My father beamed at me as I set foot onto the platform.
Kerrig offered a polite bow, while the entire hall audience stood to salute me. I nodded in return, then smiled at the people.
“Today is a great day, my son,” Dad said.
Mom joined his side, while I was left standing between them and the audience—a feeling of claustrophobia creeping into my chest. Kerrig held up a long parchment paper that looked older than time itself.
“Today, we mark a most auspicious milestone in the history of our land,” Kerrig said, raising his voice for everyone to hear. “Today, we officially mark the appointment of our crown prince, son of King Sherus and Queen Nuriya, and future heir to the Fire Star’s most coveted and precious seat—the throne.”
The people clapped, wave upon wave hitting my ears and making my heart tighten. I was usually much better with crowds, but, today, I felt like a total wuss. Maybe it had something to do with the whole Myris incident and the crushing of my high expectations regarding it. The absence of answers made me feel so insecure.
Glancing at the crowd, I was supposed to get some sense of peace and relief. The fire fae were all smiling and wearing their best outfits. Layer upon layer of silk and bejeweled brocade, fine leather boots and dazzling sword sheaths that glimmered in shades of red, yellow, and orange—gemstones plucked from our deepest and most valuable mines. All of them ethereal and light as feathers as they sat back down, watching me with big, warm eyes. I was supposed to feel loved.
But something was off. My gut wasn’t having any of this, but I had nothing to prove that something would go horribly wrong here. A feeling wasn’t enough to stop such an important ceremony. Especially since said feeling came from a pit of angst and frustration caused by Myris and Jaffe Fenn.
My parents, however, didn’t seem to notice anything wrong. They smiled, proud to see me standing here, ready to receive my crown. Kerrig was equally undeterred, and he started reading from the scroll.
“The crown prince is the child of our land, the heart of our world, and the future of our Fire Star. He is hope and courage in the face of what lies ahead. He represents the promise of tomorrow, of our vow to become better people, to make sure that our children will be better versions of ourselves. The king and queen have gifted him to us so that, one day, he may lead us with the same strength and clarity as they did.”
In the back rows, I recognized some of the soldiers dressed in their ceremonial uniforms—red with one stripe of orange across the chest. I’d trained with them, a couple of years back. The sense of familiarity coming from them made me feel a tad better, as my mind drifted into the past. The grueling training, the sweat and sore muscles, the cuts and the bruises… I’d felt so alive, so friggin’ unbeatable back then. Every time I’d defeated one of them in sparring sessions, I was ready to take on the whole world. A thousand Ta’Zans couldn’t stand in my way.
So where had that Taeral gone? Because the one I was now seemed so jaded and glum.
Three of the soldiers eyed me intensely. At first, I’d thought they were smiling, but, upon a lengthier inspection, I realized that they were practically baring their teeth, gritting them to the point where they could even crack. They were pale and sweaty, and shaking like leaves.
I felt my brow furrow, seeing that no one else had noticed how sick they looked.
“Today, our kingdom takes a bold step into the future,” Kerrig continued. “Today, we name our crown prince, Taeral. He will assume his seat, for one day he shall inherit it all, including our allegiance and everlasting devotion.”
My father stepped forward and took the crown from its soft, velvety pillow, then came to stand next to me. I turned to face him, so everyone could see our profiles, but I kept stealing glances at the three young soldiers. I knew them. I’d trained with them. I’d sparred with them. I’d taught them how to sharpen their blades, and they’d taught me how to tie the best knots for climbing. And still, they now felt a million miles away, close to the edge of a dark abyss.
“Dad,” I said in a low voice. “I’m not sure—”
“Don’t worry, son, your mother and I have no intention of relinquishing the throne anytime soon,” he whispered. “You go on and do your thing, just like before. This is just a formal appointment.”
“The crown prince shall be our guiding star, the fire we will all follow into tomorrow, leaving yesterday behind,” Kerrig kept reciting from the parchment. “And, when the day comes, we shall all kneel before him, as he assumes the throne and becomes our king. Our leader.”
One quick glance at the back, and I instantly knew this wasn’t going to end well.
The three soldiers shot to their feet, white as sheets of paper. Their lips quivered. Sweat glistened on their faces. They shouted in unison: “Make it stop! You have to stop it! The end is coming, but you have to stop it!”
Gasps erupted from the audience. Kerrig swallowed his words. Mom stepped forward, already prepared to react, judging by the deep shadow drawn between her eyebrows. My dad was baffled.
And I was about to teleport myself over to the soldiers and kick them all down. I knew I had to stop them in a split second, because all this reminded me too much of Myris, and I didn’t want a repeat of that disaster.
I could feel my body disintegrating, but my mom grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
The explosion ripped into the audience. Screams blasted outward. Fire and shrapnel spread at a devastating speed.
I landed on my back, on top of my mom. I instinctively turned over to shield her, as the entire ceremony hall rumbled and cracked. The large floor-to-ceiling windows were shattered. All I could hear was the glass breaking—thousands of shards landing on the floor. Everything else was silence. The kind that sent shivers down my spine.
Then, someone cried out. “I can’t control it! This is too soon! No!”
I looked to my left and saw Dad on the floor, next to us. He blinked several times, then stared at me with wide eyes. I grabbed him and Mom, then zapped us out of the ceremony hall.
We landed in the hallway, just ten yards from the double doors. The royal guards were already pouring in to see what had happened.
“Stay back!” I shouted at them. “Stay back!”
They all stilled, only a couple of feet from the ceremony hall. A single breath later, the double doors burst out, as a second blast tore through. Orange-and-red flames blossomed into the hallway, throwing the guards back.
“What in the world…” my dad croaked, unable to look away.
We all heard the screams, the moaning of support beams before they collapsed. The thundering of the ceremony hall falling apart. This… This was much worse than Harper and Caspian’s wedding. Hundreds were in there.
It wasn’t just one fire fae exploding, either. There were at least three, in two different waves. This was starting to look a little too organized for me to consider it a damn tragic coincidence. No. This was deliberate, and it broke my heart.
“Mom, Dad, are you okay?” I asked.
“What… What just happened?” Dad replied, his voice trembling.
More screams and wails erupted from inside the ceremony hall. Additional soldiers came from the other end of the wide corridor. They all went in, looking to help any survivors. Given the intensity of the explosion, and the sounds of damage to the room’s structural integrity, I doubted there were many.
“Just like Myris Fenn,” I said, unable to move.
“This is horrible,” Mom replied, tearing up. “Those are our people. Our friends…”
“It was targeted,” I managed, staring at the black smoke still coming out of the ceremony hall. “It was definitely targeted.”
