Every room was illuminated with glowing magical stones of different colors. The dining hall was jade green and gold. The rooms for evening entertainments were the dimmest; smoky and silvery stones accented with delicate metalwork, with beaded curtains separating them. The meeting room, just like the one back home, had large windows overlooking the towns and canals, and a long wooden table with chairs that looked like Gaermoni antiques.
The familiarity made me smile. “Oh, these must be old trading goods! The furniture is nice here.”
“We don’t keep the best things in Hemara. They could be looted. Just the treasures, but that door has a magical lock.”
The Hall of Rose and Ruby was for performances and it really was the most breathtaking of all. The walls were covered in panels decorated in shaped pink crystal that framed old paintings of animals from my own world, like birds and elephants and horses. But they all looked sort of strange and fanciful, like some dragon had traveled to the sky world a long time ago and tried his best to remember what everything looked like.
The servants from our caravan had already whisked off to prepare a feast, and even before the tour was over, some of the court ladies came forward with new clothes they had sewn for us on the journey.
“Your Majesties, we wanted you all to have something new to wear made from the Gaermoni silk, for the first feast in Irandal.”
“Splendid,” Aurekdel said.
“We also made new robes for Lord Seron.”
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that,” Seron said.
“He means ‘thank you’,” Aurek said. “Can you prepare the rooms? We’ll get dressed.”
“Already prepared, sir.”
“Our bedroom here has hot water on tap,” Aurekdel said. “It’s warm enough to brew weak tea, and good for washing up, but be careful since it’s hot to the touch at first. You’ll miss it all year.” We walked up the stairs.
“I’ll wait for you in the hall, Moth,” Oszin said.
“Oszin! We should have had new robes for you too,” Aurek said. “You can stay with us. You’re in too deep now to avoid us. We’ll have you in this room…” He patted the wall, finding the door frame. I could see that he knew Irandal fairly well, but not quite as well as Hemara, where he rarely missed a step.
The bedrooms were luxuriously appointed, the beds large, the mattresses fluffy and already covered in Gaermoni blankets. New clothes were laid out on the bed; Seron found his new robes and held them up to himself with a skeptical expression. “Kinda flashy,” he said, dropping the clothes back on the bed.
“It’ll be nice to see you wear colors,” I said. “I think that golden color will compliment your bluish blush.”
“I’m not going to blush! When do I blush?”
I giggled. “All the time.”
“Grrr.”
The servants had already filled the room with towels, soap, a basket of fruit and wine. A window seat looked out at the villages below us. I could already see myself curling up there with a book or needlework. There was also a dressing table with a mirror, and golden jewelry boxes on the surface. I opened one and it was stuffed with earrings made of gold, silver and polished gems. Just that one little drawer would be worth a fortune back home and here they seemed like trinkets.
Aurekdel stopped me in my tracks as I was exploring the room, his hand brushing my skin. He put his hands on my shoulders, faintly smiling, and then brushed his thumb across my lips. “You seem very happy. Your step is so light. You really must be feeling well, then.”
“This place is magical,” I said.
“Someday we will win it back for you. For good.” He kissed my forehead.
I heard footsteps. Oszin walked up to the open doorway. He had a look in his eyes I had never seen before. Irandal is where I have truly become his queen, and not just his princess, I thought.
He glanced at Seron, and a tingle passed over me. My men didn’t really feel like a family yet, but just having all of them there in the same room, I felt the possibility of it. Oszin knows this is the only way he can have me, I thought. Maybe he doesn’t mind as much as I thought…
“What will we do to you tonight, my gem?” Aurekdel whispered, unfastening a clasp at the front of my dress.
The tingling grew more intense as Oszin watched Aurekdel remove my clothes, down to my underthings. “Seron, hand me her new dress,” Aurek said.
I saw the tiniest hint of rebellion in Seron’s eyes, and I thought—he’d rather be the one undressing me. Being in charge was so natural for Aurek…one would never think any part of him questioned his right to rule. Seron walked over and pushed the folded garment into Aurek’s arms, but he was looking at me. When our eyes met, he stole a kiss.
