Page 30 of Once the Skies Fade

Placing her clasped hands on the table, Ursula looked around the room as if she wore the crown instead of me. “She may not be the queen for much longer.”

I froze, though inside a spark of panic ignited in my chest. Graham lowered to his seat, but sat rigidly on its edge, seeming to place most of his weight on the table than his chair as he glowered at the female.

“What do you mean?” he asked, a slight growl rumbling at the edge of his voice.

“Don’t play stupid, Graham. As head advisor, you should recall all of Arenysen law.”

Graham’s head swiveled in my direction, but he peered over my head at Isa with a desperate question in his eyes.

“Would you care to help us remember, Ursula?” my general asked.

Ursula’s gaze settled on me. My shadows itched to slap the smirk off her face, but I maintained my hold on them even as she answered Isa. “When King Brennan died, the assembly met to review the law, as this was the first time our kingdom has ever found itself with only one ruler. It appears your parents, with the aid of the inaugural assembly, intended for Arenysen to always be ruled by both a king and queen.”

“But she is widowed,” Graham protested. “Surely they allowed for an exemption for such a case.”

Warren responded in Ursula’s stead. “In a way, they did. The law grants the widower a mourning period before they must remarry.”

Remarry?

The word sucked the air from my lungs and my chest caved inward. My hands trembled under the table. My palms tingled as my shadows threatened to emerge. My whole body began toshake as tension coursed through me. I attempted to breathe through the panic, but I couldn’t ignore the weight that settled on my sternum.

“How much time?” Isa asked, dropping her hand to my shoulder again.

“One season,” Ursula said curtly.

One season.

“But that is mere months,” Isa argued. “Surely the assembly could consider an extension given the circumstances.”

“To what circumstances are you referring?” I didn’t see who asked the question. My vision blurred as my mind focused on restraining my magic.

“The loss of both her parents and her husband in a mere six months!” Isa said sharply. “Surely, she has been through too much—lost too much—to be forced to open her heart to another so soon.”

Ursula scoffed. “The heart is inconsequential here. She need notlovethe male to rule with him and produce an heir.”

“I’ll never love again.” The words floated away from my lips on a shaky exhale. Isa squeezed my shoulder.

The advisors, by contrast, continued to discuss the matter as if I wasn’t there.

“At least give her an extra season,” Graham said. “That’s more than reasonable.”

“We will, on one condition,” Ursula said. “She must cease her attacks on the humans.”

My growl filled the room, and I slammed my palms onto the table as I stood, my chair scraping against the wooden floor. “I will stop punishing them when they learn to obey!”

Most of the Assembly members recoiled slightly, but Ursula remained focused on me.

“Then you have a single season, Your Majesty. A single season to choose a new king, oryouwill be removed and replaced.”

Isa inched closer to me, angling herself so her back was to the Assembly as she whispered in my ear. “You need more time, Calla. Agree to the deal.”

Warren spoke up, clarifying. “Remember, it is one season from the death, giving her only eight weeks.”

I caught Isa’s eye and quietly said, “I cannot let the humans go unpunished.” Before she could argue, I turned back to the Assembly and nodded. “Eight weeks.”

Chapter 15

Calla

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