Page 133 of A Queen's Game
Valeriya felt a smile tug on her lips as she paused. “She’s real. Lady Marietta was a baker in Enomenos.” The two half-elves gawked at her as she strode away.
“But what does that mean for us?” the one asked excitedly.
That was why Marietta needed to be protected. Of course, her life mattered, as did her well-being. However, her proximity to Keyain’s information made her a useful ally, and more importantly, she sent a message. A high-ranking member of Satiros’ court married a half-elf. Whether Keyain realized it or not, he was starting a revolution. Plus, Marietta was a calming presence among the disappearing pilinos. Four more bodies were found, the latest one being a human male with clip carved across his forehead, left to bake in the sun on the shore of the Halia with his body mangled and deprived of clothing. At least no more pilinos had gone missing since.
Marietta’s presence distracted them, gave them hope despite the horror that threatened them. In The Weeds, they would come to learn Marietta’s name for the change she represented. Valeriya would be the Queen who accepted her, gave her a place among the nobles. Yes, Marietta’s life mattered to many.
The streets thinned out as she neared the edge of the district where it bordered Wooded Ward. Valeriya approached one of the few opened buildings. The sign above the door read “DistrictDelegations.” The room beyond was expensive for The Weeds but drab for elsewhere in Satiros.
Rich brown wainscoting made of wood covered the lower half of the wall, the top covered in white wallpaper painted with green vines. In a frame on the wall hung the Satiroan crest, two down-turned purple wisteria blooms curving into one another with the city’s motto, “Ever Blooming.” Its presence was mocking. The crown didn’t care about The Weeds or its denizens, at least, not beyond the service they provided to the elven population.
Valeriya passed a few open doorways where males and females talked in hushed voices in parlors. Coming to a door at the end of the hall, she knocked twice.
“Come in,” called a voice.
Inside, Valeriya found the lead district delegate of The Weeds. A squat half-elven man with thinning, mousy brown hair and a pair of spectacles resting at the bottom of this bulbous nose. He looked up at Valeriya from his papers. “Ah, you,” he said, sitting back in the chair with a smile. “It’s been a while since your last visit, Blythe.”
The name she used from her previous visit took her by surprise for a moment, but she recovered. “It has, Alderan. I see you spent my donation wisely; the streets are looking immaculate.” Everyone knew of the district’s frustrating potholes. With horses prohibited in the city and the lack of magical equipment available to pilinos, the last issue they needed was pocked dirt roads to pull their carts.
“Things have been smooth, so to say.”
Valeriya chuckled, but realized the male didn’t mean it as a joke. Covering the laugh with a cough, she added, “Well, I’m glad to hear it.” She strode toward his faded wood desk with another coin purse in her hand. “And the education funds? How are those holding up?”
“Not well,” he said, rubbing the stubble forming on his pointed chin. “For a while, we had enough to keep each child supplied with materials, but with the increase in refugees, the budget is tight.”
“That’s why I made my last donation. I thought it’d help for the foreseeable future.” The fact the money hadn’t gone as far was troubling.
“None of us foresaw a half-elven lady in court,” he said with a tired smile. “The number of refugees over the past months has spiked. Many believe life in Satiros is about to change for pilinos, despite recent events.” His tired smile faded.
Curious, Marietta’s reputation has already made its way to the poorest populations in Syllogi. “Do you not think change is coming?”
Alderan let out a long breath. “A younger version of me would have said yes, but I know better now. Between the war and the missing pilinos….” He paused a moment, rubbing the small circular pendant hanging on his neck. “To me, the half-elven lady’s presence is more of a warning to Enomenos—that they’ll steal their loved ones if they fight back, that they’ll turn to violence to keep us suppressed.”
If Valeriya were a betting female, she knew what that pendant symbolized—and why he saidloved ones. Alderan was Exisotis.
“Perhaps they intended her to be a warning,” Valeriya said, smirking, “but we can also decide what her presence means, regardless of who died for her to be in Satiros.”
Alderan blinked, realization coming to his features that she referred to Tilan Reid, which was the confirmation she needed. The Exisotis infiltrated the lower governments of Satiros. That information would be useful for her sister.
“Who are you exactly, Blythe?”
“I am who I need to be,” Valeriya said, lifting the coins. “Which right now is the funder of The Weeds’ educational system.” She tossed the bag onto his desk.
With an uneasy glance, Alderan opened it, shaking his head. “Once again, you come when I need you most, so who am I to ask questions?” He laughed and pulled the strings tight. “I don’t know who you are, but it seems we keep like company.”
“Like enough,” Valeriya said, smiling. “All children deserve proper education.” She turned to leave, pausing in the doorway. “And they will need that education for the future. Change is coming, Alderan. Let’s make sure your district is ready for it.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
Marietta
After the King’s taunting in the garden, Keyain asked Marietta to stay in the suite until Amryth came back from an assignment. When they had returned to the suite that afternoon, he was so shaken, so furious, that calming him down was a struggle.
Keyain had cursed Wyltam, saying he was out of line and beyond inappropriate. Of course, from his vantage point, it would have appeared incongruous; but Marietta knew the truth, that she intended for situations like that to occur. King Wyltam’s timing of the entire day was impeccable. The kiss on her hand, the placing of her hair behind her ear, caused Keyain to release his jealousy in a way she hadn’t seen in years.
Marietta could see how it worked into Valeriya’s plan as well, pinning the two men against each other. The thought made her smile, that she finally crafted a way to give herself control in this court. Not only did she help the Queen, but she also found a way to further their plan by her own means. The divide in Keyain and the King’s friendship had widened already.
What irked her, though, was King Wyltam’s confession. The King loved Keyain, and she planted herself at the center of their drama. Of all the ways she imagined their relationshipdeteriorating, she hadn’t considered love or lack thereof. Perhaps because Keyain never talked of his love life prior to Marietta, though it wasn’t all too surprising that he’d been with a man. Most in Enomenos are attracted to more than one gender.
