Broken Crowns {Book 1}

Chapter Two: Emma

Emma could barely contain herself as she followed Taryn through the gates and out of the Icelands. There was a long, snaky road ahead of them covered in snow. The towering trees on either side kept the two of them in shadow, making the air colder than it had been back in town, but Emma hardly noticed. The electricity she had felt moments before was now gone, but her adrenaline was not. How had she done that? Had she done that? Some part of Emma knew that she had, but she could not explain how.

"Did I do that?" she asked Taryn, voice quiet but filled with excitement.

Taryn released a shaky breath and glanced sidelong at Emma. "I don't know," she admitted.

Truthfully, Taryn didn't know if Emma was the reason those guards had suddenly decided to let them go, but she had an idea. This explained why King Arsenius wanted Emma so badly. Her apparent ability must be how he planned to win the war. However, it did not explain why he had not told Taryn about it. King Arsenius was like a father to her, the only father figure she had ever known. The king had found her in that orphanage and been kind enough to take her in, to take her under his wing and make her into the person she was today. To think that he had kept something like this from her left Taryn feeling hurt and betrayed.

Emma did not notice the internal monologue Taryn seemed to have going on, simply focused on trying to bring that electricity to life again. If she could do that again, it would certainly help her to get out of there and back to Kyle. The only problem was that Emma had no idea how she had brought that about in the first place. The only tingling Emma felt now was the returning numbness in her toes, nothing like the warmth that had spread through her moments before.

The road ahead of them opened, the snow on the ground slowly thinning out until it was grass, lush and green under Emma's wet feet. The air around them was now warm, snow no longer falling from the sky. Instead, Emma felt light raindrops. There were large trees to their left and what looked to be a small village to their right. The sudden change in weather made no sense to Emma, but then again, nothing in this place seemed to make any sense. She glanced behind her to see that it was, in fact, still snowing just a step or two away from them.

Taryn pushed aside all thoughts of King Arsenius and smirked at Emma's blatant confusion. "Not exactly like your world, huh?" she said. Though the smirk on Taryn's face suggested sarcasm, her voice was gentle.

Emma's mouth was still open, though now in amazement rather than confusion. "Not like my world at all," she marveled.

The large trees, Emma noticed as they walked closer, nearly all had houses built into and around them. It was almost a city of its own up there, with bridges and walkways, ladders and even what appeared to be some sort of pulley system. The village in the trees was the most elaborate system Emma had ever seen, somehow just as beautiful as it was intricate.

"A village in the trees?" Emma said, barely trying to hide the awe in her voice. "I've never seen anything like it."

Taryn smiled, glad that Emma was finally focused on something besides her power. There would be enough time for that when they reached Angustia. "That's not the village," Taryn said. "That's just the palace."

Emma tore her gaze away from the palace and let it land on the small village opposite. She had to admit she was disappointed when it looked like a normal village. There were small huts, mostly made from wood, with straw roofs. On up, past the village, Emma could see what looked to be a large garden. The people were paying the two of them no mind, going about their business. They all wore roughly the same clothes: brown tunics and pants, with no shoes. And though they were all dressed in attire that was far less than anything fancy, Emma saw that everyone was beautiful. Tan skin, probably from farming in the sun, dark hair and almond-shaped eyes.