A Vision of Flame (Elements & Illusions #1)

Chapter 1

Roses

“I’m going to be sick.” Evelyn moaned as she gripped the edge of the ship deck.

“Princesses do not vomit during their journeys,” her sister, Hannah, declared. But even she was rapidly turning green.

The sisters had only been princesses of Carrowmore for a month.

The previous royal family, the Kennedys, had been murdered and their deaths went unsolved.

The Elemental lords ultimately selected Tristan Connolly, Lord of the Fire Court, to take the throne.

Overnight, Evelyn and Hannah had gone from ladies to princesses.

Their older brother, Rowan, was a future king instead of future lord.

“At least we are almost there,” Hannah said encouragingly. “The air keeps getting warmer.”

“That’s the problem,” Evelyn groaned. “A cold breeze is soothing. A hot wind is vile.”

As if she had summoned it, a gust of humid air swept over the sisters. Evelyn’s breakfast reappeared and she vomited into the water. Hannah sprinted away to avoid losing control of her own stomach.

When Evelyn had nothing left to surrender to the ocean, she stepped back from the edge and wiped her mouth.

She felt more like a creature dragged from the sea, rather than a princess traveling through it.

Evelyn’s dark scarlet curls were long and tangled, currently resembling a sea witch.

Her older sister’s light copper hair was straight and flowed beautifully in the breeze.

If Evelyn was a sea witch, Hannah was a siren.

It. Was. Not. Fair.

“I’m still alive!” Evelyn called.

Hannah took a deep breath and returned to her sister.

“This is all your fault,” Evelyn accused. “We’re only on this godsforsaken ship because you were invited to meet Prince Alexander.”

“It was not my idea!”

“You could’ve said no!”

“I cannot refuse an invitation from a king!”

“You wouldn’t have refused, anyway. I know you’re excited.” Evelyn threw the observation like an insult.

Hannah smiled. “Maybe a little. Come on, Evelyn! You’ve seen the portraits of the Ducasse family!”

They had seen the portraits of King Gerard, Queen Camille, Prince Christopher, and Prince Alexander many times.

The royal family of the Kingdom of Gryon looked like lions personified, with golden blond hair, tanned skin, and warm features.

The king and queen didn’t appear any older than the human age of 40, but they were over 1,000 years old.

Prince Alexander was 207, double Evelyn’s age of 103, but fae only seemed to care about years in multiples of 500 anyway.

Prince Christopher, the original heir to Gryon’s throne, tragically died nearly three years ago when he was killed while traveling.

Just like with the Kennedys, the assassin was never caught.

The Ducasse family only recently came out of mourning.

Alexander became the heir when his brother died and was apparently ready to marry soon.

“He’s not that handsome,” Evelyn said dryly.

“Are you jealous that he requested to meet me and not you?” Hannah asked.

“Absolutely not! I didn’t want to be a princess, much less a future queen!”

Hannah bit her lip. “What if he doesn’t like me?”

“Alexander? Then he’s a fool.”

“Just because I’m a princess doesn’t mean I’m what he wants! What if he sees me and shakes his head and the king makes us leave immediately?”

“If he’s that disrespectful, you don’t want to marry him anyway.”

“But—”

“If he shakes his head at you, I’ll set his hair on fire.”

“Evelyn!”

“And if the king sends us away without dinner, I’ll set him on fire, too.”

Hannah giggled at the ridiculous plan, which made Evelyn laugh.

“My girls! There you are,” the new king called, walking toward them. “What are you cackling about?”

Their father’s bushy red beard was the same coppery shade as Hannah’s and Rowan’s hair. Evelyn’s darker red curls didn’t quite match the rest of her family.

“Nothing, Father!” Hannah said brightly.

“Are we there yet?” Evelyn whined.

“Very nearly,” the king answered, unfazed by his youngest daughter’s tone.

How is this man still cheerful after three days on a ship?

“Come over here, ladies. Princesses, I should say!” King Tristan ushered them to the bow of the ship. “Now, look to the southwest.”

“Oh!” Hannah squealed.

Evelyn couldn’t see anything that would justify her sister’s excitement. There was water and the distant coastline, just like they had seen for days. “What are we supposed to be looking at?”

Hannah pointed emphatically. “That!”

