Chapter 20
When Esme arrived in the palace grounds on Saturday, the Winter Festival was in full swing. The gardens’ topiaries were silvered with enchanted frost, streamers hung between sky-high pines, and the Godstone Palace glistening above the treetops looked like it had been sculpted out of ice. Nearby, children swarmed over a magical skating rink, whose crystal surface smoothed itself out after each cut of the skates.
A chill on Esme’s shoulder spurred her gaze skyward. There were no clouds, and yet it was snowing. A row of Gifted volunteers, atop the palace roof, were sending flurries of flakes down over the crowds.
As the crystals melted on her skin, she wondered if her mother had ever been to a Winter Festival before. She was almost tempted to use her Gift to check—
Don’t look b
