Page 214 of A Queen's Game
With a deep breath and pounding heart, she reached into the aithyr and drew the energy into her. She imagined Katya’s tan skin, the scars that marred her body, her piercing eyes, herblack hair tucked behind her ear, and thought of the message she crafted.
“Katya, I know we agreed to go our separate ways, but please realize I wouldn’t contact you unless it was necessary. Would you be willing to help me?”
Valeriya collapsed back in her chair as the energy shot out of her body. Full sentences were difficult for her to send, but Katya would always be worth the energy.
A minute passed. And then another. Valeriya jumped out of her seat and began pacing. Katya was probably planning what to send. It had taken her an hour to figure out a few short sentences. She was just thinking it over. Though, what if she wasn’t? What if Katya worked with Nastanya and Auryon? How likely would it be that Katya would tell Nastanya and Auryon of her plan after she laid it out for her? No. She would never. Katya was the one hesitant about Auryon from the beginning. If she saw Nastanya hand over power to him, then there would be little to no chance that Katya would tell them.
Well, there was the chance that Katya might not want to talk to her at all. Perhaps she was angry that Valeriya didn’t fight to bring her to Satiros. How could she when Katya was sworn to protect her sister? Valeriya’s heart paused at that notion. If Katya was supposed to protect Nastanya, but Auryon took over… no, she’s okay. Katya was alive and well.
Another few minutes passed. Valeriya bit her nails, walking the same circle in her room, refusing to assume the worst had happened—that Kat was dead. The thought caught her breath, the sudden tears in her eyes. She crumbled to the floor as her breaths came sharp. She couldn’t lose them both—not her sister and Katya. It couldn’t be true, but as the minutes passed by, her mind prepared for the worst.
Suddenly, the rough sound of Katya’s voice filled her head.
“For you? Always.”
Valeriya cried with relief, tears streaking down her cheeks as she held her head. It would all be okay. Katya was coming, and she would finally be with her again.
Chapter Eighty-Two
Marietta, Before
Marietta smiled as she tilted her head back in the sun, enjoying the blistering heat on a beach off the Evgeni Sea. About an hour outside of Notos, she and Keyain took a day to relax for once, though she still thought about her clients. Tomorrow she had four meetings set up, one of them being a new business. A beekeeper, which was a great client to gain considering how often honey is used in Enomenos, be it mead, baking, or general consumption. Her mother had helped make that connection.
Guilt knotted her stomach at the thought of her parents. She and Keyain were within a day’s ride of their country home, yet she made no plans to go visit them. Not while Keyain was with her, anyway. Oh, the fit her father would throw if he found out about him.
Four years together and Keyain still had never asked to meet them.
“This is nice,” he said, sprawled on a blanket next to her. “You never take a day to relax.”
Marietta laughed at that. “I’d rather be doing something instead of lying around, but I figured one day wouldn’t hurt.”
“This is peaceful.”
“It is,” she murmured back. They were by themselves with just the lapping of the saltwater on the sand and the calling of birds around them. She closed her eyes, letting the wind catch the strands of hair that broke loose from her knot.
“Would you enjoy it if it was always this peaceful?”
Marietta opened her eyes at the question, her mood plummeting. Glancing over, Keyain had propped himself up on his side with his legs stretched before him. “We’re not having this conversation again,” she said, her tone final.
“Mar, we need to talk about it.”
“We don’t.”
“Well,” Keyain said, hesitating, “I would like to.”
“Fine, go ahead. Tell me of how you want to live in the Satiroan countryside in your big, fancy house and make me push out child after child.”
“Why are you like this?” he snapped. “Is having a normal life with me too ridiculous for you? Do you really think we could travel like this for the rest of our lives?”
“No.” She cast her gaze out over the water, watching the ships in the distance.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Marietta swallowed hard, fighting against the bite in her tone. “That I didn’t think we’d ever last this long.”
For a moment, Keyain was quiet. “I can see it, you know. You being a wonderful mother, living in a home—a real home—together. We would have the two sweetest little girls who’d look just like you.”
“Oh, yes, because that’s not crazy at all.” She shook her head.
