Page 4 of Ship of Shadows
Istood at the front of the throne room, filled to the brim with people from all the courts on the continent, leaders from the human lands, and even some of the seafolk, who rarely left their ocean dens to venture onto land. I supposed this was a special occasion, and we’d always had a kinship with the seafolk over any other court because of our shared water powers, our shared connection with the sea. I glanced out the huge windows lining our throne room to see a few more seafolk emerging from the ocean, their tails separating and turning into legs as they walked ashore. Scales covered their arms and snaked up their necks, sparkling under the bright sun and matching their even brighter hair: all shades of the rainbow, from green to orange to scorching red.
Despite their legs, you’d never mistake the seafolk for a human or an elemental. Not with those scales.
A few human guests bowed before my mother, and she nodded her head in return. Elementals and humans were harder to tell apart, our features almost identical—but today, in my throne room, it was an easy difference to tell. The humans looked nervous at being surrounded by so much magic and power. They shifted on their feet, eyes constantly moving fromside to side. But the courts had created treaties long ago to ensure we had no conflict with the non-magical beings. We traded with the humans, welcomed them to our lands, and generally left their lands alone.
The bright sun, now high in the sky, lit the space with its golden hue, and the entire water court was on display from our castle windows. I loved my court, thought it was the most beautiful of all the courts on Arathia. A glittering river, fed by the sea, snaked its way through the town in a circle. Beige-colored shops and houses dotted the rocky terrain, all the buildings shoved close together and lining either side of the river. Narrow stone streets zigzagged through the buildings.
Despite our small size, if you didn’t know our court well, it was easy to get lost in those streets. But always an adventure. Getting lost was the best way to discover new shops with delectable treats, lost treasures, and some of the finest bath salts and scrubs on the entire continent. From here, I could see my people in their small boats, paddling their way through the river, going about their day and waiting for my official presentation as their queen later today.
The throne that would soon be mine sat behind me, glimmering gold, the seat cushion a deep blue that reminded me of our sapphire sea. Steps led from the dais down to the white-tiled floors, where everyone stood, sandwiched between tall white columns, chattering and murmuring as they waited for the ceremony to begin. Pink flowers and blue coral decorated the columns, reminding our guests of the beauty of the sea.
Our borders had been closed ever since my brothers—and all the boys of Apolis—disappeared, but my mother had insisted we reopen them for this. She didn’t want the other courts to think anything was amiss. I didn’t blame her, not when all the courts of Arathia were so terrified of any kind of conflict.
Leoni leaned over from where she stood next to me. “Can you look a little less like you’re walking to your death and more like you’re about to be the queen of Apolis?”
Walking to my death. That felt accurate, actually. But I couldn’t show that on my face. She was right. I needed to put on a better front. I cleared my throat and stretched a smile across my face.
All the foreigners would no doubt be wondering where the king and princes of the water court were. After I was crowned queen, we planned to tell them the truth of what happened. We’d avoided it for so long, waiting for my father and brothers to return, but it was clear that wasn’t going to happen.
We just hoped the other courts wouldn’t react badly to the news. We had the support of the earth court, at least. I searched the crowd for Queen Liliath, even though she wasn’t here. It would be nice to see a friendly face, to see someone who understood what it was like for your court to be weakened.
She’d sent me a lovely note explaining why she couldn’t come, and I understood. She’d just won back her own court from her stepmother, and she needed to be there to rebuild. She also was planning a wedding, one I’d been invited to attend.
Liliath had mentioned she was sending someone in her place to represent the earth court. My gaze landed on Driscoll, one of her closest friends. Like Leoni, he had no problem speaking his mind. He smiled and gave a wave, and I nodded in acknowledgement.
Leoni leaned over. “The queen is smiling so hard at you I think she’s about to burst a blood vessel.”
Leoni was right. My poor mother’s smile looked so forced I was surprised her face didn’t ache from the effort of it. She stood in the front, the crown on her head gleaming, aqua-blue jewels studding the points. When I was little, I’d spend hours staring at that crown, mesmerized by the way the jewels reflected all thecolors of the sea. I’d trace the lines carved into the sides that looked like curling waves. I’d think about how heavy that crown might weigh on my own head.
Today, I’d find out.
Leoni nudged me. “Bloody waters, could you please just give the crowd a smile?”
Right. I kept forgetting. I plastered a smile on my face, hoping it looked genuine and not like, how did Leoni put it? Like I was walking to my death.
Leoni nodded and went back to scouring the room with her assessing blue eyes, hand on the sword hanging from her golden belt.
I blew out a breath and patted the dark blue skirts of my dress, which spread out on the ground and trailed behind me like a pool of water. Every detail today had been planned to remind us all of the beauty and power of the water court, to wow everyone so much that maybe they’d forget to be horrified when I told them why half our population was missing. I snorted. What an idiotic plan.
Blood and water. I wanted this day to end as soon as possible. Speaking of—I arched my neck, looking for the head priestess who would be overseeing the ceremony. We couldn’t begin until she arrived, and I was more than ready to get this over with.
“Where is Priestess Amari?” I asked.
Leoni frowned.
My mother leaned over and whispered something to the captain of her personal guard, and my brows scrunched together as I read her lips:Where is Priestess Amari?
She was wondering the same thing. A rock settled in my stomach, hard and heavy. Priestess Amari was never late. In fact, she was known for whipping her acolytes for tardiness. She wouldn’t arrive late to a dinner, let alone a coronation. My mother’s tired gaze met mine, and she tugged at the loose graycurls that framed her face, the rest of her hair in an elaborate updo of braids, all twisted into a bun that sat atop her head. She wrung her hands together, and from here I could see the way they shook. She was as nervous for today as I was. And here I stood, thinking all about how this was affecting me.
My mother was doing what she thought best for her people, ushering in a new era of hope after she’d lost her husband and two sons. Yet my only concern had been me, me, me. Shame swept over me like the force of a wave.
Finally, the big golden doors burst open in the back of the room, Priestess Amari standing there in the golden robes that all priestesses of the water court wore, her long white hair hanging loose down her back. She didn’t have her usual calm demeanor, but instead, her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, her eyes wild.
The entire room fell silent as everyone turned toward her, no doubt expecting that the ceremony was about to begin.
“He’s back,” she said, her voice echoing around the cavernous room that had sunk into silence.
Leoni sucked in a sharp breath, and my mother looked like she was about to faint. I stepped forward.
