Page 30 of A Game of Queens
I carried an ocean of tears inside me. Without even knowing this woman's name or anything else of her history, my body knew instinctively that she had suffered, too. Maybe not exactly the same, but there was a kinship there. A constant, nagging fear and rage that made me both vulnerable and ferocious.
Never again, I resolved silently.I will never be held captive again.
"Do you know how long you were held?"
"Not really." I was pleased that my voice sounded normal and even despite the sandpaper roughening my throat. "An eternity. I suspect that I was a child when I was taken. I remember climbing a tree to pick olives."
He glanced at me, his eyes narrowed with consideration and curiosity. "Aima queens are hard to set an age to unless you know your lineage. But there aren't too many places that olive trees will grow. Does the name Marne Ceresa mean anything to you?"
I shook my head as I repeated the name slowly. "No."
"Describe the place you were held. At least what you remember."
I loosened the fierce hug around my midsection because I was starting to find it difficult to breathe. I settled for threading my fingers together and gripping my hands together tightly. "It was very bright all the time. The sun never stopped shining. It was merciless. Punishingly bright. Sear your eyeballs, fry your skin, scramble your brain bright."
"And that's why you want to know when the sun comes up? Because I can assure you that the sun isn't like that here."
"No. There was something else there. We called them sunfires."
"We who?"
My bottom lip trembled before I could control it. "There were others. Like me."
"Other queens?" He sounded skeptical, as if he hadn't just told me his sister had been trapped and held against her will, too.
"Yes. Not many, but over the years, or however long I was there, other women came. I didn't know they were queens, or Aima, as you call them. But there were other women. Well, mostly girls."
"Sorry, babe, but I don't believe you. There haven’t been Aima queens young enough to be calledgirlsin centuries."
Evidently this was going to be a pattern with him. I didn't have time for anyone who doubted my word or argued with my own memories, no matter how scarce they were. I might not remember much, but the things I did remember, I'd rather forget. They were engraved in my brain. Forever.
"Whatever." I turned my head enough to stare out the window, trying to memorize the passing landmarks. The buildings went by in a blur, a bewildering sprawl of city. Very much like where I'd been, I realized. There had been buildings, walls, houses, palaces, and... pyramids. I was sure of it. But there was something very strange about them. I couldn't put my finger on the difference exactly. "Believe me or not. I won't go back. Where are you taking me?"
"I'm going to drive out of the city while I try to think of the best place to take you. Do you know what a nest is?"
I shook my head, not willing to give my voice to a man who didn't believe.
"Given your background, I think you might want to talk to my sister. She might be able to help you heal from the trauma you endured."
There was no healing from something like this. I would carry the scars on my soul. Like a delicate crystal glass, the cracks and splinters and chips that would never be healed inside me. All I could do was hope nothing else broke me completely.
"The only catch is we can't get there before dawn."
I searched the night sky, trying to tell which direction we were headed. In the darkness, we could be going up and down for all I knew. Everything seemed to be turned upside down. Nothing made sense.
"I know a good quiet place where we can spend the day. If you're adamant that you can't be out in the sun."
"I am," I replied without elaborating.
He huffed out a laugh. "It's like one of those old-time vampire movies. I don't suppose you need a coffin too?"
"I don't know what that is, but I want a room without any windows. Preferably only one door."
"A coffin," he muttered. "Need some salt and holy water? Maybe some garlic?"
He was laughing at me, but I didn't care. He had no idea what the sunfires were capable of. "I'm familiar with salt, but that won't help us against the things coming after me. I don't suppose you have a mirror, do you?"
I felt the heat of his glance again and read the surprise in the intensity of his gaze. He was a man who wasn't taken by surprise often. "Why a mirror? Are you going to give them the Medusa treatment?" I must have looked as confused as I felt, because he shook his head and focused on the road again. "Guess it's safe to say you're not descended from a Skolos court, or you'd certainly know Her name."
