Page 13 of Pawns of Salistya

‘Your Highness!’ The children surrounded Eliasson with bright smiles. Giving me a nod to tell me he would catch up with me, Eliasson turned his attention to the children, forever the loving and involved king.

Growing up, I would have been lucky to have my parents give me attention let alone see them walking the street interacting with civilians. It was so damn different.

Making my way through the crowd, I ignored the stares that often followed me wherever I went. I was used to receiving stares of bewilderment because of my eyes; being a Salistyan-born Queen in Arlom just amplified it.

I aimlessly drifted through the market, smiling and waving at passers-by who were brave enough to hold my gaze. Some of the stalls were as simple as a piece of fabric with advertised goods laying on the floor, while other merchants had large carts where buyers entered to view products – the latter were usually owned by Marlyst merchants.

When I spotted a modest stall with a handful of tables covered in books scattered around the tent, I made a beeline towards it. On the tables, the variety of books were no doubt from the Queendom of Nyarelle. My eyes landed on burnt orange eyes of the stall-holder staring back at me as I took in the stall. The edges of her face revealed harsh, weathered lines, lines that could only be born from living so close to the Hudrielle Desert.

‘Greetings.’ I nodded politely before looking towards the books, keen to break contact with the all-knowing eyes.

The woman bowed her head, recognising another Dom’s royalty. ‘Was there anything in particular you were looking for?’

‘Just browsing, thank you.’ Smiling, I turned away and started sifting through the books.

The collections were quite impressive. The merchant had books on everything from agriculture to adventure to history. It wasn’t a surprise considering the Queendom of Nyarelle’s main purpose was to document the history of Fyriane. The Dom had an extensive library filled with archives and books, not to mention all of Fyriane’s authors were from Nyarelle; no other Dom had the time or the means to sit down and write a book like the Nyarellean’s.

Historically, the Doms worked in isolation, each contributing to the continent in their own, separate way. While Nyarelle recorded the history of the entire continent, the Marlyst Kingdom was responsible for providing weapons for Salistya’s army and farming equipment for Arlom. In turn, Arlom fed the whole continent and Salistya fought the beasts in the Tidal Seas, preventing their entrance to the Pass.

Eventually, I settled on a new romance book, one that looked like it would be suitable for both mine and Meredith’s tastes. How did she describe it? Guy chases girl, girl denies him, he fights harder to win her over, she eventually gives in. Yes, this ticks the boxes. It also sounds a lot like mine and Sir’s story, but I always choose not to read into that.

Turning around, I headed towards the merchant, intending to buy the book and find Eliasson when I caught something from the corner of my eye.

The black book was quite plain-looking aside from the vibrant lilac eye in the middle of the book which gripped my attention. It looked like it wasglowing.

The World As It Was.No author. I was intrigued.

I handed the Nyarellean five gold for the two books, smiled and gave my thanks.

‘Your Highness,’ she spoke, just as I was turning away. I looked back expectantly.

‘Knowledge finds those who are meant to see.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘I suggest you use that magic of yours to deposit that book somewhere safe. It chose you; it is for your eyes only. Make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.’

I froze. How the hell does she know about my magic?

I looked at those damn all-knowing eyes, making a split second decision. ‘I have no idea what you are talking about,’ I lied.

She gave me a cunning look. ‘We both know your husband is only a minute away. Hide the book, Valare, or I will have to take it off you.’

I sifted through my magic, gauging all presences around me and latched onto Eliasson’s. Fuck, she wasn’t wrong, he wasn’t far off. But how did she know that? How did she know my name? More importantly, who is this woman?

‘Valare,’ she cautioned, using my first name again like we were the best of friends and hadn’t just crossed paths with each other a whole five minutes ago.

Looking at my surroundings, there was no one close who would see it, but the risk was too great. I shoved both books in my bag, ignoring the part of me that screamed to listen to the Nyarellean.

‘Who are you? What is your name?’ I quietly demanded, not wanting to make a scene.

‘I am a simple Nyarellean merchant,’ she stated. Well, obviously. Her burnt orange eyes and darker skin were a dead giveaway that she hailed from the Queendom of Nyarelle.

‘What is this you say about magic?’ I pressed her, pretending I knew nothing.

‘Knowledge finds those who are meant to see, Valare.’ A highly ambiguous response. Perfect.

I could feel Eliasson coming around the corner. Time was up.

---