Based on her family’s expressions, there should be a floating circus in the ship’s direct path. “I don’t see anything.”

“You can’t see the flowers?” her father asked.

“Um, no? We’re too far out on the water. No one could spot flowers from here.”

“Evelyn!” Hannah snapped. “The flowers in the sky!”

Evelyn had flashbacks from her childhood of an increasingly frustrated tutor losing patience as she incorrectly solved one math equation after another.

“Do you mean clouds shaped like flowers?” she asked, desperate to get an answer right eventually.

Her father frowned. “We’re approaching the southern tip of the continent. Can you see Gryon’s palace at the very edge of the coastline?”

Evelyn searched with more confidence. There was a tall structure just off the beach. “Yes.”

I thought we were talking about flowers?

“Above the palace,” the king explained, “reaching a thousand feet into the air, is a collection of flowering vines all woven together around a stem covered in thorns. At the very top of the stem is a giant red rose.”

A rose wrapped in vines was the symbol of Gryon. Evelyn could picture the image but could not see it in front of her.

“It’s an illusion, of course,” the king continued. “You know the magic of fae in Gryon is focused on manipulating the senses, and visual illusions are their favorites. Projecting an image of their emblem over the palace is—”

“So amazing!” Hannah said, still staring at the rose.

“Super dramatic?” Evelyn countered. “But why can’t I see it?”

“I’m not sure, sweetheart,” her father replied. “Perhaps you’re too smart to be tricked by Perceptual magic.”

That does not make me feel better. I don’t want to be the only one in an entire kingdom who can’t experience Gryon’s illusions.

Evelyn managed to make herself appear more like a damsel rescued from pirates rather than a deep-sea creature pulled to the surface for scientific inquiry.

Hannah, no longer seasick, was even more radiant than before.

Most people couldn’t immediately identify them as sisters.

Hannah was slender, whereas Evelyn was curvy.

Hannah’s straight copper hair would never tangle, unlike Evelyn’s dark red curls.

They were both fairly pale, which was unavoidable in their northern kingdom.

Hannah at least had freckles across her nose and cheeks, as did their older brother.

Rowan resembled their father, minus the beard, and Hannah was practically identical to their mother.

If Evelyn’s hair weren’t red, she might have asked about being adopted.

But that question wouldn’t go over well, considering her mother died in childbirth with Evelyn.

The sisters wore purple gowns, Hannah in lavender and Evelyn in plum, with intricate designs of crystals on the bodices. Even their father had changed into finer clothing and added some jewels he’d inherited with the throne.

The dock outside the palace was crowded with ships. The Ducasses had several vessels of their own, of course. But one ship was labeled as being from the Isle of Lochmatten.

Is a High Councilor of Lochmatten also visiting Gryon this week? If he’s any fun, maybe I can sneak off with him while the prince is courting Hannah.

King Gerard and Queen Camille greeted the Connollys as they finally got off the ship. The king’s golden hair and matching oversized mustache gleamed in the sunshine. But Queen Camille had light brown hair instead of the royal blonde hue.

That’s strange. Why did they change her appearance in the portraits?

More importantly, why isn’t Prince Alexander here to greet us?

“Welcome!” King Gerard boomed as they approached.

“Ducasse!” King Tristan yelled back.

The kings embraced good-naturedly, like they were old friends. They weren’t, but they put on a good show.

“Have you met my wife?” King Gerard asked.

“It’s been centuries.” King Tristan bowed to the queen.

“These must be your daughters,” Queen Camille said sweetly.

“Yes, yes,” their father confirmed. “This is Hannah, my second-born, and Evelyn, my youngest. We left Rowan at home to manage the castle.”

Each princess bent into a curtsy with their introduction.

“We are delighted to have you both here,” the queen told them.

“Thank you for the invitation!” Hannah beamed.

At least the queen is nice enough to smile at both of us. The king barely glanced at me before focusing on Hannah. Although she is basically interviewing to become his daughter-in-law and future Queen of Gryon. Still, rude.

“We should all go inside.” King Gerard’s smile had already faded.

“Absolutely,” Queen Camille agreed. “You are all so pale. I don’t want you to burn in the sunshine. It may be an adjustment to be this far south compared to your northern kingdom.”

Her motherly concern was kind but foreign to Evelyn.

