Every Bird a Prince by Jenn Reese

Author:Jenn Reese
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

15

The king of the frostfangs. The king of the frostfangs!

And he hadn’t come alone.

Two of his minions stepped out from behind him and took their places at his flanks.

Even if I win a battle, I will lose the war.

The strength drained from Eren’s body like an ocean wave pulling away from the beach. Her sword arm dropped until Prism’s point dug into the ground. If she hadn’t been sitting on her bike, she might have slid down to the path herself and collapsed in the dirt. She could never fight three more of these creatures, especially not when one of them was him. The king.

And the reason she was facing the frostfangs alone was because she’d run from Alex. Because in that moment of panic, running had been easier than talking.

This is my fault. I wasn’t brave with Alex, and now I’m alone. All alone.

Oriti-ti had told her to anchor herself in the truth, and she’d done the exact opposite. She’d careened down the river with her eyes shut.

The frostfang king stood, and Eren knew it was over. She would never see Oriti-ti or any of the other princes again. They’d never welcome her back to the Resplendent Nest when she was covered in frost. Even worse, maybe she wouldn’t even want to go.

But if I give up, maybe everything will be easier. I won’t have to fight so much. I won’t have to feel so different from everyone else.

That sounded pretty good, actually. If she were covered in frost, maybe she would have enjoyed walking in the forest with Alex. Maybe she would have wanted him to kiss her. Maybe she’d finally understand what everyone else was talking about when they gushed about crushes. She could feel normal in a way she hadn’t felt for years.

“Okay,” Eren heard herself say. “I don’t want to fight anymore.”

Icy smoke curled up from the king’s eyes as he lowered his huge head and grinned.

Eren let Prism drop from her fingertips.

I’m not a champion anymore.

She got off her bike and let it fall to the path.

Maybe I never was.

She took a step toward her new liege. It would be over soon. The fighting, the confusion, the doubt, the worry. Tendrils of cold mist formed around the king like tentacles, then shot out toward Eren, sliding over the ground. The first one reached her and wrapped around her ankle. The bruise that had ached since she’d fallen earlier numbed instantly.

Maybe that’s how everything would feel soon.

Eren was about to stumble forward when a streak of brown and gold flew between her and the frostfangs.

“Run, Eren Evers!” Oriti-ti sang. They flew at the king, a tiny sword clutched in one talon. Sparks exploded where the prince’s blade struck the king’s mighty snout.

The king growled. Spikes of ice sprouted along his hackles, and he turned his attention to Oriti-ti.

Eren felt as if she’d been shaken from a dream. Her mind awoke and then instantly panicked. She’d almost lost herself. The king had almost won. She scrambled back to Prism, gripped it tight, and righted her bike with shaking arms.

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