Page 59 of Threaded

Andrian was silent for a few more moments before continuing. “This particular history says that Zadione went to him willingly, and he left this world with her. The end.”

Mariah’s eyes snapped up, clashing with his. “But if she went with him, if shelovedhim, then why did she wait until the very end of the First War when hope was all but lost? Why not avoid that devastation all together?”

Andrian smirked at her. “Who said she loved him? Besides, she’s a death goddess, princess.” Mariah gritted her teeth, but he continued, “Perhaps all she craved was the loss of life and destruction she caused by hiding away from the Scourge.” He paused again. “But this story does seem to suggest that the First War was an act of defiance on her part against her sister. She’d refused to go to Flétrir at the beginning, letting him ravage the continent, and then vanished with him once the damage was done, leaving Qhohena and Xara to pick up the pieces of a broken world.

“And that’s exactly what they did. Xara, with the aid of Qhohena’s magic and what was left of the dragons, helped to rebuild the land. But Xara was no longer strong enough to rule over all the world’s inhabitants, as Qhohena had initially planned. So, the countries we now know were established: Xara settled in Onita, building Verith and thisridiculousgolden palace as a shrine to her Goddess who’d tried and given everything, but was ultimately betrayed by her fickle and devious sister. The northern mountain people”—Mariah watched a shadow again flicker over Andrian’s eyes—“settled what is now Leuxrith, the people of the western desert oases founded Kreah, the seafaring warriors made their home in the Kizar Islands, and the southern tribes went south to Vatha, where an internal war many years later led to the formation of Idrix.” One final shrug from Andrian as he pushed back from his chair, standing again and turning the chair the right way around. “And now, here we all sit, reading dusty old tomes and forgetting our history with a queen apparent who would rather drink and fight than learn how her country came into existence.”

That last bit earned a deep scowl from Mariah, but a glance at Sebastian’s expression of thought and worry temporarily washed away her anger. He caught her eye, and through the bond between them flowed his tension, his concern, and his confusion. She knew what worried him, as it worried and terrified her, too.

Zadione had betrayed the world for a petty sibling rivalry. But that still didn’t conclusively answer her one burning, desperate question.

“So … what is this magic in me?”

No one could answer her.

CHAPTER27

Ryenne held court that morning in a luxurious receiving room attached to the lower eastern courtyard of the palace.

Holding court, Mariah supposed, was a very loose way to describe the meeting she and Ciana strode into. The queen sat in a comfortable sitting chair, and around her in similar plush, feminine seats were seven women. Six of them were middle-aged, their hair showing hints of gray and features softened by a life well lived. The seventh woman, however, was much younger, closer in age to Mariah and Ciana.

“Mariah! Thank you for joining us. Please, sit.” Ryenne’s voice was clear and distinctly happy, far happier than Mariah had heard her sound in some time.

Certainly since the …incidentwith the Royals.

“Ladies, I would like to introduce you all to Queen Apparent Mariah and Lady Ciana.” Ryenne gestured around the room with a graceful, sweeping hand. “Mariah, Ciana, I’m pleased to introduce you both to the Ladies of my court.”

Mariah’s eyes widened as she dipped her head politely to each of the women. “It’s my honor to meet you all, truly.” She remembered what Ryenne had told her about the Ladies of a queen’s court. Mariah had appointed Ciana as her first, but she would one day have up to six women to serve her as close, trusted advisors. These women, however, as Mariah remembered somewhat sickeningly, weren’t given the same longevity of life as their queen or her Armature. Ryenne had only smiled sadly when Mariah asked why the Ladies of the court remained mortal before explaining that while the arrangement made for several lifetimes of painful and difficult farewells for a queen, it was a necessary pain. The Ladies were valued for their advice and counsel because it offered the perspective from one with a fleeting, mortal existence, the type of life led by the rest of the queen’s citizens. These perspectives, Ryenne had explained, kept a queen grounded, kept her priorities in check, and prevented her from getting lost in the daunting length of her existence.

“The honor is all ours, Your Highness,” answered a woman with steady brown eyes, speaking for the group as the rest smiled and bowed their heads. “Although we have met you before. At the Choosing. But I know that day was a whirlwind for us all.” The woman joined the rest with a smile. “We have been watching you these past few weeks. I believe I speak for us all when I say that we are excited to witness your future as queen.”

Mariah shifted uncomfortably on her feet at the generous praise, her cheeks warming with that damn flush she could never control. “Thank you, My Lady. I hope I can live up to your expectations.” She moved to an empty chair beside Ryenne, Ciana taking the last open seat on Mariah’s other side. Just as she sat, the blood in her face drained as a sudden wave of memory of what had actually happened those past few weeks washed through her with urgent fervor.

The meeting with the Royals. The history she’d uncovered with her Armature. She doubted that if these women truly knew what lurked beneath her skin, what mysterious powers made her feel like a walking curse, they would be so generous with their praise. Those thoughts had Mariah casting a subtle glance at Ryenne, finding the queen watching her as well, her expression unreadable.

It would make sense for Ryenne to have informed her Ladies about the demise of Lord Beauchamp, seeking their counsel to maneuver through the most delicate of situations. Yet the brown-eyed woman who’d spoken had a sharp gaze, one that didn’t miss much, and Mariah doubted she would’ve spoken such positive words if she’d known the full extent of Mariah’s transgressions since arriving in Verith.

So, perhaps Ryenne hadn’t informed her Ladies about the incident with the Royals.Interesting.

Ryenne, sensing the momentary lull in the conversation after Mariah and Ciana took their seats, spoke again. “Mariah, I invited you here today not only for you to meet the remainder of my court, but to introduce you to one person in particular.”

Mariah’s gaze snapped to the seventh woman, the one close to her own age. The woman met her stare steadily before smiling, rising from her seat, and dropping into an easy, practiced curtsy.

“Delaynie, My Queen. I’m honored to meet you.”

The woman—Delaynie—was every inch the cultured Onitan beauty Mariah wasn’t. With her porcelain skin, long auburn hair, and pale, icy blue eyes, she was someone Mariah would’ve normally looked upon with disdain, despised simply because she carried about her a polished perfection Mariah would never—could never—possess. However, a glimmer ofsomethingwas in this girl’s eyes, a shine of intelligence and somethingmorebeneath the surface that had Mariah wondering if this front she presented was nothing more than a pretty, painted mask.

“Delaynie has been here at court since her very first steps.” Ryenne’s voice was thick with emotion as she turned her smile to the auburn-haired woman. “How she came to be isquitea story. She’s the daughter of my Lady Briella and one of my own Armature, Steven.”

Ryenne’s words stunned Mariah, her heartbeat suddenly pounding in her ears. They seeped into the air, and with it a slow panic filled her head.

If Ryenne’s Armature could sire children … Impossible.

She’d always been careful back in Andburgh. She had been adventurous, sure, but there wasn’t much in the world that terrified her more than a child did.

A child would’ve been a very, very easy way to ensure she’d never free herself from the prison of the Crossroad City. Therefore, no matter how she chose to distract herself from the miserable monotony of her life, she made sure it would never lead to that.

However, last week, with Sebastian … she’d been far from careful. So caught up in the new, explosive magic coursing through her veins, it was the last thing on her mind.

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