The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine Page A

Aleksi, his face turning red. “The Soturi will regroup, or they could use their forces in Vasterut to strike again. The thieves’ caverns are brimming with criminals who are raiding the farmsteads and attacking our miners! We need to get that copper. And the winter is coming—the people depend on that dome of warmth. We have no time!” His shrieking tone makes me wince, and when he leans forward, I nearly stagger back. “But what we do have is an obstinate girl too absorbed in her own feelings and desires to wield the magic we need to survive!”
    I bow my head, afraid he might be right. “Wh-whatever you ask of me, I will do, Elders,” I stammer.
    Kauko clasps his hands in front of his belly. “What about the trials?”
    Leevi’s jaw drops. “No Valtia in our history has ever been put through—”
    â€œBut perhaps we are witnessing something completely new.” Aleksi throws Kauko a resentful look and puts his hands on his wide hips, his fingers bunching in the rough black fabric of his robe. “I think Elder Kauko’s suggestion is wise, as always.”
    The other priests, who have all been whispering to themselves while the elders argue, fall silent. Kauko kneels on the step, and I look up at him. There is a dark shadow of stubble on his jaw and apology in his eyes. “Sometimes magic wielders are unable to summon the power at will,” he explains. “But in a stressful situation, it never fails them.” He winks. “It usually bursts forth with such strength that the wielder herself is surprised at the force of it.”
    â€œLet us proceed, then,” I practically shout. At this point, I don’t care what they do to me, as long as it brings the magic out. I know I can’t do it on my own. I feel nothing inside me but empty numbness. Is that my grief, suppressing the ice and fire? If so, then why didn’t Sofia experience the same thing after the death of her Valtia? I remember how sad she looked when she greeted me for the first time. She was still in mourning. Yet she’d already been crowned Valtia. She was already able to wield her power with ease and grace. But if my inability to do the same thing isn’t because of grief, then what’s wrong with me? Am I corrupted by my hungry curiosity, as Aleksi says? Are my desires, which I barely understand myself, causing this? Whatever it is, I’d give anything to fix it.
    I straighten my shoulders and slowly turn in place, letting my icy-blue eyes take in every face. I feel the buzzing waves of numbness radiating from my blood-flame birthmark. I am not a mistake, not a commoner. I was chosen to be Valtia, and the stars were aligned on the day of my birth, and though I don’t know exactly what that means, I know what Sofia said to me.
    Never doubt.
    â€œElders,” I say in a high, steady voice. “I will face the trials with eagerness.”
    Kauko nods his approval. “We will begin at midnight, then.”
    The priests get up and begin to file out, but Leevi comes down the stairs and takes me by the arm. “Are you taking me back to my quarters?” I ask. I can’t tell Mim of all my fears—I couldn’t bear to disappoint her—but more than anything right now, I need to feel the warmth of her touch.
    Leevi’s blue eyes are as dark as a grave. “No, my Valtia. We have another place for you to wait.” His grip on me tightens as he marches me up the steps.

CHAPTER 6
    I t is all I can do not to scream. With every breath, I will myself into silence. I tell myself to be still, to focus. I ignore the pain in my knees, my hips, my shoulders, my head. A bit of discomfort is nothing compared to what is at stake.
    When I first saw the copper trunk, I came to a lurching halt, and Leevi dragged me the rest of the way. A single torch lit the tiny chamber, with dripping ceilings and a metallic scent hanging heavy in the air. Leevi had to