Page 60 of Queen of the Night
I take the first steps two at a time, calling over my shoulder, “Vera, we’ll lead, but stay behind me.”
She mutters something about how I act like a king beneath her breath, and I know she didn’t intend for me to hear it, but I can’t help but respond.
“Thatiswhat I am,” I say. “Should offer you comfort, knowing I’m so predictable.”
“Must you heareverything?”
“It’s a gift.” I flash a grin I know she’ll frown at before grabbing her hand to help her up a particularly tall jagged outcropping of rocks.
My magic rushes against its bounds when she puts her hand in mine… and though it was annoyance I just heard in her voice, her eyes tell otherwise when they meet mine. All at once, guilt for the way I feel for her and dread for the day she leaves washes over me, and that leads me to question my worthiness again.
I grit my teeth as I help her up and release her as soon as she’s found her balance, then continue picking my way forward. Neither of us says anything else as we finish climbing the rest of the way up the overgrown path. Darvy and Rhosse follow silently as well, alert and watchful.
The air is brisk at this elevation, made worse by the dense gloam hovering around us, stinging any exposed skin, but the steps improve the higher we climb, and we make good time. My heart pounds with anxiety. There’s no way to prepare myself completely for the moment I have feared since this plan came to fruition. If we find the field, if the tulips are still there, my worthiness will be decided. It doesn’t seem likely to be successful with the state of my mark—there are only the smallest bits of gold left at the ends.
I consider my backup plan, since I’ll likely need it—offer myself up to Lucentia. We’ll be at the field already, and it will be more than convenient. I set my jaw. My companions will be confused, probably, but they’re resilient, and they trust me. Well, Rhosse and Darvy do. Vera is still yet to be determined. But I know if I told them my plan, they would do everything they could to dissuade me. As king, I often carry heavy burdens alone, and this is one of them.
After the crumbling, overgrown stairs end, we stop. The canopy of naked branches above our heads has ended, but we can hardly see ahead. Patches in the foggy gloam clear for fleeting moments, enough that I catch sight of the thick evergreens the journal mentions far ahead across a rolling field.
I grip my sword and continue onward, my gaze swinging wide as I pull lucent from Vera to increase my vision. It seemsif we are to encounter another gloam attack, right before the Field of Tulips would be the place, but we’ve nearly made it across the field, and nothing appears. All I hear is the crunch of the prickly field grass beneath our boots, a chill breeze whispering through the gloam, and distant howling.
Towering fir trees form a thick border before a small majestic mountain peak that grows more imposing as we approach. I rub a hand against my tight chest, feeling as if I can’t quite inhale enough breath. A quick glance at Vera shows that she looks as pale as I feel. Does that mean she doubts my worthiness as much as I? The thought stabs like a knife between my ribs. I don’t look at Darvy and Rhosse; if I see doubt in their expressions, it may ruin me and have me heading straight to sacrifice myself to Lucentia rather than attempt to retrieve a flower. The imaginings of my ultimate failure becoming reality is mental agony. I find my steps slowing. No matter how fair a king I try to be, no matter how expert I am at wielding my sword, no matter how much lucent I can pull, no matter the width and breadth of my kingdom, Lucentia is the only one who deems me worthy or unworthy. The unknown threatens to overtake me.
The next moment, I find Rhosse at my side. He doesn’t say anything, merely gives me a firm nod and walks beside me, his battle axe in his grip. Darvy is at my right. They may not have been born with the responsibilities that I was, but their friendship eases my burdens more than they’ll ever know. Their solidity buoys me up.
I set my shoulders; it will do no good to draw this out. With my friends at my sides, and Vera trailing silently behind, my stride lengthens. We reach the outskirts of the trees as the first of the three suns has set. The smell of fresh pine overwhelms my senses in the best way. The smell of a living, healthy forestis an enjoyable reprieve from dry grass and moldering vegetation. As we make our way deeper into the small forest, the scent begins to mix with another—the first indication that the Field of Tulips is truly there—drawing us forward with dark floral and deep honey-musk fragrance. The branches of the evergreens are thick with strong needles that brush against my armor roughly as we weave between them, and the gloam fades until I don’t see any at all—even in the shadows.
Then, through the trees, I spot a dark ocean of gently waving tulips.
“It’s actually real.” Darvy’s voice is filled with awe.
I can tell by the low tone it was intended only for Vera, who walks by his side. He should know better than that. I hear everything.
“Maybe.” Her voice is indifferent, bored even.
I’ve never met a woman who’s harder to read.
As I step from the trees and into a small clearing, I’m not sure whether to smile with triumph that we’ve found the tulips, Lucentia’s personal garden, or be consumed with the dread held at bay with only the strictest self-control.
A stark line of tulips marks where the field begins, and it extends acres both long and wide. A garden fit for a goddess.
Chapter 35
Vera
The four of us stand before an enormous field of black tulips.It actually exists.It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. A slight breeze has the tulips swaying in rippling waves. Their velvety petals and intoxicating scent tempt me to reach down and pluck one from the soft earth. I feel drawn to them, but I resist. It must appear as if I don’t feel anything special here.Stay calm.
My breaths are shaky by the time we reach the edge of the field. We look over its expanse, and my eyes are drawn to the sky, where I see Rupi swooping and gliding as if in greeting to hundreds of birds that look just like her. I’veneverseen another bird that looks like her. How will I explainthatto Ikar? I have so many questions and no one to answer them. I thought I found Rupi by accident, a chance encounter, a lucky day, but now…
I realize then that I’ve continued walking when Darvy and Rhosse stayed back several feet. I curse beneath my breath. I should have been more watchful; it would look better if I had stayed behind as well. Now I feel stuck, so after forcing myselfto stand with Ikar before the field for a few minutes, I decide that’s likely been long enough. It’s time to sow some doubt and get out of here before this situation goes from bad to worse.
“Better get moving before it gets dark. Looks like the wrong type of flower,” I say as I begin retreating from the tulips and heading back toward the fir trees that encircle this field.
Ikar continues to look out over the field of flowers, unmoving. “Wait, Vera. This is it. I feel it.”
I freeze, my hands gripping the straps of my pack so hard my knuckles turn white. I slowly turn around.
“This is it?” I ask slowly, feigning ignorance.
