Silver threw her shoulders back.
“I am Silver Batal, Aquinder racer!”
The noise in the courtyard grew once more. There was a commotion behind her, but Silver didn’t have the courage to look away from the queen. Queen Imea smiled down, her lips pressed together. Those violet eyes flashed, and the light bounced off her platinum hair like molten metal.
“Yes, Arkilah has told me a bit about you. She has a keen interest in studying you, and I think I’ll allow her.” The queen tapped her fingers slowly back and forth. “Silver. That’s one of the lesser metals, isn’t it? I do believe your father had promised me gold. Disappointing.”
Before, the remark would have crushed Silver, but as she held the queen’s gaze, a sleeping little memory came to life.
“You were going to be named Ruby,” Sersha Batal had whispered to Silver. “Your father’s favorite gemstone. But the night you were born was the clearest I could remember. The moon was full, and you opened your eyes and stared at the silvery light for a long time. Then you smiled.”
Silver’s father had gathered her close. “You’re still my favorite gemstone, but your mother was right to pick Silver instead. My wondering, mysterious girl. You will accomplish such great things in this life.”
“I am no disappointment,” Silver said.
“I don’t care what you are,” Queen Imea said, waving away Silver’s words. “Bring me the Aquinder you raced.”
“That Aquinder belongs to me,” Silver said. “I raced him, so I’ve claimed him. But the other Aquinder, the one Sagittaria stole, belongs to someone else. And now, before you at the Winners’ Audience, I demand her return!”
Queen Imea stood, her presence so commanding that two of the other racers quickly left the room, their wooden boxes tucked securely under their arms. Silver heard shouting and screams from the courtyard. Had Ferdi finally started his distraction?
“Ridiculous child,” Queen Imea said. “Both Aquinder must be destroyed. That is part of ancient treaty. To allow them to live would mean war.”
“Then you must pick which law to follow. I raced my Aquinder, so he’s mine. You would steal from me? According to the law—”
“You fool,” Sagittaria Wonder said. “The law does not apply to the queen!”
The Abruqs moved closer.
On the sea, so did Hiyyan.
Before Silver could react, a group of people burst into the throne room. It was Ferdi’s companions and another man, the tallest Silver had ever seen, who threw back his cloak and released waves of thick white hair.
“Queen Imea!” he boomed. “The royals are servants of the law, not above it.”
As the crowd around the man bowed their heads, the queen had the grace to look shocked. But she quickly wiped her expression and bowed her head.
“King A-Malusni. Your ambassadors sent your regrets some weeks ago and told me your son would appear at our festival in your place. Imagine my surprise at seeing you now.”
Over her left shoulder, a shocked voice rose. “Father?”
FORTY-SIX
Ferdi stood at the entrance to the throne room, Brajon and Mele on either side of him.
Silver’s mouth dropped open. “Ferdi? That’s your father … You’re a…”
The king of the Island Nations held up a hand. “The girl is in compliance with the law, no matter what breed of dragon she rides.”
Queen Imea stroked the front of her silk gown and gave an acquiescent smile. “You are correct on that count, King A-Malusni. The matter of the Aquinder is a complicated one. Perhaps we can discuss the ancient and sacred words of the treaty in detail and come to an understanding between our nations.” Her sweet smile fell, and her eyes blazed. “However, this girl used an illegal and highly dangerous substance in her race.”
“What?” Silver yelped. The queen’s final card.
“The possession of camouin is illegal, and you are under arrest. Guards, seize her!”
The room erupted in chaos. The queen’s men pushed toward Silver, but Ferdi’s companions—King A-Malusni’s men—cut them off. Arkilah rushed from the dais, and the two Abruqs met her in the middle. Most peculiar of all, strange figures dressed in huge water dragon costumes streamed into the room, dancing riotously.
With all the commotion, Sagittaria Wonder slipped past everyone and reached Silver first.
“Let’s go,” Sagittaria said, dragging her backward by her arm.
“Brajon, help,” Silver yelled, but her voice was lost in the noise.
She stumbled down the throne room steps and into the courtyard, yanked along mercilessly by the queen’s water dragon racer.
“Let go of her,” Brajon yelled. He tried to follow but was held back by two guards. A third had his arms around Mele. More water dragon–masked dancers added to the chaos, like some kind of nightmarish desert festival.
“Move faster,” Sagittaria Wonder said. “Do you want the guards to catch you?”
Sagittaria hauled Silver through the courtyard grove, swerving left to right around the orange trees.
“What do you mean?” Silver gasped. Was Sagittaria Wonder helping her escape? The pain from Sagittaria’s grip rushed up her arm. Silver’s gown wrapped around her legs, causing her to falter, but Sagittaria Wonder kept going. When they reached the palace entrance, Sagittaria quickly ducked between two guards, but Silver ran into the chest of a third.
“Please, help us,” she whispered.
“I knew there was something special about you,” the kind guard said. He looked down sternly, then nonchalantly shoved two of his colleagues into the pools. “Run, Desert Fox.”
“But my cousin!”
Sagittaria Wonder grunted and pulled Silver around a corner. She paused in a shadowed nook but didn’t release Silver’s arm. “You have strange friends,” she said. “Guards, princes, cleaning girls—”
“What about you?” Silver said. “Why are you helping me now? Why didn’t you turn me in before this?”
“Even if I had, the queen would have wanted to make this matter as private as possible. There will be chaos when news of the Aquinder spreads. I sent those posters out in the hope that someone would turn you in as a thief and I could convince you to leave before you got too far into this dangerous game. But you just won’t hold back, will you?” A spark lit up Sagittaria’s eyes as she appraised Silver. “You need to understand that I’m not your friend and never will be. But, Desert Fox—Silver Batal, Aquinder racer—your courage has impressed me. I see myself as a girl in you. You are a water dragon racer. You are a winner. And you should be allowed to bring glory to these desert lands through your racing.”
Emotion swelled inside Silver like music. She didn’t know what to say to Sagittaria Wonder, queen’s racer … hero. The words that rang in her ears were the ones she’d wanted to hear her whole life. Her thumb pressed hard against her burn mark.
“You think I’m a winner?” Silver asked.
“Well, not at everything. Your fiber arts need a bit of work,” she said. And here, Sagittaria Wonder actually laughed. “But your connection with your dragon is something special. Racer to racer, I would never cage that up. Nor cage you up. But Arkilah is different, so you must run, desert girl. Get your Aquinder and get out of here.”
“I can’t run! My cousin’s in there. And Kirja—”