weight. And Luka’s did the same. He offered her his arm, and as the Prince and Princess of the House of Peace, they walked the remaining steps to the empty thrones waiting on either side of their parents. As soon as they sat, their father stood. And, simple as that, the courtship trials had begun.
“Welcome,” the king proclaimed, voice loud and booming, reverberating through the hollow core of the palace and past the open doors of the entrance hall, so all their guests could hear.
Lyana’s gaze jumped from wall to wall, taking everything in. She and her family sat at the helm, guarding the doors to the sacred nest, facing east so they had a clear, uninterrupted view through the atrium and down the stretch of the entrance hall, which was currently lined on either side with all the doves who had come to enjoy the show and, Lyana suspected, one owl, hidden somewhere within the folds.
The representatives from the other six houses sat on platforms fanning out on either side of her own, three to the left and three to the right, turning the domed atrium into a kaleidoscope of color, with each dais decorated to match its house. The red-and-gold banners of the House of Song. The yellow uniforms and bronze shields of the House of Prey. The deep black leathers of the House of Whispers. The bright purple-and-green silks of the House of Paradise. The liquid-blue garb and sunny orange flowers of the House of Flight. And finally, subdued yet still wondrous, the white clothes and amber accents of the House of Wisdom. The kings and queens of each house sat on thrones, just like her parents, surrounded by their guests, all dressed to represent their monarchs. And each royal dais had open seats ready to welcome the princes and princesses, who were currently waiting outside for the signal to present their gifts to Aethios on behalf of their patron god.
Every courtship trial began the same way—with the parade of offerings, which was truly just a way for each house to engage in little showing off. Each house except Lyana’s, of course. She was there to humbly receive, though she wasn’t quite sure she’d be able to keep her eyes from widening in wonder or her lips from opening with a thrilled little gasp. Nothing had even happened yet, and her heels already bounced with excitement beneath the many layers of her gown. She couldn’t help but start as her father’s voice boomed again, giving life to the story of their ancestors, as was tradition.
“A thousand years ago, we were little more than slaves and servants to unjust rulers who wielded their magic to keep us weak and small and submissive. But we had something they did not, something more powerful than all the magic and all the weapons in the world. We had faith. Faith in our gods, faith that they would one day come to save us, faith that they would set us free—and they did. They gave us wings. They lifted our lands into the air. They gave us the home we’d prayed for, a home of peace and safety and prosperity. So we gather here, on the eve of our most sacred ceremony, to give thanks to the gods who broke our chains and gifted us the open sky. I declare, on behalf of Aethios, to let the parade of offerings begin.”
The parade always began with the isle to the east of Lyana's own, since it was the one Aethios first blessed with sunlight in the morning. And then the remaining houses presented in a path that followed a sundial’s movements, circling around her home, until all the gifts were presented. Even though she knew who would be first, Lyana’s breath still caught in her throat when the doors at the other end of the entrance hall slid open, sending a wave of cool air into the palace.
She heard them before she saw them—the gentle trill of a high-pitched whistle, followed by another, and another. Lower, then louder. Then higher, and louder still. Then soft but lingering, stretching on and on, until suddenly, the first bird slipped into view: a masked girl with a mix of brilliant red and dusty-brown feathers—the Crown Princess of the House of Song. Following her, also in a mask, the younger princess with wings of soft blue and orange. Both wore dresses in their colors, deep ruby with gold trim, and each held a log in one upturned