Page 59 of Pawns of Salistya

Varqel nodded.

‘It’s just hard, you know?’ The words tumbled out of my mouth, unable to be stopped. ‘I go from flying under the radar being the third heir to the Salistyan throne, to receiving my powers by myself and have my eyes change so everyone looks at me differently. I fall in love. Then, I’m shipped off to marry a King, earn his and his country’s trust, learn their culture, eventually assassinate him, and then rule the Kingdom I’ve only begun to properly feel connected to. Before I can do that, though, I meet a man who is apparently my True Infinite and the other half of a prophecy I have blissfully ignored since I was sixteen. And now? Now there’s apparently an expectation that I’m supposed to unite Fyriane with him. A guy that, in the grand scheme of things, I know nothing about. Not to mention, he’s been keeping important information to himself. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it hurts and it’s overwhelming.’

Varqel reached his hand towards mine, squeezing it tight, offering comfort. ‘Little One.’

‘When do I catch a break, V?’ My voice cracked. ‘When will it be my time to decide what I want, who I want to be again? I can’t stand the feeling that I don’t have a say in the trajectory of my life. That because there’s a prophecy out there, my fate is signed, sealed, and delivered.’

And that was truly the crux of the matter. The reason I had denied the prophecy all these years. Sure, I put on a good front. Charging ahead with the complete alteration of my life plans, with the mission, my role as a queen, the natural leader of my Sol. But at the heart of it all? I wanted to have a choice. To choose my own path. And if that path was in line with the prophecy? So be it. But I wanted to trudge down that path becauseIchose to.

Varqel stood from his chair, rounding the table, and engulfing me in a hug. I returned the gesture, sinking my head into his chest.

‘Can I provide some words of advice?’ he spoke, his words muffled with how I had pressed my face into him.

I waited, my response not required. We both knew he’d say it anyway. He’d clearly read it in my body language as he pulled away to place his hands on my shoulders.

‘Get rid of your lover, but tread carefully, especially at this point in time. Do what you have to do with Eliasson. But remember, it isyour choicewhether you accept the prophecy and your role in it.’ He paused, staring into my lime green eyes. ‘If you do, then you’re destined to be the Queen of Fyriane. Destined for more than just a Dom’s queen. So, if you do accept it, you need to start acting like Fyriane’s ruler. But you can do it on your own terms. You can choose how you navigate it. The ball’s in your court. When you make your decision though, if youdodecide that’s the path you’ll take, consider if you really want Eliasson’s death on your hands, or if you want to outplay your sister and have someone who knows Arlom intimately and will be on your side when you properly take Fyriane’s throne.

‘Have a good long think on it before you make any rash decisions. And that goes for your True Infinite as well. Maybe it’s worth asking him why he kept information from you before jumping to any conclusions.’

Chapter 24

My eyes rapidly darted between Eliasson and Xylan. They were throwing words back and forth, and I was struggling to keep up. And that was without mentioning that I was completely shocked at their behaviour.

I had thought after a few days rest from meetings some of the tensions would lift. But I was wrong. They’d been simmering away and were now being brought to a thunderous boil right before my eyes.

Eliasson’s hand slapped the table so hard it made me flinch. I’d never seen him lose his temper like this before. ‘What do you mean there’s no more farming equipment being made for the next quarter?’Eliasson roared.

Xylan glared icily at him, and asked, ‘Do you require a translation using hand signs?’ He didn’t wait for a reply, mockingly acting out a sign for ‘no’, ‘equipment’ and put up three fingers to signal the quarter.

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing.

‘Hey!’ I shouted at Eliasson as he suddenly grabbed my coffee mug and launched it straight at Xylan’s face. Xylan ducked his head to the side and the cup crashed into the wall. The resulting splash would be hard to remove.

The King of Marlyst had murder in his eyes as he stood up. Orlandia’s hand launched out to grab her brother, shoving him back into his seat.

‘Rule number five of the housekeeping list: no throwing things. Rule number seven: no fights,’ she said in a detached manner. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was rather enjoying this spectacle. Her comment served to bring the tension back down to a simmer.

My husband let out a huge breath, cracking his neck and regaining control of his emotions. ‘That was out of line. I apologise,’ he said.

Xylan waved off the apology. ‘I provoked you. I’m partly to blame.’

His response had everyone raising their eyebrows in shock. Including Slaviya.

‘What?’ Xylan grumbled, reading the room. ‘I canadmit when I’ve gone a bit far. You’ve got to admit though, my hand signs were spot on.’

This time, I couldn’t hold back on the giggle that escaped my lips.

Eliasson looked at me with disapproval. ‘Hey, remember whose side you’re on,’ he berated, agitated.

‘Yes, Valare, remember whose side you’re on,’ Xylan parroted, eyes twinkling, no doubt thinking of the kiss we shared and the fact we were True Infinites.

‘What the fuck is that supposed to mean?’ Eliasson growled, looking between Xylan and me. Apparently, he’d also picked up on the underlying hint.

I kept my mouth shut as eyes fell on me, waiting for a response. Well, they could wait all they liked. No good could come out of my responding.

‘I think they’re just jealous of our little secret, young Queen,’ Ramone fake whispered, clearly knowing there was more going on and taking the bullet for me. Bless this man.

‘What secret?’ Both Kings spoke accusingly at the same time. Oh my Goddess. They were both acting like jealous overprotective boyfriends.

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