“I think I’ve been challenged,” Aurek murmured.
“Hmph…”
“Where’s Ezeru?” Oszin asked.
“Ezeru?” Aurekdel shrugged. “I’m sure they’ve offered him a private bedroom.”
“He was with Viruta earlier…,” Seron said. “She knows the castle up and down.”
“Viruta? She wasn’t very happy with me for not telling her that Himika’s curse had been lifted.”
“Yeah, well…of course not. They all hate it when you act mysterious.”
“I talked to him for a little while last night,” Oszin said. “Viruta came down there to ask him some more questions, too. She was with Tanair.”
“Good,” Aurek said. “I’d expect nothing less. Those two are sharp. They’ll figure out everything we’d want to know about him.”
“Are you…at all concerned they might question him too harshly?” Oszin asked. “If you want to make a true ally of him, I’m not sure they’re on the same page.”
“I told them not to turn it into an interrogation,” Aurek said. “They came to me last night asking if they could ask him more detailed questions about rock dragons. If we understood them better, maybe we could peel off the Traitor’s support.”
“Sure,” Oszin said. “I just think he might be taking it the wrong way. He’s not used to so many people, I’ll bet.”
“I’m so glad you talked to him!” I said. “Did he say anything about me?”
Oszin gave me a weird look. “Um…he’s just not comfortable around you, Moth. He doesn’t know how to talk to queens.”
“Well, did you tell him I’m not ‘a queen’, I’m nice? I’m not like the Traitor Queen, I’m sure!”
Oszin ignored me. “I think he’d really like to see the library.”
“He can read?” Aurek asked. “Then again, I guess Peri must have taught him. She seems to mean the world to him. We’re going to have to find a way to get her out of there. That won’t be an easy task. When we get back to Hemara I’ll send a message to the guardians.”
“About that…,” Seron said. “I sent a message to Niko already. I thought he should know.”
“Seron! What the hell? What if he tries to come here now?”
“I emphasized the danger, but it’s his mother. Aurek, he’s already looking for her everywhere.”
“You just sent the letter and didn’t consult me?”
“You didn’t say anything about it. I already know where you stand. And the messenger was already leaving. I already had to send something to Himika’s brother because he’s worrying over this curse.”
Aurek looked appalled.
“Aurek!” I said hastily. “I’m sure it doesn’t matter. Niko isn’t going to leave when Phoebe’s about to have her baby. But isn’t Seron right? He deserves to know. We don’t want the guardians to be angry at us for withholding information.”
“Yes…”
“We’re going to have to face Niko again sooner or later,” Seron said, stripping off his outer layers. “And clearly, Himika agrees with me.”
This conversation was starting to take too many uncomfortable turns. I definitely needed to avoid taking sides between Aurekdel and Seron—on any matter, no matter how small. “Ooh, I don’t know if we should be having th
is conversation while you change clothes. So distracting! And—there—look in the mirror, Seron, I told you that you blush.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” he muttered, thrusting his head through the neck of a shirt. “Damnit…”
“Here…let me help you with that. You’re going to rip it on your horns.” I climbed onto the bed so I could stand over him, helping him get the shirt on. I smoothed the fabric on his broad shoulders and lifted up his long black hair, tied back at the nape of his neck with a strip of leather. “I’ve never seen you wear such soft things, Seron. I think you might clean up rather nicely.”
“I’m clean.”
“I don’t mean that kind of clean.” I untied the leather strip and fanned out his hair. He was quite beautiful. I didn’t always realize because he wasn’t much for showing off his looks. Seron didn’t like attention. Aurek looked the part; his clothes were fine, he wore ornaments and gold for formal occasions, his hair was more groomed, he didn’t slack off on shaving. I grinned a little. “You definitely don’t look the part of a king, do you,” I whispered. “But maybe in Irandal, we should all look our best.”
He was still blushing. “Whatever you want to do.”
