Page 127 of Enchanted Shadows
“Should you wish to make Kessara queen, should she want that as well, we both know two people with such strong ties to Wylan would never be accepted here. We would be killed swiftly. In our sleep. If this is what both of you want, however, I will annul our marriage. She will be free to marry one of the Agrian bloodlines I keep hearing so much about yet do not really understand.”
While Kessara was looking at me like I had grown a horn, her mother explained, “We bred our shadow Enchantment into all our bloodlines. It just took to some more so than others. Six bloodlines run stronger than the rest.”
I stilled. “So you don’t have a non-Enchanted population?”
“Very few,” she confirmed. “Those who wished to remain fully human did. We did not force it upon anyone.”
Huh. How about that. I wondered if that was the reason we were all gifted these skillsets to begin with. To share them. To protect one another.
Why all the homes of Agria were wrapped around the forest made a whole lot more sense now. Almost all of them were Enchanted, all of them longed to be near the shadows.
But it was the way Kessara turned toward me and bit out,“What?”which wrecked me.
“Do you want to rule, Kess?” I didn’t dare drop my eyes from hers. “If you want to rule here, I will let you go to do just that. That is the opposite of what I truly want, but this is yourhome. And it’s lovely. If this is something you want?—”
“I want you!” a tear tracked down her cheek. “I just want you. You’re the first thing I’ve gotten to pick for myself.Youare my home.”
I moved to brush it from her cheek, feeling awful for being the cause. “Then we will build a life in Wylan together. But Damek is not a viable possibility. He’s too violent. Too unstable.”
“Kessara, honey,” her mother said gently. “While I may be concerned at the speed and rate of your relationship, it is clear to me your Owen loves you. He did not do this to blindside you nor hurt you. He offers this out of love.”
“I can’t believe you would do this,” Kessara argued.
“Sweetheart, I want you ahead of me, behind me, beside me, and every space in between. But if this is something you wanted, we had to offer it. It is beyond time you got to choose; beyond time you had a say.”
“You are listed as a viable option on the treaty wording,” the queen confirmed. “Seems your half-brothers covered their bases too. If Damek remains heir apparent, Wylan has every right to attack.”
Kessara let out a long sigh. “I am sorry your hand is being forced.”
Her mother again pinched her nose. “I can’t sign this, or I will look weak to my people, but I also can’t help but wonder if this is the only way to keep Damek from ruling. I had thought of removing his heir apparent status before now, but your father and I both knew that we would be persuaded otherwise. He would have worn us down, told us exactly what we needed or wanted tohear, done just enough to make us believe him, and we’d be right back to where we started. You’re not the only one who has been manipulated, Kessara.”
Kessara reached over and grabbed her mother’s hand. “Mother, you name Artem as heir apparent. Then name me as second in line. The only thing Damek would hate more than seeing Artem rule, would be seeingmerule. He’ll keep Artem breathing just to avoid it.”
“Smart,” the queen agreed, “but Artem is not ready to rule yet.”
Kessara’s voice was full of love and determination for her little brother. “No, but he will be. I just don’t know that I trust him to be near Damek.”
“Oh, after killing three people, your testimony to back it in the courts, Damek will serve time for this. In Agria, even royals are not allowed to kill freely. Wylan has every right to issue this decree, even if it’s tinged in war more so than peace.”
Kessara gasped.
“I will ensure that he has therapists provided while he is there. Resources to help him. He will not be unsupervised for a long, long time. Not untilafterArtem takes the throne.”
All it took was one look at the queen to see how much she hated those words. And yet she had come to them faster than I thought it would take. She believed what Kessara was saying. Had she been preparing herself for this, even subconsciously?
I didn’t have a child, but I couldn’t imagine finding out all of this in this manner, how dark her son had really turned. A son she clearly loved.
And yet because she loved him so, because she knew him, she didn’t seem entirely surprised.
“I wish it didn’t have to be this way,” Kessara told her.
“Damek made his choices. Now he will walk them out,” the queen stated. “He is not above reproach. While some of his manipulations could be seen as assertiveness, the rest is entirely too far.He was the fool who thought he wouldn’t get caught.” She moved to put her hand to Kessara’s cheek. “And you, my dear, have shown him otherwise. Are you sure you do not wish to be queen? Your actions today have been awfully queen-like.”
“No,” Kessara told her. “I never wished to rule, not that anyone ever asked. And I’m not sure I can stay here. I’m sick of people looking at me condescendingly because they know Father isn’t my real father. I’m tired of being treated as less-than. By everyone.”
“Do visit though?” she asked quietly. “Artem will miss you. I will miss you. And I will do better to hear you. To make you feel... enough.” Her voice cracked. “You will always be enough for me.”
“I will miss Artem,” Kessara whispered. “I’m so worried about him, Mother.”