Is this what Mother would have been like if she’d survived my birth? Would she have fussed over me wearing enough warm clothing in Carrowmore’s harsh winters?

A stone pathway revealed the lavish property.

The palace was wide, four stories tall, and the off-white color of a polished seashell.

A back patio led to the beach, and the main entrance faced inland to the north.

One side of the grounds was a sprawling lawn, and the other side had an elaborate garden.

Evelyn wrinkled her nose at the scent of roses, which was especially pungent with the humidity.

Inside, they filed into the palace’s grand entryway, with white marble floors, cream-colored walls, and accents of blue to continue the seaside theme.

Everything inside felt intentional, not a single oil painting frame off-center.

But it was impersonal. If not for the official family portrait hanging prominently on one wall, no one would know who lived there.

“The second floor has meeting rooms, offices, and libraries,” Queen Camille explained. “Guest suites are on the third floor, and the private family residences are on the fourth. We spend most of our time on the ground level or outside. We hope you can feel at home here.”

Maids in blue dresses ushered the Connollys to the third floor.

The sisters were taken to the east wing and the king to the west. Evelyn’s room was decorated in shades of red.

A long wall of windows overlooked the southern ocean.

To the right was a large armoire and the door to a private bathroom.

To the left was an enormous, dark wood, four-poster bed with matching nightstands.

The middle of the room had a seating area with a couch and comfortable chairs.

I think I’ll like it here… except for those roses.

Evelyn crossed the room and stopped at the bouquet on a small table in front of the windows. Holding a hand over the vase, her Fire magic heated her palm like a miniature sun, withering the flowers into dust.

She opened one of the windows for fresh air. “That’s better.”

Hannah burst into Evelyn’s room without knocking. “I love it here!”

Evelyn couldn’t help but smile. “I could probably get used to this.”

Hannah flung herself onto the bed and stretched over the duvet like she was making a snow angel.

I love it when she acts like this, instead of trying to be so perfect and proper. Hannah would die before she let anyone but me, Rowan, or Father see her this way.

“Did you see the bathtub?” Hannah asked dramatically, as if it came with a live mermaid. “Everything here is beautiful and soft and warm. It’s nothing like the castle in Carrowmore.”

That’s an understatement.

The Connollys met King Gerard and Queen Camille downstairs for dinner.

“How has the transition to king been, Tristan?” King Gerard asked.

“Other than getting lost in that damned castle?” King Tristan chuckled. “Everything is great once I find the room I’m supposed to be in!”

“I wasn’t surprised to hear Carrowmore promoted their Fire Lord. Didn’t the Kennedy family also specialize in Fire magic?”

“They did. I may be biased, but Fire is the right element to lead a kingdom. But you know all about being the right choice, Gerard. I can’t imagine having the Aromatic fae running Gryon!”

Both of the kings laughed mightily at this.

Queen Camille wants to roll her eyes at them. I just know it.

Hannah needs to relax and stop fidgeting. Where the hell is Prince Alexander? We came all the way here and he won’t even say hello? Hannah deserves better.

“Yes.” King Gerard nodded. “Vision fae are the real leaders here. Although I do enjoy having all four abilities of Perceptual magic.”

“That was definitely one of the better perks of becoming king,” King Tristan said. “I’ve picked up Air and Water well enough for now, but Earth is trickier than I expected.”

“I struggled with Taste magic. My guests kept spitting out their wine because it tasted like onions!”

Queen Camille’s eyes glazed over, a natural defense against the stories she’d heard a million times. She noticed Evelyn staring at her and refocused her attention. “The two of you have Fire magic, right? Would you be willing to give us a demonstration?”

Hannah sat up straighter and raised a hand. Her fingers danced like she was playing a piano. Four small spheres of fire appeared over the table, quickly morphing into songbirds. The birds flitted about, chasing each other through the air.

Evelyn waved her hand and a tower of flames erupted at the edge of the room, whirling like a tornado. The fire slithered across the ceiling and transformed into a dragon. Without warning, the flame dragon swooped down and swallowed Hannah’s songbirds before disappearing.

Queen Camille’s eyes were wide with wonder, and even King Gerard seemed impressed. Evelyn’s father was pleased, both because he taught her that trick and because his new ally approved. Hannah, however, glared mutinously at her sister.

Let her be mad. I’m going to have fun while we’re here.