“It’s amazing anybody survived those seventeen years,” Renna said quietly. She already knew what events led to Desolation and the rebuild—the eruption, the natural disasters, the nuclear wars—but seeing it laid out like this tied her stomach up in knots. What if that had been her? What if she had lived when the earth swallowed itself up? The thought made her uneasy.
Next to the Pre-Desolation model was a model of the seven kingdoms built on what was left of the North and South American continent.
Seran raised her chin proudly. “The world, as we know it, is smaller with less inhabitable land, but we will be stronger. The Council of Essentials makes us stronger.”
Seran had so much confidence in the Council of Essentials, in government, while Renna’s was fading. Nothing that the Council did made sense anymore. There was no equality.
They all stared at the model quietly, until Seran and her mother moved to another display about occupations. Trev nodded for Renna to join him in the opposite direction. She had some anxiety about being alone with him but followed anyway.
“Ah! This is what I wanted to show you.” Trev motioned for her to come over by him. His hands rested on the sides of a glass case. Inside was a paper book with pictures of people all over it.
“It’s a magazine,” he said.
“No way! It’s almost completely intact still! I’ve only ever seen a few ripped pages of one.”
“I know, right?” His excitement was contagious. Then he did something crazy. He lifted the glass and gently started turning the pages of the magazine.
“What are you doing? You can’t touch that!” Renna looked around in a panic. “You’re going to get us in trouble.”
“Who’s going to yell at me? Besides, Drake and I used to sneak in here when we were boys and look through it.”
She raised her eyebrow. “You don’t respect the preservation of precious artifacts from history, do you?”
Trev snickered. “I do now that I’m older, but this is a special circumstance. There.” He stopped at a picture of a beautiful woman in a fancy dress. Her arms and shoulders were bare. The red fabric of her dress curved perfectly around her breasts, pushing them up, spilling them over the top. The fabric continued down her body, hugging her tightly until the dress dramatically split open over one thigh, revealing one bare leg. The other leg was hidden under the red silk. The woman had her hand on her hip, posing for the picture.
“See what I was talking about? No modesty rules.” He seemed pleased to show her something new.
She looked at Trev accusingly. “Now I can see why you and Drake would sneak in here.”
“We were very resourceful,” he said with a mischievous glimmer in his eye. “We weren’t just looking at the pretty women. We read the articles too.”Renna laughed, rolling her eyes a bit. She read the caption silently, shaking her head in amazement. ‘Blake Lively brings her A-game to one of high fashion’s most glamorous events in a strapless Vera Wang dress.’
“A strapless dress? How did it stay on without sleeves holding it up?” She leaned in closer to get a better look.
“It was probably too tight to go anywhere,” Trev guessed.
“I suppose you’re right.”
Trev lifted the glass back over the magazine, leaving it on the page of the stunning young woman.
“You kind of look like her, you know?”
Renna let out a very unladylike laugh. “In your dreams.”
“Maybe I will dream about it . . . you and me . . . dancing in fancy clothes. You said yourself back at Wellenbreck that you wanted another chance at dancing.”
Trev shouldn’t be saying things like that, but his smile was so innocent, so charming.
Renna’s heart beat obnoxiously until her guilt pulled her into reality. She looked around the room for her mother and Seran, who thankfully leaned over a display of children’s toys. Renna pretended to be interested in another display to distance herself from Trev, but of course, he followed her.
“I almost forgot. I brought you something.” Trev pulled out a small napkin from his pocket. He gently unwrapped it and held it in front of her.
“What is it?” Her brows puckered together.
“It’s called chocolate.” He broke off a piece and handed it to her.
“Where did you get it?” she asked, examining it in her fingers.
“We did some trading with the kingdom of Cristole. The weather and humidity in Cristole make it the perfect place to grow cocoa beans. Now we have a whole stash of them in the basement.” He plopped a piece into his own mouth.
Slowly, she raised the small piece to her lips but stopped just short of them. “Is this where you poison me?”
“Do you think everyone is trying to kill you or just me?”
“Just you, I guess.” Renna smiled. “It smells good.”
“Would you just eat it?”
She quickly placed the foreign food into her mouth. Trev watched as her expression changed from nervous anticipation to complete bliss. “You have ruined me. I don’t think anything else will ever satisfy me again,” she said, taking in the delicious flavor.
“I feel the exact same way.” Trev stared at her intently, all hints of joking gone from his handsome face.
Renna panicked. She did the only thing she could think of; she punched him in the shoulder and then whispered. “You are the biggest flirt I have ever met. Are you practicing all these lines on me first before you use them on Seran?”
Trev’s unwavering gaze broke as if the mention of Seran reminded him of who he should really be spending his time with. He looked over his shoulder at where Seran stood, her back to them. “I should go to her, but I’ll see you tomorrow. It’s the first day of the Tournament of Games.” He began to walk away slowly, still speaking to her as he went. “You’re really going to like all the competitions. I know it.”
Then he was gone from her side.
18
Renna
A buzz of excitement surrounded the outside of the palace for the Tournament of Games. The grassy lawn in front of the palace had been transformed into a small arena. Booths were set up with food vendors, and a few portable toilets lined the outskirts of the grass. Young men from the army and working-class men from nearby villages eagerly waited in line to sign up for the different competitions. Winners from each day would compete on the final day in a tournament of champions.
Renna felt the energy as she strolled among the crowd. Joyful sounds of laughter rang from young children as they ran around their mothers. Groups of women chatted while their men bragged about their own skills and talents. It was a happy day in Albion.
She smiled at passersby and tried not to look for Trev. Her smile faltered a bit when she finally saw him. He was seated in the stands next to Seran, front and center where the best seats were. They leaned their heads in close together, and Seran was smiling at something he said. The carefree feeling of the morning escaped with Renna’s breath.
But it was good. Good for her to remember he was Seran’s.
Someone better would come along for her. She just had to make it through the wedding, and then she could go home.