Echoes of Silence by Elana Johnson Read Free Book Online

when you finish,” before disappearing into the hallway and sealing me in this massive ballroom.
    The girls nearest me cast sideways glances as I began making my way toward table forty-two. My dress clung to my body just as theirs did; our makeup had been painted on similarly. But my hair shone like black gold, and I wished for something to cover it.
    A flutter of excitement stole through me as I remembered what Greta had said about my hair ensuring His Majesty would notice me above the hundreds of other bridal candidates. Then I remembered that I didn’t want to be noticed, that I had spent the past thirteen months in Umon perfecting invisibility.
    At long last, table forty-two came into view. I stood halfway toward the dais, and yet I still could not properly glimpse the Prince. Curiosity burned in my blood. I’d never seen royalty before—tyrant or not.
    I found a placard with my name elegantly printed in dark purple ink and took a seat in the carved chair. The china on the table gleamed in a blindingly white assortment of cups and saucers and plates. The yellow gold around their rims matched the striking candlesticks standing as centerpieces. The cloth spilled across the table in a deep red the color of pomegranates, and the liquid in our crystal goblets matched perfectly in both taste and color.
    I sipped my nectar nervously, casting glances at the other girls at the table. Though idle chatter rang through the hall, no one at my table spoke. I replaced my goblet and twisted to look at the girl seated next to me. “I’m Echo del Toro.”
    She looked at me with wariness in her eyes. After flicking her gaze back to the dais, she said, “My name’s Gazelle.”
    I smiled, letting it spread across my face. “Nice to meet you.” I looked pointedly to the girl next to her.
    She rolled her eyes and said nothing.
    “Nice to meet you, too,” I said with just a little too much dryness in my tone. She glared harder, but the girl next to her reached across the space between us. I shook her hand.
    “I’m Mariana Ekelenes.”
    “Nice to meet you.” I repeated the sentiment several more times as I met girls with names I couldn’t possibly remember. The nameless girl sat with her arms crossed during the entire exchange. She stared at us all, her anger growing more evident on her face. I wondered if someone had submitted her application too, and that had caused the furious tremors in her fists.
    Just when she opened her mouth to speak, the loudest bell I’d ever heard sounded. I clapped my hands over my ears the way I’d done when I was eight years old and had snuck into the belfry to try my hand at ringing the village emergency bell. That noise sounded like a whisper compared to the gong still reverberating through the hall.
    I felt foolish for only a moment before I noticed that every girl at table forty-two had done exactly as I had. Even Ms. Nameless.
    When the ringing stopped, a man stood on the dais, wearing long charcoal-colored robes. He was too far away to note hair or eye color, but the set of his jaw indicated that he was not any more pleased to be here than I was.
    “Welcome, ladies,” he boomed, his voice magically amplified. “His Majesty welcomes you to the opening feast.” He held up his right arm as part of the spell to make his voice carry through the huge room.
    “He will speak to each of you this evening, and individual and group gatherings will begin in the morning.”
    My throat seized, and emotions warred inside me. First, hope that perhaps I could improve my situation in ways I hadn’t imagined. The more defiant part of me vowed that I wouldn’t speak with the Prince—now or ever. I felt torn, my thoughts switching from one camp to the other every other moment.
    “But first,” the robed man said. “Please eat.”
    Servers emerged with platter upon platter of food. The air filled with the smells of freshly baked bread, long-stewed meats, and garlic-roasted vegetables. When the plates