The Savior's Throne

Chapter Twenty One

I stop walking and the guard behind me runs into my back, "Whoa," he says.

Delmi turns around and looks behind me, "Put a ring around us," she orders.

A blast of heat lightly burns my skin and I stand perfectly still. The fire is far enough away from me to not singe my skin, but close enough to feel intense heat. Around me is a ring of fire, a barrier to prevent people from getting to me. Only Delmi stands in the circle with me, the fire brightening her face, making her look even more angry than she already is.

"You are not going back out there," her voice is just as stern as her expression. I look up at her and try to be intimidating, "I can't run and hide every time some trouble sprouts up. I have-"

"Running and hiding is how you stay alive," she hisses.

I cross my arms over my chest and try not to be discouraged, "I have a duty as ruler to make sure my citizens are heard. I need to-"

"You need to stay alive. My job is-"

"Stop interrupting me!" I order. Her mouth snaps shut like she finally realized that I rank above her. "Calm the masses and make it safe for me to return to the stage. I need to finish what I started." After a long moment of staring at each other silently, she nods. I lower my arms and wait for the fire around me to die.

Delmi turns to the Burn who created the ring of fire around us, "Tell the other men to calm the citizens and give word that the queen is returning to the stage." The burn nods and runs off to do as told.

It takes a long while for the crowd to quiet down and when they do, I pick up the skirt of my dress, and return to the stage. Less than half of the people remain, but that does not matter, what matters is finishing this day out with dignity. I hike my skirt up farther to avoid stepping on the fabric when I walk up the steps of the stage. I find my place and look out at who remains, "Whoever wishes to come forward and speak, may do so now."

Hushed whispers float throughout the crowd and eventually they part for a middle-aged woman. Her hair is pulled back in a tight, but neat bun. Her eyes are so dark, they must be black, and her skin glows with a tint of blue. Her gift must be related to water, perhaps she is a Drowner-a gifted who is able to send tsunami's crashing over cities and towns. They are very rare and very dangerous.

I keep my mouth shut as she makes her way through the crowd and fold my hands in front of me. She has a graceful walk and from her expression, she's definitely used to being in the spotlight. She stops a few feet from the stage and looks up at me with a captivating stare. "Are you planning another war?" She asks, her voice serene with a hint of anger slipping through.

Her question causes my hand to slightly tremble, but I hold my expression firmly. "A war is not what I want and right now I am focusing solely on being the North's ruler." The woman nods, but continues to speak, "You say that you want to fix the wrongdoings of every society and help all the ungifteds, but never mention on how you plan to do that."

"What is your question?" I say when she doesn't ask one. She simply shrugs her shoulders, "How do you plan on accomplishing those goals?" I search the crowd before answering. My eyes scan everyone in search for Desmond. No one prepared me for the kind of questions the citizens would ask or even bothered to tell me what I could and could not say.

"In the North, I plan on educating people on the respectful ways to treat people, even the lowest ranking people on the social ladder. I want to change the attitudes of everyone by getting rid of this prophecy, to stop it from spreading onto the next generation. As for the other societies...I plan on setting up a meeting with each of the rulers and hopefully convince them to change their laws." If I were being honest, I would tell the woman that I just came up with the idea to discuss my ideas with the rulers of every society. Perhaps I should try talking to the eastern rulers before heading off to war. It's a thought for a later day.

The woman doesn't respond after that, instead she simply walks back into the crowd. I try to follow her head, to keep an eye on her, but another woman steps up. I focus on her and answering her questions and listening to her complaints-and there are a lot of them.

The night is longer than most, but no more acts of violence happen. My heels kill the soles of my feet and every step off the stage burns the callouses. When my feet land on the ground, I immediately take my heels off and hand them to a guard. He gives me a look-squinty eyes and lowered eyebrows-but I ignore it. A few citizens still mingle around, talking with each other and laughing. Some sway, probably intoxicated, and others look off in the distance as if they are lost, probably also intoxicated.

My guards surround me and Delmi takes the lead, sending us all back into the palace. The cold floor of the palace is a comfort on my sore feet and my guards start to disperse.

"Wait! Wait!" A shrill voice calls from behind me. My whole body swiftly turns to see a young girl standing in the entrance of the palace. I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion and ask Delmi, "Who let her in here?" A citizen is never allowed past the palace gates without permission from me or my delegates. Delmi holds out a hand, notifying me to stay put, and walks up to the girl.

"How did you get in here?" She asks the girl. I take a closer look at her-her face is chunky, with wide set eyes, and a set of dimples on each cheek. Freckles are speckled all over her cheeks and her button nose is bright red. Her tiny voice trails through the hallway, "Some man let me come through. I just wanted to speak to the ruler like everyone else did."

"What man?" Delmi asks. From the tone of her voice, I can tell she's worried. I squint at the little girl as she focuses on me. Or something behind me? She brings up a hand and points at something that's definitely behind me, "That man."

Before I can move, a searing pain shoots through my arm. I gasp as I see an arrow fall to the floor. "Guards!" someone shouts. I turn around with a shaking hand pressed to my bleeding arm to see a man pointing a second arrow at me. I duck fast enough to miss the arrow and even see some guards tackle the man. Blood seeps through my fingers and stains my beautiful dress. Delmi rushes to my side, concern straining her voice, "How bad is it?"

Slowly I remove my hand from the wound and let Delmi look at my arm. She lets out a relieved sigh and I turn to see why. "A flesh wound," she says. The cut is deep, but not deadly or serious. "Let's get you to the infirmary," Delmi whispers.

Quickly, I shake my head no. Delmi gives me a confused look, so I explain myself, "I need to see who did this." I see the disappointment radiating off of Delmi's face, but stand up anyways. I put pressure on my arm and walk over the where guards surround the man.

"Don't get to close to him," a woman guard warns. I don't bother to acknowledge her as I kneel down to the man. Sensing my presence, the man turns his head my way and I stifle a gasp of surprise. He's an ungifted-a man with emerald eyes just as beautiful as Winn's.

"Why?" I ask.

The man shakes his head refusing to say a word, but I have a feeling I already know the answer. I stare down at him with unwavering eyes, "Was it Desmond?" His eyes light up with recognition, but he shakes his head no. I don't believe him.