Page 3 of The Sunbound Princess
I went to the pack I’d leaned against one of the Solarium’s pillars. Slinging it over my shoulder, I nodded. “I’m ready.”
Maybe. Wait, no, I wasdefinitelyready. It wasn’t like I had a choice. Every heir to the Summer Court went through the Dokimasi. The sunstone wasmine. All I had to do was find it.
Corvus came to me. “Come, Your Highness.” Taking me in his arms, he kissed me, his tongue stroking boldly over mine. When we were both breathless, he met my gaze with a carnal promise in his blue eyes. “The sooner you leave, the sooner you can return to me.”
Moments later,my heart knocked against my ribs as I moved down a gauntlet of nobles and servants lining the palace’s corridors. The straps of my pack dug into my shoulders. Helios bobbed at my side, his hair crackling as he waved at the crowd.
The anchor in my chest tugged harder, drawing me away from the Solarium. I resisted the impulse to glance back at the golden doors. To look for Corvus. Undoubtedly, he observed my progress. But he couldn’t follow, and it would only hurt us both if I lingered too long. So I plastered a smile on my face and kept walking.
Men and women bowed as Helios and I passed. Several called out encouragement.
“Safe journey, Your Highness!”
“The gods go with you, Princess!”
“Hurry home!”
If only.The Dokimasi was different for everyone. According to the histories I’d grown up reading, several princes of the Summer Court had wandered for years, walking from one end of the kingdom to the other in search of the sunstone. I’d packed extra boots.
Maybe I should have packed another pair.
“Be so very careful, Your Highness!” a man called from my right. Tears streaked his cheeks, and he dabbed at his eyes with a bright yellow handkerchief.
“Walk faster,” Helios said under his breath.
“Why?” I murmured, letting him hustle me forward.
Helios slanted me a look. “That’s Lord Timos. You probably don’t recognize him because he followed your father fromtournament to tournament. In case it’s not obvious, he has a flair for the dramatic.”
As we moved farther down the line of well-wishers, Lord Timos released a loud wail. “The princess is as becoming as our beloved King Thessador, may the gods rest him. Our hearts will be sundered if she fails to deliver the sunstone!”
Helios huffed.
Nerves prickled through me. My cheeks ached from smiling.
“It’s too horrific to contemplate!” Timos cried, keeping pace with us at the edge of the crowd. He elbowed courtiers out of the way as he raised his voice. “Aimless wandering! Her beauty ravaged by years of fruitless searching!”
“Ignore him,” Helios said, waving to a woman with dark blond braids. She blushed as she returned the gesture.
I pitched my voice low as I looked at Helios. “Do you know her?”
“I know everyone,” Helios said, winking at the woman. Her blush deepened, and she ducked her head.
Lord Timos moved faster, his handkerchief fluttering as he gestured wildly to a cluster of courtiers. “Our poor princess all alone and defenseless. With every year of her absence, the sun will continue to dim. Our crops will fail!”
“For fuck’s sake,” Helios hissed. He flicked his hand—a subtle gesture I might have missed if I hadn’t been right next to him. A single ember streaked through the air and landed on Timos’s handkerchief. The fabric burst into flames.
With a shriek, Timos flung the flaming handkerchief to the ground. The courtiers around him darted away. Men cursed. Women snatched their skirts from the flames. A nobleman shoved Timos aside and stomped on the fire.
A smile tugged at my lips as Helios and I left the commotion behind. “I don’t recall you being this violent,” I said quietly.
Helios snorted. “Youmade me. Besides, I did Timos a favor. He’ll talk about this for weeks, claiming the sun sent an omen or something equally stupid.”
More nerves twisted through me. “Do you think I should be worried?” The histories said the Dokimasi was different for everyone. The sunstone hid itself to ensure only the worthy could find it. Some princes had an easier time of it than others. What if I wasreallyunworthy, and my trials were life-threatening?
Helios dismissed my concern with a wave of his hand, the movement sending sparks dancing through the air. “The Dokimasi isn’t anything to worry about. It’s like a…treasure hunt.”
I met his gaze. “That’s not what the histories say.”
