flame.”
“Calix,” I choked out. “Help me.”
“Burn,” his voice caressed my ears, deep and rich. “Burn, Ana. I want you to burn. You must.”
He glided to me and held his hand out as I writhed in pain, the flames growing higher and blistering my skin. This couldn’t be happening. We loved one another. He was dead. This was just a terrible nightmare.
“Burn,” he shouted, making the ground shake.
I fell to my knees. The smell of my charred skin burnt my nostrils as his voice echoed around me. “The pain isn’t real! Only you are! You are the storm. Follow the thunder! He’s coming! Remember, I love you. Always, my tempest.”
I woke up thrashing and drenched in sweat with my sheets twisted around my body. I lay in bed, panting, trying to make sense of the dream. It couldn’t have been a vision. Calix was dead. It was just a bad dream brought on by my guilt, grief, and earlier conversation with Soran. Nothing more. I knew this. I believed this.
I closed my eyes tight, tears burning my eyelids. Choking out a sob, I buried my face into my pillow and cried until I fell into a fitful sleep.
Chapter 7
Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and looked around. This was my home now. I was homesick for a place I could never go back to. I couldn’t shake the idea that my Earth Realm parents had to be worried sick about me.
A soft knock on my door pulled me from my sad thoughts, and I jerked my head up to see who was coming into my room.
Brena entered and gave me a quick smile, her arms laden with freshly laundered sheets.
“Princess, I trust you slept well,” she greeted me, placing the sheets on a small table in the corner of the room.
“Yes,” I lied, not wanting to rehash the terrible dream with her, or anyone.
“Good,” she beamed, bustling around in my wardrobe. She pulled out a pretty, sapphire gown and came to my side. “Are you ready to meet with the queen for breakfast?”
“Oh, I wasn’t aware I had to,” I muttered.
“The queen requested you have breakfast with her this morning,” Brena answered kindly. “She also insisted you wear this gown and that you see Gregor before meeting with her.”
“Why?” I pondered, raising my arms so Brena could help dress me.
“The queen insists Gregor take a look at you and try to heal your sore muscles,” Brena replied. “I’ll take you there.”
Wordlessly, I stood and followed Brena to the vanity where she began plaiting my hair in elaborate braids and curls again. I watched as she expertly twisted my long, blonde locks into a pile on top of my head, sending ringlets cascading down my back.
“You’re really very good at this,” I commented, eyeing her work.
She beamed at me, her cheeks flushing. “My mother said it was an important life skill to learn,” she stated.
“Maybe you can teach me how to do it someday when I’m feeling better,” I murmured, admiring her handiwork. Brena grinned more, and I forced a smile out at her. It felt awkward on my face, like someone was carving it in with a serrated steak knife. I quickly wiped it away, knowing it looked unnatural on me.
“If you’re ready, milady, I can escort you now,” Brena offered.
I nodded, rose to my feet, and followed her out to the hall.
“You don’t need to call me that,” I scoffed after a moment of silence, walking beside her down the long hallway.
“Pardon me, milady,” she flushed to the roots of her dark hair.
“No, it’s OK. Really. Please, call me Ana,” I pressed, wanting some normalcy. Being referred to so properly made me feel uncomfortable.
“Milad—, I mean, Ana, forgive me. It isn’t common to refer to royalty on a first name basis. If the king or queen, or anyone really, heard me speak to you like that, I’d be in trouble,” Brena explained.
“That’s ridiculous.” I shook my head. “Then perhaps when it’s just us you can call me by my name. We can keep all the proper terms for the rest of the royalty.”
Brena grinned at me and nodded.
“How old are you, Brena?” I asked, my curiosity getting the best of me finally. She looked about my age, but in Winterset, you could never be sure.
“I’m twenty,” she replied with a smile. “I’m quite young.”
“In comparison to Soran, definitely.” I smiled, and she returned it with her own.
We finally reached our destination, and I