Page 52 of Heirs of the Cursed

“There you are!” he greeted them, holding out four tankards of wine. “For a moment, I lost you in the commotion.”

“Did you, or are you too drunk to find us?” Caeli scoffed.

She looked beautiful in her dark orange, strapless dress, with her hair down to one side to expose her tanned back. Darcia leaned closer, tracing with her fingers the saagrati symbols etched in black ink on her skin.

“I’m insulted, just so you know,” Bassel protested, adjusting the lapels of his yellow jacket.

“I’ll start to worry when you see two of me then,” Sadira said with an amused smirk. She wore a dress similar to Caeli’s, but in a slightly lighter shade of red than Darcia’s.

“I think the goddesses brought you together to make my life miserable,” he protested.

“What would be of you without us?” Darcia questioned.

“I’d have a more peaceful life, that’s for sure.”

His sister slapped his arm.

“Well.” Caeli raised her mug of ale. “I think it’s time we make a toast.”

“To congratulate me for putting up with you three?” Bassel asked. “I need a reward for that.”

This time, it was Darcia who hit him playfully.

“I hope you don’t say ‘for the princess’, Cally,” Sadira interrupted. “I don’t feel like praising heirs who don’t care about us.”

Whenever the queen gave birth to an heir, Laivalon held an honorary feast for their powers and title. Most of the king’s heirs were known for their elemental magic, and thus were worshiped. Yet the Crown Prince remained a mystery to everyone. Rumors had spread after his birth, and not long ago some of them suggested that he’d been born without magic.

“Don’t let the soldiers hear you, sister,” Bassel muttered. “We can’t put ourselves at risk, not while they’re in control.”

Sadira snorted in disgust. “They shouldn’t be in control of anything. They don’t give a damn about the people, they just want power to feed their rotten hearts.”

“That’s precisely why we have to be careful about what we talk about, Sadie.” Caeli tried to soothe her with kindness and caressed her hand affectionately. “Our life depends on it, more so as women unfortunately.”

“I agree with Sadira,” Darcia mediated. “They should learn how things work on the streets, but they never will because they possess so much power that their privilege is beyond repair. With the king’s favor, they have secured an easy life, leaving the rest of us to suffer.”

“I’d love to see them beg for their lives at the hands of a woman,” Sadira said. “We’re nothing more than objects for them to use. I’ve heard stories of the hetairas in Bellmare and it makesme sick to my stomach! The world should kneel before all of us. If it weren’t for a woman, those bastards wouldn’t even exist.”

The kingdom feared women’s power, intelligence, and cunning . . . because when a woman held even a little control, she could bring an entire system to its knees.

A woman with ambition was far more dangerous than any powerful man.

“Sometimes I wonder why the goddesses haven’t interfered yet,” Caeli said to no one in particular. “I wonder if they truly are our protectors or simply created us to lead ourselves to extinction.”

Bassel put his arms around Caeli and Sadira’s shoulders. “No one has asked my opinion, but I believe that the world is cowardly. I grew up surrounded by women and without you, we’d be screwed.”

But Darcia knew better.

Laivalon was rotten, just like the Crown and its rulers, and just like all the soldiers watching them closely at that very moment. The system wasn’t good nor fair. If it were, people wouldn’t live in fear, nor would they kill each other. The chasm that pushed the poorest into the abyss and empowered those with dark desires wouldn’t exist at all.

Darcia wished she could do something to change her world, but her destiny was another.

“By the Triad! Did you just tell us something nice, brother?” Sadira asked.

“Yes, yes . . . Now, I need a toast to forget that all this happened.” Bassel admired his empty mug. “Crap!”

“I’ll get us some drinks,” Darcia offered. “Stay here.”

Caeli took her face between her hands and kissed her lips softly. “Don’t take too long.”

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