“Can I brush your hair?”
“I can brush my own damn hair!”
“Okay. I’ll trust you.” I jumped down from the bed and grabbed a brush off the dressing table. “Do a good job. I want to do something with your hair.” I pawed through the drawers. “Do we have any ribbons?”
Aurek laughed. He poured a drink and handed one to Oszin. “Is her brother like this too?”
Oszin shook his head. “He’s probably worse.”
“He’s not worse! I miss my brother. Whatever Father thought about it, I always liked having a brother who didn’t just like manly stuff. Although he did like plenty of that. Actually, he was a lot more of a jock than Father gave him credit for. I wish he hadn’t been. I was so jealous every time he got on a horse.”
“If only we had horses for you now,” Aurek said. “Although Seron could probably scrounge you up a boat.”
“‘course I could,” Seron said, impatiently ripping the brush through his hair.
“Come here, seriously,” I said, seizing the brush. I ran it through his hair and I could tell he found it relaxing despite his stubborn frown. “Your head is huge,” I said, running my little hands over his scalp.
“That’s because everything about me is huge,” he said, snorting.
“Mmhm…and I can’t wait until tonight. This is my first night in the true palace of the dragons, and all of you,” I murmured, “had better impress me.”
I saw Oszin trying to smother nervousness as Aurekdel looked mischievous. I didn’t want any more dancing around the reality of my new life here. If all three of these men were my mates, then I wanted them all with me. I wanted to feel everything my newborn body was capable of. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to skip dinner altogether and find out how they could make me feel.
I gathered Seron’s hair up in my hands, lifting it off his neck and tying it higher on his head with a gold ribbon.
“Now I look like a horse,” he said.
“Well, I did want to ride a horse… But you don’t look like a horse. You’re much too beautiful. I wanted to see more of your neck and shoulders when these robes fall so nicely.” I patted his head. “All done.”
“You’re Aurek’s wife, all right,” he grumbled. “You and Mr. Fancy Pants deserve each other.”
“I just wear what I’m told,” Aurek said, even as he was putting on some of the golden rings and earrings made from drops of amber. I wondered what Father would think of this king when he preferred simple, rugged clothes. Aurek was a dragon displaying his hoard, flashing and gleaming in a shadowed world. I wondered if the beauty of it was embedded deep in his childhood memory.
Oszin, meanwhile, looked smart in his Gaermoni uniform, and I told him I wouldn’t change a thing.
“Phew,” he said.
“Shall we be off?” Aurekdel said, rummaging in the pockets of his old clothes. “Before we dine, the court is gathering in the Hall of Rose and Ruby. I’m going to officially announce that—” He paused.
“What are you looking for?” Seron asked.
“The suicide note from Morlis,” Aurek said, reaching for Seron’s old clothes, dropped onto the bed.
“I gave it to you,” Seron said.
“I know. But it isn’t in my pockets. I know I put it in the pocket of my inner robe…”
“I don’t have it, Aurek,” Seron said. “I’m sure of that. Check your outer robe, then. Or did you leave it in the boat?”
I started helping him gather up the clothes and check all the pockets.
“You know me,” Aurek said. “I’m very careful about misplacing things. It must have fallen out, or…someone took it last night when I was drinking.”
“Maybe you should stop drinking,” Seron said.
“Real helpful, Seron,” Aurek growled.
“The note doesn’t reveal anything,” Seron said. “It’s fine.”
Aurekdel nodded, taking my arm. “Let’s just go.”
Chapter Nine
Aurekdel
The great ballroom, the Hall of Rose and Ruby, was abuzz with voices. This room had a warm, festive feel; the crystal in the walls was said to increase feelings of romance. I shook off a vague sense of anxiety that someone could have stolen those stones (why? I needed more time to think). Here, on the dais, I would declare that Himika was truly the queen of the dragons, her body healed, ready to fulfill the promise of the prophecy.
Although I had her hand, I didn’t let her lead. I found the edge of the stairs with my cane and walked up onto the platform. The voices grew softer. I had to force myself to slow down. Every movement, every word, needed to have patience and weight.
