Page 74 of The Queen

Here lies Amon, Prince of Pharanax. Loving mate of Queen Opal of Verden. Stalwart protector to her people.

The birthday was different, the death date was the same as the first two. The map correlated to his planet, Pharanax.

Three mates.

I looked to my own mates again, but they were silent. They’d read the stones while I’d been searching the walls for hidden pockets. They already knew.

Someone lied to us. Someone kept us apart all this time for nothing. Why? Who would do this? What would they have to gain? Did Titus know this and keep me from them on purpose? My throat squeezed shut as my mind raced.

Sweat prickled across my skin. I checked the casket across the aisle.

Leith, Prince of Arden. Mate of Queen Opal. The date of death was the same.

The one beside it was the same design, but a different map and dedication.

Eran, Prince of Altaira. Mate of Queen Opal. Same death date.

The one beside it was slightly different.

Rowan, Prince of Fearen. The queen’s mate.

Date of death, two years prior to the others. He would’ve been one hundred and fifteen years old when he died if this was accurate. How could that be right?

Six mates. One from each of the primary civilizations of that time, thousands of years ago.

Queen Opal had six mates... An omega could have more than one mate! I could have more than one mate? Giddiness rushed to my head.

The only sarcophagi left was the final tomb under the window. I already knew what I’d find. How could it be anything else? The Queen.

I hurried closer to read what had been written about her. In the dim rainbow light, the stone was more difficult to see. Or maybe it was the tears pooling in my eyes. Something tightened in my chest, as if I was reluctant to finally see the truth.

I scanned the carving for a while in silence, processing what it said.

Queen Opaline, first queen of Verden. Mate to Conley, Brantley, Amon, Leith, Eran, and Rowan. Beloved mother to Bisera, Micah, and Durdona.

She had six mates, three children, and died when she was one hundred and eight years old. They’d all lived incredibly long lives, abnormally long, passing away in close succession, and buried together.

Reeling from the discovery, I almost missed the groove carved in the stone above the head of the casket. The memory of my mother hiding the datapad in a disguised notch emerged from the depths of my rioting thoughts.

It was there. I sucked in a ragged breath.

That’s where it’d been kept. As long as it wasn’t stolen or lost, it should still be hidden.

I pressed my fingertips to the cool flat stone depression and felt it shift. In a blink, the back of the indented surface slid down, opening a square slot. I reached inside and was met with smooth metal. My fingers closed around the object and pulled it from the cavity.

There were too many things happening to sort them out all at once, so I just held up the gold datapad. We’d found it, and so much more.

Lex brushed past Grey and lifted the device from my hand. “What is this, Saphyra?”

I staggered back a step, catching myself against the Queen’s stone resting place. “It’s the digital backup of the books from the library. And… I don’t know. Maybe more than that.”

It’d been said that all Verden’s records were lost, but I was certain this would be everything that we’d thought was gone. My mother had spent hours upon hours in that tower copying every page of every record. The more current files could be uploaded in a blink. Surely those wouldn’t have been overlooked, either.

“Does it still work?” Grey squeezed in closer.

Lex was studying the datapad. “I’m not sure. Saphyra?” He offered it to me.

My hands were shaking, but I took it, pressing my thumb to the bottom corner of the glass where my mother had shown me. With a soft ping, the screen brightened, showing a green and gold coat of arms that I recognized from my childhood.

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