Read Online Fist of the Furor by Frankie Rose, R. K. Ryals, Melissa Ringsted - Free Book Online Page A

tongue.
    “This seems wrong,” Maeve mumbled as she joined us, a guard I didn’t know at her back.
    It wasn’t long before Daegan fell in step, Lochlen shadowing him. All of us wore green. We were in the minority in a sea of blue, lavender, and scarlet. Mothelamew’s words from the ball the night before haunted my steps. Sometimes what seems like a brilliant idea is often one of folly.
    Eerie silence filled the banquet halls. Noblemen in stunning tunics, and women in beautiful dresses and gauzy headpieces full of jewels, lined the marble floors. Their fingers, ears, and necks were covered in valuable baubles. The bell in the village beyond the palace continued to clang. The scene was too sober for a wedding.
    “Something isn’t right,” Daegan breathed.
    With sad eyes, Reenah glanced at us, her hands gesturing at the Hall of Light. There, inside the dim room, the grey clouds hovering over the glass ceiling, stood Cadeyrn. He wore a simple white tunic with a blue overcoat, emblazoned with a falcon. His leather breeches were black, his long mahogany hair pulled back by a leather thong. My half-brother, Gryphon, and the heir, Arien, stood next to him, their attire similar to Cadeyrn’s, their eyes downcast. The king and queen stood before them on the throne, their eyes on the entrance.
    My gaze followed theirs to find Catriona and Gabriella, both of them resplendent in dresses that represented their cultures. Princess Catriona wore red, her fiery hair pulled up on top of her head and fastened by a gauzy scarlet scarf that fell over her face. Her crimson dress was covered in gold spherical designs, each one circling another all the way down to the hem. Around her neck, she wore a gold filigree necklace made of four globular knots.
    Beside her, Princess Gabriella shone in a deep violet gown covered in silver beading. She wore her hair down, a silver tiara full of amethysts resting on the crown of her head. A simple amethyst sat nestled between her breasts. But it was the purple cloak attached to her dress that drew the eye. Down the back of the satin ran the image of a swan in silver beadwork. It was the crest of the Greemallian monarchy.
    Together, the women stepped forward, stepping lightly, their faces even as they glided to the throne.
    My fingers found Reenah’s sleeve. “But the wedding … I thought it wasn’t until midday.”
    Reenah exhaled. “That is the announcement, but for the princesses’ safety, the announcement was false. A wedding open to the public is fraught with too much danger for anyone associated with Prince Cadeyrn.”
    My hand found my stomach, my fingers clenching the green satin that covered it. The princesses moved past, each of them glancing at us. Their steps faltered, and I realized they’d caught a glimpse of the silver pendant hanging around my neck. Momentary surprise flitted across Catriona’s gauze-covered face before her attention snapped back to the throne. Gabriella’s jaw tightened in anger.
    I started to reach for the silver chain, but Lochlen’s hand suddenly covered mine. “Don’t,” he muttered. “Leave it.”
    The procession continued, the princesses coming to a stop before the dais. They knelt, their heads bowed. King Freemont’s gaze swept the room before drawing his sword. With simple, elegant movements, he let the broad side of the gleaming weapon hover carefully above each of the women’s heads before stepping back. A holy man from Henderonia replaced him, his scarlet silk tunic the color of dark blood in the dim room.
    Servants moved silently, lighting globes full of the murky liquid Sadeemia seemed famous for. Lamp oil. Before long, flames flickered inside the glass casements. In the distance, thunder rumbled, an ominous sound that mingled with the clanging bell from the village temple.
    “It’s like attending a funeral,” Maeve whispered.
    Her fingers found mine, and our hands clasped. Chills ran down my spine. Daegan moved closer, his looming figure