I had some convincing to do.
“My people,” I said. “It is always the most joyful of nights when we arrive safely to Irandal. And this one, especially. It has been centuries in the making, but tonight we see our futures. Let me read you the words of the prophecy.” I took the small plate of raised letters from my pocket, but this was mostly for show, as I knew the words by heart.
“‘Orvenu, King of Dragons, shall save his tear and turn it to a crystal, to be given to the King of the Humans of Gaermon, Land of Sky, of silk and sea. This crystal must be kept safe for three centuries. At this time, a girl child will be born to the King of Gaermon. She must swallow the tear, though it cause her pain, for this girl must be promised to the King of Dragons, even if there does not seem to be a king to promise her to.
‘From the shadows, the lost ruler appears. The princess will be healed, her pain eased, by the seed of a great man who is descended from King Orvenu. This union shall bring peace to all dragon and human kind, at the time it will be needed most…’”
I couldn’t falter, even as I said the words that I always assumed were meant for me. The great man descended from King Orvenu.
Himika squeezed my hand, her small fingers surprisingly strong.
She knew the truth. So did Seron. They still believed in me.
“‘…and thus shall we see a great age’,” I concluded.
The words left my mouth, and before I could move on, I heard a commotion in the crowd snaking up to me.
“I must say something!” Viruta shouted breathlessly. She leapt onto the stage.
This is not good. I knew this was not good. My mind was usually quick but in this moment it failed me, and I froze, gripping Himika’s hand.
“I am sorry to say this,” she said. “But I know the reason Queen Himika was not healed by our King Aurekdel. She was healed by Lord Seron. And as we all know, both King Aurekdel and Lord Seron were whisked away from the castle before they had developed their affinities.”
You know those bad dreams that seem terribly real and horrifying, but also completely absurd when you wake up?
I seemed to be living one in
real life.
The reaction in the room was an immediate collective gasp and then uproar. A few people shouted “Lies!” or “Impossible!”
Bless them.
“I don’t want to say these things!” Viruta cried. “Not in the least! Aurekdel has ruled, by and large, very well—and yet—I’ve been wondering how Queen Himika suddenly seemed to be healed with no explanation. I knew she was moving differently right from the start! Rock dragon Ezeru—come here and tell them what you saw.”
The crowd grew more angry. “What does a rock dragon know about anything?” “He’s with the Traitor King; he’s lying!”
“I don’t feel comfortable speaking of these private matters,” he said, his voice even more low and ragged than usual.
“You shouldn’t bring Ezeru into this,” Himika said, sounding incensed.
“Well, I questioned the rock dragon. He heard Lord Seron giving his seed to the queen. And it seems that Aurekdel also withheld the truth about the fate of Mage Morlis, who is apparently his own father.” I heard something click in her hand and I knew she must have taken out the crystals Morlis on which wrote his suicide note.
The sense of rage and betrayal racing through me felt like enough to set Viruta on fire, and I was no lava dragon.
Viruta. She had never seemed like the type to steal from my pockets. She was thorough and careful. As my domestic affairs minister, she kept track of the policies for the children’s nursery, helped with the distribution of aid in times of famine, and oversaw the healing and magic wards, treating everyone with fairness.
Too much fairness, perhaps.
I had not seen this coming.
You idiot. She already had concerns, and then she saw you drinking away your own lies while Seron has been denied the throne. And is she entirely wrong?
I wondered if it was really my right to keep my dearest friend from the throne, if it should have been his all along. He said he didn’t want the job. But he’d never had the chance.
“If you are an honest man, Aurekdel, you won’t deny it,” she said.
“How dare you, Viruta,” Seron said. “Do you think Aurekdel and I didn’t realize this? Do you think we didn’t discuss it amongst ourselves? I don’t want to be king, and he’s better at it anyway.”
The Kingdoms of Sky and Shadow Box Set: A Fantasy Romance Page 33
