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.“I’m pretty sure I can’t climb up that,” I said, eyeing up the slick surfaces of the rock.“I’ll help you.” He had his feet in a crevice, and he reached back, holding his hand out to me.Logically speaking, if I grabbed onto him, my body weight would pull him back off the boulder.But he didn’t doubt his ability to pull us both up, so neither did I.Finn had this way of making me believe anything, and it scared me sometimes.I took his hand, barely getting a chance to enjoy how strong and warm it felt before he started pulling me towards the rock.I squealed, which only made him laugh.He directed me to a crevice, and I found myself hanging to the boulder for dear life.Finn climbed up, always keeping one hand out for me to grab if I slipped, but I did most of the actual climbing myself.I was surprised when my fingers didn’t give and my shoes didn’t slide, and I had to admit, when I pushed myself up to the top of the boulder, I couldn’t help to feel a bit of pride.When I stood up on the massive rock, wiping mud off my knees, I started to make some comment about my amazing agility, but then I caught sight of the view.On top of the boulder had to be the highest point, sitting high atop the bluffs.From here, I could see everything, and somehow, it was even more amazing than the view from the palace.Chimneys dotted out amongst the trees, and I could see the plumes of smoke blowing away in the wind.Roads curved and winded through the town, and a few people walked along them.Elora’s palace had been masked with vines and trees, but it still looked startlingly large hanging on the edge of the bluff.With the wind whipping through my hair, it made it somehow exhilarating.Almost like I was flying, even though I was just standing there.“This is Förening.” Finn gestured to the hidden houses buried amongst the green foliage.“It is breathtaking,” I admitted, letting him see how in awe I felt.“It’s all yours,” he said gravely, and I turned to look at him, certain I’d misunderstood.“What are you talking about?”“You’ll be Queen, Wendy.” His dark eyes met mine, emphasizing the severity of his words, and then he looked away, scanning the trees.“This is your kingdom.”“Yeah, but… it’s not actually mine.”“Actually, it kind of is.” He offered me a small smile.I looked back at the bluff, and in the realm of kingdoms, I knew it was relatively small.It wasn’t as if I’d inherited the Roman Empire or anything, but it felt strange to me that I might possess any amount of a kingdom.“What’s the point?” I asked softly.When Finn didn’t answer, I thought my words might have been carried away by the wind, so I asked louder.“Why do I get this? What am I to do with it?”“Rule over it.” Finn had been standing behind me, but he stepped closer, moving next to me.“Make the decisions.Keep the peace.Declare the wars.”“Declare the wars?” I looked at him sharply.“That’s really something we do?” He shrugged.“I don’t understand.”“Most things will already be decided when you take the throne,” Finn said, staring down at the houses instead of me.“The order is already in place.You just have to uphold it, enforce it.Mostly, you live in the palace, attend parties, trivial governmental meetings, and occasionally, decide on something substantial.”“Like what?” I asked, not liking the hard tone his voice had taken on.“Banishments, for one.” He looked thoughtful.“Your mother once banished a Marksinna.It hadn’t been done in years, but its entrusted in her to make the decisions that best protect our people and our way of life.”“Why did she banish her?” I asked.“She corrupted a bloodline.” He didn’t say anything for a minute, and I looked at him questioningly.“She had a child with a human.”I wanted to ask him more about that but I felt a drop of rain splash on my forehead.I looked up to the sky, to be certain I’d felt rain, and the clouds seemed to rip open, pouring water down before I had a chance to shield myself.“Come on!” Finn grabbed my hand, pulling me.We slid down the side of the rock, my back scraping against the rough surface of it, and fell heavily into a thicket of ferns.Rain soaked through my clothes already, chilling my skin, and still holding my hand, Finn led me to a shelter underneath a giant pine tree.“That came on really suddenly,” I said, peering out from around the branches.We weren’t completely dry under the tree, but only a few fat drops of rain made their way through.“The weather is so temperamental here.The locals blame it on the river, but the Trylle have more to do with it,” Finn explained.I thought back to Willa, and her complaint that she could only control the wind and her mother, the clouds.The garden behind the palace bloomed year round thanks to Trylle abilities, and it wouldn’t be hard to fathom that they played a role in the rain.The birds had fallen silent, and over the sound of the rainfall, I couldn’t hear the river.The air smelled thick with pine, and even in the middle of the rainstorm, I felt oddly peaceful.I couldn’t stop the growing chill inside me, and my teeth began to chatter.“You’re cold.”“I’m fine,” I shook my head.Without further prompting, Finn put his arm around me, pulling me closer to him.The abruptness of it made me forget to breathe, and even though he felt no warmer than I did, the strength of his arm wrapping around me made a warmth spread inside of me.“I suppose I’m not much help,” he said, his voice low and deep.“I’ve stopped shivering,” I pointed out quietly.“We should get back inside, so you can change into dry clothes.” He breathed deeply, looking at me a moment longer.Just as abruptly as he grabbed me, he pulled away and started heading back down the bluff.The rain came down fast and cold, and without him to warm me, I had no urge to stay in it longer than I had to.I went down after him, half-running half-sliding to the bottom.We ran inside the front doors, skidding on the marble floors, and water dripped off us into rapidly growing puddles.I only had a second to catch myself when I realized we weren’t alone in the entryway.Elora walked towards us, carrying herself with her usual regality.Her gown swam around, making her appear to float as she moved [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]