Page 56 of Terragnata and the Heir of the Earth

The queen regarded me with shrewd study, revealing nothing on her face. But then, in a relieving moment, the king laughed, said something to welcome us, and gestured to the band to resume playing.

I let out a breath, and Cas guided me up to the table. The revelers acted preoccupied, complying with the king’s subtle order to sway with the music, but I felt hundreds of eyes on me. The queen rose, her iridescent silver gown swaying as she stood. She brought each of her hands to my cheeks, pressing her unnaturally long, gleaming chrome nails into my face.

“Terragnata, at last, you have returned. What a joyous moment it is when a mother can look upon her grown daughter, a sight I thought I would never be blessed with,” she said, her voice full of warmth and soothing calm, which did not meet her eyes. Before I could open my mouth to speak, she drew me into her, and placed her lips to each cheek, leaving a sticky sensation that indicated the red of her lip stain remained.

The awkwardness and wonder of meeting her overwhelmed me. She was the woman who bore me, who brought me into the world. But beyond the softness in the curves of her face and the color of her hair, I could sense no genuine connection between us. She had not raised me, not as a child nor an adolescent. I felt a wrongness in her I couldn’t place.

Cas pulled back my chair, and I sat on her right. Cas joined the king on his left, and we were two children again, at the elbows of our life-givers.

“Mother,” I said, looking at her out of the corner of my eye whilst surveying the room. “How long has it been? Over fifteenyears?” I asked, feigning innocence in my tone. If she hadn’t ever been on Fae land, I guessed the last time I saw her was when I left Nebbiolo as a child.

Her saccharine smile dripped with contempt. “Yes daughter, fifteen exactly, I believe, as I recall your birthday is soon. Twenty, you will be, and I last saw you when you left Nebbiolo, just a few days into your fifth year.”

The king chimed in. “Oh, Terra, it isgoodto have you back! So splendid that you will turn twenty soon. It is not usually a day of marked celebration, you may remember, due to its insignificance in the context of a Fae lifespan. Fifty, now that is a celebration year I will never forget. But since you have just arrived, I would relish the excuse to throw a gala in your honor.”

“How sweet an offer, Your Majesty. But I am afraid we will be departed by the day. It is time Terra returns to her birth country,” the Rexi said with false regret.

I bristled at her audacity, but before I could protest, Cas jumped in. “What a lovely idea it is to allow Terra the opportunity to explore her homeland. But, I am afraid that won’t be possible, given she must stay here to plan the nuptials. And the Skøl, of course.”

“You can’t be serious,” the queen said, gaping at Cas, an expression I guessed she didn’t wear often.

I furrowed my brow, ignoring the wordnuptials,something needling at my memory. “What is the Skøl?”

“I’m afraid he isn’t joking, Neferti,” the king said. “We had originally agreed to forgo the Skøl, I know, as a favor to secure our alliance. But that was when we thought Terra would mature in this land. Terra has been gone a long while, in terms of her formative years. The people don’t know her; she is not much more than a foreign Nebbiolon Witch. And many vied for Cas’s hand in the time she was gone. Custom must be upheld,” he said firmly.

“What is the Skøl?” I repeated.

King Darlan turned to me. “The Skøl is an ancient tradition where Fae females compete for the hand of the future king. It is a wonderful competition of might, beauty, and skill. It is how my beloved late wife, Agustina, won my hand. May she rest in peace. Don’t worry, Terra, I have no doubt you will best them all,” he finished with a wink.

“And if I lose, then I don’t marry Cas?” I asked, attempting to hide my relief. I could barely tell truth from lies, and I certainly wasnotready to commit my life to someone I no longer knew. And there was the matter of my green-eyed Fae, whom I’d yet to forgive, but also yet to forget.

Cas narrowed his eyes at me, no doubt reading my expression, and replied, “Yes, assuming you lost in a way that left youalive. Some of the events are quite brutal. Not all the competitors survive, and many eliminations occur by… physically besting the opponents.”

I stared at him, recovering after a moment. “You mean killing,” I said flatly.

Cas nodded, looking only a little regretful and not nearly as perturbed as I knew I did. The thought of having to slaughter others for Cas’s hand made me ill. “And what if I am not ready to be married?”

At that, the three of them gaped at me like I’d spoken blasphemy.

My mother cut in, her voice low and sharp. “Terragnata, it is not a matter of being ready. It is a matter of duty. It is time Witch and Fae unite. Wouldn’t you agree, Darlan?”

“And what of the matter that I am bound to another?” I said before the king could reply.

The king choked on his food, and Cas’s eyes enlarged with swift, unforgiving rage. But the queen looked unruffled. “That will be dealt with, my dear; it is not of your concern.”

The silky way she said those last words sent a shiver down my spine. An idea popped in my head, unannounced. “Why don’tyoujust marry King Darlan if you’re so eager to cement ties between Fae and Witch? Are you not both widowed? What a powerful match it would be,” I said, fighting the petulance that worked its way into my tone.

Once again, the king choked on his food, and Cas’s eyes threatened to bulge from his head. The Rexi just laughed and said, “Child, your naïvety betrays you. It is not simply your union with Cas that is required; it is the heir that you will produce, the heir that will be of both bloods. While I would be honored to accept an offer from King Darlan, I am afraid I am much too old to bear a babe once more.”

She smirked at me, so dismissive in response, so satisfied in expression. I rose, pushing my chair back, and the noise of it drew some eyes to me from the crowd. I descended to the front of the dais and curtsied just short of kissing the floor. This time, the vines, which had roiled around me, stilled. “I beg your leave, Your Majesties; I am feeling tired after such an eventful day.” Before I turned to go, I caught Cas’s eye. Pure bewilderment had replaced the anger on his face.

Good.I wasn’t the only one who was no longer a little dove.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

EMPTY CHEST

“Et esna proper te walk out on a queen or king,especiallydurin’ a’ banquet, lassia,” Olea said as she readied me for bed. “I suppose ye’ll be needin’ trainin a’ the ways a’ the court.”

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