Page 132 of Threaded

And harming a powerful lord probably wouldn’t help her accomplish much of anything.

Laurent continued, taking her momentary silence as she’d lapsed into her thoughts as an opportunity to forge ahead.

“You asked me what it is you did to earn my disdain. Here it is:you stole my heir from me. There is nothing I can do to change that now, but I’ll make you one final promise. If you dare to use my son in whatever foul scheme you have planned,Your Majesty, you will regret it.”

“Is that a threat against your queen, Lord Laurent?” Mariah bit out her reply through clenched teeth.

The golden-haired Royal only smiled at her, his white teeth gleamed like a predator setting its sights on a kill. “No,My Queen. Of course not.”

And with that, he rose from the table, the sound of his chair scraping across the marble floor abrasive in the otherwise silent air, and stalked from the room.

The sudden departure was one final, intentional, pointed insult.

Mariah felt her anger roil, hot and viscous, in her gut. She pulled her magic back under her skin, those threads still bound together in cords as they settled in her belly. The weight of it pulled her down, almost grounded, the silver-gold power curling around her rage and holding it tight. Hareth had gone deathly pale, his eyes darting between Mariah and the door through which Laurent had exited, obviously torn between following Laurent and remaining at the table with Mariah and Shawth.

Shawth who, the bastard, wore a heart-eating grin on his face, his expression filled with something close to mocking glee.

Mariah would’ve hated him, too, if she hadn’t felt both so full of rage and weakly empty at the same time.

* * *

After the meeting with the Royals, Mariah didn’t think the day could get any worse.

She should’ve considered that when a day went to shit, it tended to go there all the way.

Which is why she shouldn’t have been surprised to find herself ambushed by Ksee in the quiet, secluded courtyard she’d sought out for a moment of peace to clear her head. Today, it would seem, she would have no such luck. She might carry the Goddess’s power, but obviously none of her blessings.

At least, none today.

And of course, the priestess waspissed. Her face was twisted into an ugly expression of vehement anger, her lips pulled back from her mouth in a snarl.

“Howdareyou,” was all she said to Mariah by way of greeting.

Mariah only dropped her gaze from where she’d been staring at the sky above, unable to see Ksee at first as her eyes adjusted to the shadows of the courtyard. She huffed a sigh and forced herself to sit up a bit straighter on the gold-plated bench.

So much fucking gold, everywhere.

“How dare I do what, exactly, Ksee?”

Flames danced in Ksee’s tawny gaze. “How dare you choose to defile one of Qhohena’s most sacred nights with your sordid behavior? You have no right to spit on the tradition of our people, to—”

Mariah instantly shot to her feet, leveling her gaze at Ksee. She wasn’t sure how Ksee had found out, but she figured it must’ve been one of Ryenne’s Ladies. They were assisting Ciana and Delaynie with readying the palace for the ceremony and sending invitations, and had certainly been more privy than most to Mariah’s plans. Notallher plans, of course—only Ciana and Delaynie knew every detail, but certainly enough to ruffle feathers.

Distantly, she thought that whoever had told Ksee must’ve told the Royals as well.

It was troubling, but something to investigate later. It was too late to do anything about it now.

“What do you know about tradition, Ksee? Just because you have magic and are titled High Priestess? You don’t have the long life of an Onitan Queen. The only queen you’ve ever known has been Ryenne, and even then just at the sunset of her reign. You may have power in this palace, but you don’t carry the Goddess’s own light in your veins. And that power calls for something more than what was done in the past, and I’mobligatedto adhere to it. I’ve heard the rumors of the threat from the Kizar Islands. Iknowwhat I’m planning will finally power the pillars, something Onitadesperatelyneeds. Unless you’re now such a traitor that you would rather see our people stay weak and timid, knowing I can offer them more?”

“You are spitting in the face of tradition—”

“Good. Tradition is fuckinguseless.”

Ksee reeled back as if she’d been slapped, her muddy eyes wide. If Mariah weren’t so distinctly aware of the powerful enemies she was only further creating today, she would’ve laughed at the look of pure shock spreading across Ksee’s face. The priestess took a step back, and then another, slowly regaining control of her emotions, pasting a mask of cold disdain across her features. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and her hands fisted themselves into the golden material of her robes as she regarded Mariah.

Mariah spoke before Ksee could decide on her rebuttal.

“With Ryenne indisposed, the responsibility of overseeing the Winter Solstice has fallen to me. And while I may despise your traditions, no one can deny the Goddess’s magic in my veins. I’m theonlyperson in the kingdom capable of completing the ritual, regardless of its form. Therefore, the Solstice is under my sole jurisdiction. And if you don’t like how I intend to run it, then you can get thefuckout of my palace.” Her last words came out on a growl, low and grating and animalistic as her pulse thudded in her ears.

---