry again.

“Aurora was just flying on Snow,” grinned Erien.

But Aunt Serena was scowling at him.

“What did I do now?” he asked, his face falling.

“I have expressly forbidden you from taking Aurora out of the palace grounds. What part of that sentence do you not understand?” said Aunt Serena.

“In actual fact we were not really outside the grounds, or anywhere on it. She flew over the sea and came back,” said Erien, still oblivious as usual.

I wanted to throttle him. He was just making matters worse, and he had no clue. Aunt Serena was getting angrier by the minute.

“Aurora has been summoned by the king to meet him this afternoon, and I have to get her ready,” she said, pulling me towards my room.

I went back to my room and changed out of my riding clothes and into a pale blue chiffon dress with silver embroidery on the neck and cuffs. It was cinched at the waist with a wide silver sash. Aunt Serena had said that I was to meet her in the outer chamber of the throne room at noon, where I would be presented formally to Petrocales, King of Eldoren and to the crown prince as well.

I followed an old footman, who had come to escort me to the throne room, which was situated just under my rooms, in the west wing of the palace. Aunt Serena was waiting for me in the outer chamber.

I was a little nervous. What was the king like? Would he accept my claim to the throne of Illiador? Would he help me?

The massive doors to the throne room opened, and we were summoned inside. Aunt Serena led the way, and the doors shut behind me with a thud. The herald announced the Countess of Everdale, and I walked stiffly behind Aunt Serena.

The throne room was a cavernous hall, long and rectangular, with white marble floors. Huge pillars, spaced out at regular intervals, lined the two sides of the enormous room. The ceiling here was two stories high and decorated with magnificent frescos; huge arched windows bathed the room in sunlight. A long gallery ran along the first floor of the room, and a few lords and ladies of the nobility were standing around, whispering in low voices.