Page 32 of Of Serpents and Ruins
"If Stella returns, she will not be slain. She will not be sacrificed a second time," I said. And I was not going to confirm her return to anyone any more than I had to.
"If." Dromar repeated the word.
Evnal leaned back in his chair, shifting his weight. Though a neutral force among my advisers and council members, he did not speak often. Lately, his patience with the entire matter had worn thin. Even the usually immaculate kohl lining his eyes and the markings on his cheeks lacked their typical crispness, smudged in the creases of his eyelids and the wrinkles that feathered along his cheeks and temples.
"The rumors have strengthened," he said. "There are reports. Rumors. Not just of the queen’s return, but also that her brother and his ally have broken out of the dungeon. Rumors too that the reason they were imprisoned was for bringing the queen back."
"Kine and Elias do not have to be held any longer," I said coolly, resting my chin on my palm. "Their imprisonment served no further purpose at this time, and I am certain that there are many rumors, especially given the intensity of yesterday's earthquake and the stirrings of Kropelkian magic in the air. Who could blame them?"
Two of the younger mini raptors hopped on one another. They hissed and chirped. Scarlet darted in and nipped at the larger of the two. They immediately scattered. Sometimes I wished I could use her methods to quiet my council on days like this.
"Your Majesty…" Cura, another councilor who typically supported me, leaned forward. Her red-and-black lined lips pursed. "We are aware that prisoners were brought in. They were captured by Arch General Hord, and some have said that these prisoners were actually assassins from one of the factions sent to target the queen. Allegedly."
I crooked my finger as I pressed it against my lips. "Factions with designs of assassination are not new," I said, "and they will be dealt with as we have dealt with the others. So far as them coming for the queen, it may be that they have heard rumors as well and wish to be prepared. But allow me to be clear. I have no tolerance for any who would seek to undermine Sepeazia. And…" I leaned back, my gaze drifting around the assembled council members. "Allow me to remind all of you that while some aspects of the larger curse are nebulous, one thing is true. I have to kill Stella to satisfy this specific curse." I indicated the charm that hung around my neck. The bauble in the center was a dull orange, signaling many hours until the next madness that would seize me. "If she dies before we figure out how to end the Gola Resh's curses and not by my hand, then this curse may never be ended." It was a bluff and a guess, but one I was willing to hold to.
Those words hung heavy in the air. The hissing of the lava coiling through the vents kept the silence from being truly oppressive.
I held their gazes for a breath longer then inclined my head forward. "You will all continue with your tasks. Research and develop various methods and possibilities for ending both curses. The curse that devours the life of Sepeazia still has not resumed." I indicated the hourglass with the days etched into the glass. "Make the most of the time we have. Prioritize that above ending the curse that hangs over me."
Dromar's face had gone as sour, as if he had shoved a whole lemon in his mouth. "After more than fifty years, we have exhausted all options. Unless you have something new for us to provide the various practitioners and scholars and sages, or perhaps another theory for us to examine, we are wasting time. There is nothing new or significant for either case."
"Then order them to start at the beginning," I barked. "Unless they would all rather hurl themselves into the Blight Sea to make our destruction easier at the end."
My words echoed in the chamber.
A bubble within the lava popped and hissed. All stared at me.
I lifted my hand. "If there is nothing else…"
Even if there was something else, I doubted they would bring it up then. They disappeared in a rustle of robes, silks, leathers, and cotton, colognes and perfumes fading until all that remained was the spice of the incense and the pungency of the lava that escaped the magic's hold.
My mood darkened as the footsteps faded. I let my elbow fall over the cold, carved arm of the throne then gripped the silver goblet. Stella's goblet sat beside it, filled with tart, woody autumn wine. It rippled out, the light reflecting off the dark-red surface.
Scarlet hopped back up beside me, chirring as she tilted her head at me. Baro and Tad, two others, circled at my feet. Baro shoved his face against my boot and gave my trouser leg a tentative nibble, as if that was all I needed to rouse myself.
I stroked their heads one at a time and tickled their jaws, my movements absent as my gaze fell once more to the hourglass that held the time left before Sepeazia's doom. The sands had not started shifting even though Stella was back.
Was it possible that her sacrifice had been enough? That the curse had been forever stopped, even if the weakening of theland itself and the signs of the toxic drain upon our very soil and stone remained?
I wanted to believe it was so, but all any of the seers had seen was nothing. I had spoken to every single one, including the ones Auntie Runa said she wouldn't trust as far as she could throw them. No matter how much I longed for hope, I knew better than to believe this silence and stillness was anything more than a pause.
Somehow, though, I'd find a way to save Stella.
Even if it cost me everything.
Rising, I crossed to the water mirror in the back of the chamber. I brushed my fingers over the still waters to make them ripple out. The reflection turned dark, revealing another chamber.
"Belligerent asshole," I muttered.
There was silence until another deep voice responded, "Insidious blight."
I stepped back, smirking.
Footsteps clattered outside the chamber.
Cahji stumbled in, his silver eyes wide, his silver hair all askew. The youth stumbled over his feet and nearly crashed into the wall. The mini raptors scattered, hissing and flicking their tails.
Cahji was close to being an adult, and yet in that moment, he looked more like a child, his eyes wide and white-rimmed and his breaths panting. "Your Majesty, there's word on the queen!"
