Page 76 of Terragnata and the Heir of the Earth

As if Olea heard me, she whispered, “Ye look te be the Mother, herself.” And then she dropped to her knees, pressing her head to the floor. “Hail, Creatrix,” she chanted, and Gia and I stared at her as ifshehad changed.

Luckily, Gia took charge. I was grateful for the Gia I knew to be shining through in a moment like this. “Olea,” she murmured, “get up, please. Go tell Cas that Terra will not need an escort tonight.”

Olea curtsied and scurried off. Gia looked back at me once more, inclining her head.

“Well, no one will be able to deny that you look like a queen,” she said.

I cocked my head. We’d barely discussed the politics I’d been swept up in—potential royal duties included—but the knowing in her eyes made me wonder if Gia observed more than she let on.

But before I could ask her, she turned, made her way to my door, and looked back at me. “Wait fifteen minutes, then comedown. I’ll be waiting for you,” she commanded, leaving me with a wink.

I spent those long minutes with my head out of the open window, breathing in the salty air, basking in the sliver of shining crescent moonlight. I would be more on display than ever before, and a part of me hated it. Another part of me reveled in it. If the king and the Rexi were going to threaten me, use me for political advantage, well then, I would play by the same rules. I would use what I had to give myself every advantage. I shut the window and walked out.

The illuminationof my skin and eyes grew even more prominent in the low light of the banquet hall. Before the doors opened, I heard the announcer tap his staff to the stone floor, a quiet settling over the revelers. And then, I entered. The Fae that had spent weeks picking me over stared with open jaws. The only audible sound came from my slippers striking stone, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see the golden shimmer wafting off my skin, creating a soft halo around my body. At some point in my procession, a set of hands slammed on the banquet table. They were followed by another, and another, until my feet moved to a slow beat that echoed through the hall.

I turned to face the party-goers when I reached the table of the crown, which I was to be placed in the middle of, given the banquetwasin my honor. I extended my arms out to the side and closed my eyes, feeling the glow on my skin intensify as I worked my magic. The buds on my dress bloomed before the crowd, bigger and bigger, until the flowers could no longer stay. I whispered to the blooms, a spell of life that was a cantrip and the Earth woven together, just as I had made the dress.When I did, the thousands of flowers transformed mid-air into a kaleidoscope of butterflies, bursting away from me and soaring through the hall.

“Creatrix!” a female voice cried out. Countless cries followed until the hollering and clapping drenched us, drowning everything else out.

Late in the evening—orearly in the morning—I collapsed in my bed, exhausted from the hours upon hours of dancing with Gia and Cas, and the many other Fae thatnowvied for my friendship. Cas was kind, introducing me to many of his warrior companions who had come just to meet me. A traveling fiddler bunch, renowned on the continent, played for hours, and we danced until our feet hurt. I allowed myself too much wine and thought little of the king and Rexi, who both fumed at my winning display, and then retired early.

Gia and I bent over in chortles when we pushed Olea toward the guard we’d caught her eyeing the past few weeks. Gia knew him, because he was posted to her, so we arranged for them to dance, and then lost our composure when her face reddened at our intervention. It must have gone well, for she asked me late into the evening if I could undress myself. I cackled once again and bid her to go.

Cas left before Gia and I did, and I wondered who warmed his bed that night. But Gia pulled me out of that thought spiral by dragging me back to the dance floor, and I marveled at the energy in my pregnant friend.

After the music began to dwindle, we walked with arms linked back to our chambers, and I deposited her first. Only one guard remained at her door, and we giggled once again.

I made my way back to my chamber, feeling a sense of peace for the first time in a long while. My skin prickled at the sweet sea breeze in my room when I entered. I collapsed into bed, not bothering to remove more than my shoes, a smile spreading across my face.

Something prodded me from under my back, something hard and out of place. I flipped over in an instant, throwing the pillow to the side. And there lay a package wrapped in cloth, with a note on top labeledTerragnata.

My insides warmed. Cas was always such a lover of gift-giving. I sat on my heels, my skirts all around me, opening the note first. It read:

Happy Birthday, Bellatori.

If you want me close, as more than just another sword in your defense, you only need to wear this ring, and it will be so.

Your choice. I cannot wait to see the things you do, no matter if up close or from afar.

- E

P.S. You looked radiant tonight. I find it impossibly hard to not smile when you do.

I froze, the breath catching in my lungs. Slowly, I pulled the cloth apart, as if the contents might jump out at me. The inside revealed a curved dagger with a blazing emerald pressed into the engraved hilt, rather like the cuffs on my dress. Wrapped around the blade was a piece of ribbon with a delicately braided golden ring, specked with emeralds, fastened to its knot.

I picked up the blade, sending my magic through it, and the stone glowed, thrumming with power like Ezren’s sword had when I fought Fayzien in the valley. I looked around the room, imagining him climbing through the window, standing above my bed, laying the gift beneath my pillow. I rolled onto my back, holding the dagger flat on my chest, letting the tears slip down my cheeks as the wine pulled me into a restless sleep.

CHAPTER THIRTY

PERSISTENT CONTACT

My head pounded when I woke to a dim room, Olea nowhere in sight, which was little surprise, given the way she left the ball the evening before. Thankful for the extra rest, I undressed, noting that the glow had faded from my skin. I put on my silks and stared at the gifts I’d clutched all night long, wondering what to do with them.

I found a loose board under the bed and pulled it up, revealing the unfinished floor beneath. I laid the dagger there and closed the wood on top of it.

The ring I was less sure about. I considered putting it with the dagger, but it didn’t feel right. I certainly was not going to don it on my hand—the thought of wearing two rings from two different males made my head spin.

I rummaged through the jewelry collection Olea maintained on my behalf. I found a pendant attached to a long, fine, gold chain that dipped below my chest. I detached the pendant and put it with the dagger, then threaded the braided ring through the chain. I slipped my new necklace around my head, tucking it under my shift. It hung inches below my silver dragon.

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