Page 72 of Queen Takes Queen
"Your Majesty, may I introduce you to Tepeyollotl. My heart, this is Shara Isador, descended from Isis. She came, exactly as yousaid."
The man looked at each of us, his golden eyes flashing, even though the flashlight wasn't shining in his face. Predator eyes that mostly hunted at night. A black stripe crossed his nose and across each cheek. He wore jeans, but his upper body was bare, covered with tattoos andsymbols.
Focusing on Shara, he bowed at the waist, his fist over his heart. "Your Majesty. My queen has put all her hopes inyou."
"Me?Why?"
He looked at Mayte. "It’s time to reveal all toher."
"Yes," she replied steadily. "We can go no further until she knows thetruth."
Mayte laid a hand on the lock, same as before, and it opened. Even the big man had to exert force to get the door moving. It slid open with a grindingcreak.
I'd been expecting some kind of root cellar or unsavory prison cell, but the walls were stacked stone, and the ground was covered with flagstones. Eztli and Nevarre stepped through the door, followed by the queens. I hesitated, eying the heavy oaken door with wide planks that had probably come from a several-hundred-year-old tree. If this big man shut the door behindus...
Even my rock troll would have a difficult time tearingthrough.
:I came in from above,:Xin said in my mind.:If he blocks the way, I can still get herout.:
More at ease, I gave the man a nod and stepped through, with Daire and Mehen on myheels.
"This area used to serve as a wine cellar and overflow storage for the kitchen," Mayte said as they approached another door. At least this one wasn't locked and didn't look like it weighed a ton. "The original entrance was blocked off decades ago to create a more secure area. With Tepeyollotl outside, this is the safest place I couldfind."
She tapped lightly on the door. "Grandmama, it's me. I havevisitors."
"Come in," a woman called softly from the other side. "Butquietly."
Mayte pushed open the door and stepped inside. She walked to an older queen sitting in a rocking chair with a sleeping child on her lap. She picked up the little girl and cradled her in herarms.
"She just fell asleep," the older queenwhispered.
Mayte kissed the child on the cheek and then lifted her head, her eyes glowing with fierce determination. "This is why I hid the geas from you. This is why my most powerful Blood guards the door. This is why I must be your sib. My daughter,Xochitl."
SHARA
Adaughter.She had adaughter.
So much became clear now. Why Mayte was so desperate. Why she would go to such lengths to secure assistance from me, even if she must lie, cheat and steal to do it. The same as I would do to protect my Blood, and I didn't even have a child to worryabout.
A queen. With a child. Gina’s eyes were wide, her bond silent with shock, as were myBlood.
:When was the last time a child was born to aqueen?:
:Keisha Skye's child, nearly a hundred years ago,:Rik replied, his bond grim.:And you. If she knew about thisbaby...:
My stomach pitched and I almost threw up the delightful oatmeal cake. Because if Skye was even half as vengeful and obsessed as I suspected her to be, she wouldn't take another queen with a baby well atall.
Tears rolled down Mayte's cheeks, but she kissed her daughter and handed her back carefully to her grandmother. "I'll be back later after shenaps."
The older woman looked at me and the hair on my scalp tingled. Nerves zinged down my spine, as if a splash of cool water trickled over my head. "This is theone?"
"Yes," Mayte said. "She needed to see what we're fightingfor."
She came toward me, and we walked quickly back toward her other Blood and then on up the tunnel and outside. I didn't say anything, but my mind whirled with questions. Keisha Skye had resorted to torture and, according to rumors, black magic, to conceive her child. Yet here Mayte, a relatively insignificant queen, had a two or three year old little girl hidden away. She wasn't strong enough to stand against Skye alone, yet she'd managed to conceive a child. Adaughter.
A futurequeen.
Mayte took us back into the bright sunny breakfast room. Gina and I sat down once more and I nodded when she offered the coffee carafe again. Someone had whisked the other cup away. I didn't recall drinking any of it. Fresh plates had also been set at each place, though I wasn'thungry.
