Page 29 of Threaded

Mariah raised her gaze from her hand, still ringed in that subtle golden light, to look at the queen, her own blue eyes locked on Mariah’s hands. Her face held that same wistful sadness that had been in her voice as she continued. “You mastered that much, much faster than I did. I had a feeling you would.” She smiled sadly. “I remember it took me at least a week to be able to get a strong enough grip on the liquid of my magic in order to summon it to the surface. But I am glad you took to this much more naturally than I did.”

Mariah was silent, watching Ryenne, unsure what to say to the queen and opting for nothing at all. She suddenly noticed Ryenne, while still filled with supernatural youth, looked ever so slightly older than she had yesterday. What had been flawless, smooth skin around her eyes now bore soft smile lines that hadn’t been there the day before.

Wrenching her gaze from the magic still glowing on Mariah’s skin, Ryenne looked her right in the eyes. “You are ready, just as I had planned. We will proceed with your Selection tonight.”

* * *

“Is it really that simple? I speak the words, I summon my magic, ask it the question, and then let it … what, get to work?”

Ryenne chuckled. “Yes,” she said, “it really is that simple.”

Mariah inhaled, held her breath for a heartbeat, and then let it out in a deep exhale. “Okay.” She paused, thinking. “I just have one other question.”

Ryenne’s eyebrows show up. They were now alone in that training space, and the sun was beginning to move into the afternoon hours. Lunch had been brought up while they’d worked, Mariah learning both how to create that partnership with her magic and what would be expected of her tonight. Ksee and Ciana had long since left them, giving them the privacy to discuss one of the more intimate rituals of a queen. Mariah assumed that Kalen still remained, though, still standing just on the other side of those double doors. Ciana had excused herself to formally get settled into her new chambers, exclaiming that she wassureher belongings had arrived at the palace and she needed to begin unpacking. Ksee hadn’t given a reason for her departure, only slipping silently out of the training room, her face a rigid mask after Mariah’s display with her magic. Mariah could only assume she’d left to prepare for the Selection, which would take place in Qhohena’s temple there in the palace.

“Well, please. Ask away.” Ryenne’s eyebrows were still raised in amused curiosity.

“I just have to ask … why? If I—the queen—has all this magic, why do we need to select and bond with seven men for the Goddess’s gift to become fully matured? Not that I’m opposed to the concept in any way—I’m actually quite curious about that—but it just seems a bit … antiquated, is all.”

Ryenne’s face relaxed as she smiled. “I was wondering when you were going to ask that.” She thought for a moment. “It’s … complicated. And even I don’t know the full truth of it. But from what I’ve learned of our history, the queens’ history, it was something Qhohena wanted when she blessed the first queen, Xara, with our gift. I suspect—and these are only my thoughts—that our Goddess knew giving one single person that much power, without surrounding her with others who could help shoulder those burdens, could create a monster better suited to razing kingdoms than ruling them.” Ryenne paused again. “And even our Goddess leans upon her Consort, Priam, for support. Perhaps she also wanted for her queen to find that same comfort during the loneliness of her extraordinarily long life. It may also be the most valuable lesson we have to learn from Qhohena: that every sword needs a shield, every great power must be grounded, and even the strongest need protecting.”

Mariah was silent, her mind churning over the words. They made sense to her, she supposed. But then a new question leaped from her mind to her tongue before she could stop it.

“What of the other goddess? Zadione?”

All of Ryenne’s warmth instantly vanished, and her face paled. She almost seemed to age even further in a matter of heartbeats.

“It isn’t wise to discuss the Goddess of Death here, Mariah. Especially before you have fully bonded with your Armature and ascended your throne. Even then, doing so could still carry with it heavy risks. She vanished from the world thousands of years ago, and it’s far wiser to pretend she never existed, because as far as we are now concerned, she might as well have not.”

Cold silence descended upon the room, the whistling of the wind off the Attlehon’s brushing talons over Mariah’s skin. Her heart and mind raced with adrenaline and fear at the queen’s words.What in the Goddess’s name was that about?

“I apologize, Ryenne. I was just curious. I won’t bring it up again; you have my word.”

Color slowly returned to Ryenne’s skin, and she relaxed back into her seat with several deep inhales. “It is alright, Mariah. You did not know. There is nothing to apologize for.” Several more breaths from the queen before she turned the ever-composed mask of the Queen of Onita back to Mariah. “Do you have any other questions about what is in store for you tonight?”

Mariah shook her head. “No, I understand. I still have plenty of questions about what, exactly, it means to ‘bond,’ but I also understand that is something I will have to learn from my Armature directly, not from you. But as far as tonight … it seems simple.” She paused, then asked the one final question that had been lingering on her tongue. “Have you seen them? The men who were Marked for me?”

Ryenne’s composure cracked again at that, this time with humor as a laugh escaped her lips. “Of course, they’ve lived and trained here at the palace since they were boys.” Her eyes glinted with coy understanding. “I would be very excited to meet them, if I were you.”

Mariah knew her answering smile was more akin to a flirty smirk. “And what am I to wear? I can only imagine Ksee will never approve of anything I would pick for myself.”

Ryenne’s answering smile could only be described as foxy. “Let me handle Ksee. I have the perfect dress for you.”

CHAPTER14

“So, you’re telling me Ryenne, Her Royal Majesty and all that,personallypicked outthisfor me to wear tonight?”

Ciana's answering grin was wicked. “I don’t know why you’re so surprised. She told you that she had a dress for you. And then she handed this one to me herself.”

Mariah could only stare at the full-length mirror in her bathroom. “It just doesn’t seem very … queen-like, does it?”

Ciana’s face was suddenly serious as she held Mariah’s gaze in the mirror. “Oh, quite the opposite, Mariah. I think this is exactly the dress needed to bring every man in the kingdom to his knees.”

Is that what I want? To bring them all to their knees?Mariah couldn’t hide the dark place deep inside her that flickered with excitement and curiosity at the idea. But …no. She’d seen firsthand, in Andburgh, what tyranny and control did to a people.

She was better than that. She wouldbebetter than that.

“But isn’t the point tonight to bring only seven of them to their knees?”

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