Page 10 of The Rose in the Shadows

Hansel chuckled softly under his breath and smiled at the Council. “And how lucky are we to see the new evolution of our Great Gods’ powers among us! Praise Gods!”

“Praise Gods!” echoed the room.

The Dragon raised a single arm, and silence settled over the room again as he looked down at me thoughtfully. I tried not to show how badly I was still trembling. We briefly held each other’s gaze until, finally, he stood, and the other Council members rose with him.

“How lucky we are, indeed,” he mused cryptically. “We welcome Theadora, of House Hyrax, to our court. A band of guards will leave for town to investigate any additional insights into her origins. For now, I will take responsibility for the girland welcome her as a guest of my household. Until I am sure there is no risk to my people, she will be kept under guard while she is assimilated into our court, educated in our customs, and trained to master her abilities. If Hansel's speculation is true, and the girl is not a risk, Athenia will proudly celebrate the lost daughter of House Hyrax and the revival of a once-dead House.

“Praise Gods!” chanted the court. “Praise Hyrax.”

“This meeting is hereby adjourned. The guards may escort her to the Royal Apartments,” the Dragon concluded, looking at me with darkened eyes before turning and exiting his chamber.

He did not hide his emotions well, I noted. It was all too clear that he did not trust me.

I wasn’t sure if I blamed him.

Chapter Three

Once the Dragon announced the meeting was over, people were quick to take their leave. Their eyes lingered on me as they filtered out of the dimly-lit chamber, and I could feel their curiosity fall over me in steady waves. I, however, stayed glued to my spot in the center of the room, too shocked by the day’s events to think about where I should move next.

Where else was there for me to go?

Numbly, I repeated the name Zachariah Moore over and over in my head, desperate to spark some memory that would make sense of this, but none came. Certainly, someone had to know who I was! Someone had to have raised me. Someone had known who I was before those powers supposedly burst out of me on that bridge. Maybe I had siblings or a mother who would show up at the palace doors ready and able to give my life some sort of meaning and identity.

A touch on my arm pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts, and I turned to face Iris. Her smile was gentle as she hugged me quickly and patted my back fondly.

“So, you think I want to be your friend, huh?” she teased, linking her arm through mine and leading me out of the hall’s center. I caught a glance of Clayton standing on the now-empty balcony where his father had presided. His eyes were dark and unreadable, but he followed our movements as we left, his gaze burning my back even as I turned away from him.

At the door, Iris nodded politely to a guard who stood waiting for us. He bowed formally and turned on his heels, leading us through the spiraling of palace corridors at a ferocious pace. There were faces at nearly every turn. At least some had the decency to hide their whispers behind paper fans or innocently raised hands; others were blatant with their speculations. Iris rambled on and on, maybe to keep me from thinking about it, but it didn’t work - their whispers echoed in my mind.

“She’s rather pretty. She’ll make quite a splash at court.”

“I still don’t think we can trust her.”

“It would be just like the Promissans to send a spy in right under our noses.”

“House Hyrax is extinct, though. Could Promissa have been lying about their recent census?”

“Iris?” I called, stopping her mid-sentence. She had been going on about how I would need new dresses and all the designs she had in mind. It was hardly my preferred conversation topic, not when there were so many other pressing things to discuss.

“What is it?” She asked, brows pulling together as she frowned.

“What are Promissans?”

Those around us quieted for a moment, apparently shocked by my use of the phrase, but they quickly resumed their gossipmore intensely than ever before. Somehow, it seemed, I had said something wrong.

She sighed, rolling her neck as if my question stressed her. The guard in front of us snorted but kept marching forward, twisting us into another long passage. This one had paintings hung on each wall. They were whimsically designed family trees mapping out the lineages of the Council Houses. My attention lingered on the tree for House Hyrax, which quite clearly ended with Zachariah Moore. Would they soon etch my stolen name there?

In this hall, we walked alone. There were no prying eyes or overly intrigued courts people. I suspected our destination was not an area typically available to the usual guests of the palace halls. Certainly, I would be kept far away from anyone else, far away from where I could cause harm. Each step we took brought us closer and closer to whatever new cage waited for me.

“They’re not a what; they’re a who,” Iris pointed out, her voice short. “We were at war with Promissa for many decades and only signed the Peace Treaty a few years ago. The war had… many casualties and bred much bad blood between our two nations. So the people of Athenia still have some biases against the Promissans, understandably.”

“They think I’m one of them,” I noted, not even bothering to frame it like a question. I already knew the answer and the insinuation that lay under the assumption was clear.

Traitor. Spy. Murderer.

Iris paused, momentarily pulling on my arm to stop me in the hall. The guard stayed and waited for us but stood at attention to not give the impression of listening in on us. I knew better. I knew he hung on to every word and would no doubt report to the Dragon everything that was said.

“You aren’t, though,” she whispered. “Right?”

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