Page 29 of Bound By the Vori

The princess’s face crumpled a little with a pained look. “That was three revolutions ago, Mother. But I am glad that you find it pleasing.”

The Matriarch blinked, clearly taken by surprise that it had been so long. “Really?” she said faintly. “It is beautiful.”

“Is this why you are here? To see my room?” Zana inquired speculatively. Despite the wariness in her voice, Kim wanted to die a little when she saw that bright spark of hope in the younger female’s eyes.”

“Not precisely, no,” Leiora replied with a gentle smile. “I was bringing Kim here for a brief visit.”

Zana’s shoulders slumped, but the look she gave Kim still contained a spark of hope. “A visit?”

Kim swallowed sharply. She wanted to shout that this wasn’t her idea. Anything to stave off what she knew was coming.

“Yes.” The Matriarch sighed. “There have been some concerns, Zana. Concerns that I cannot ignore regarding your recent activities and behavior. Some of which I have ignored, at Kim’s request that she be allowed to work with you through them, but I cannot any longer. Not after what happened at the Flower Festival.”

“The Flower Festival?” Zana’s brow furrowed as she looked back and forth between them. “I do not understand.” A look of betrayal filled her face. “You think I had something to do with it—like the gyori.” She shook her head vehemently, her eyes pleading. “I swear to you that I had nothing to do with it. I would not hurt our people any more than I would hurt Kim. You must believe me. The gyori, the vorubal, neither incident was my doing.”

“I do believe you,” her mother soothed as she brushed the princess’s flailing crown coils back. “Of course it is not you, but then it is never us when the madness takes hold and blinds us. You may have done these things and not even recall putting that plant in the tutoring hall for Kim, or arranging for the stone supports to be weakened at the vorubal. It would not be your fault, but if this is what is happening, we cannot risk the safety of you or others within the city. Dr. es’EtaliAgor did say that you might need a booster upon reaching adulthood, remember?”

“I remember,” Zana said quietly. She glanced over at Kim. “Did you tell her that it was me? Do you really still think me capable of that?”

Kim shook her head. “No, I don’t, but I know your mother and fathers are doing what they think is in the best interests of everyone involved.”

A bitter laugh left the female. “And what exactly is that?”

“Isolation,” the Matriarch replied. “You will have everything that you need and desire, but you will remain in your chambers with no contact with anyone but your personal guards until Dr. es’EtaliAgor arrives. That means that you will also have your access to the Intergalactic Intraweb and the palace comm system revoked. Once he has examined you and assures us that he is confident that you are still well, then we will see where we shall go from there.”

“What? No!” Shock filled Zana’s face as she quickly straightened. “You cannot do this.”

“I can, and I will. It is your own volatile anger that is to blame. Whether part of it is due to the curse or not, you have been openly hostile and resentful every step of the way when it has come to learning about the humans on our world.”

“I did not ask them to come here. I did not ask to be tutored. I asked for none of this. But I have been trying. Please!” she choked out so miserably that Kim clenched her jaw and blinked her eyes rapidly to stave off the rush of sorrow that threatened. It wouldn’t do Zana any good anyway.

“Zana,” Leiora reprimanded softly, “take the decision with the grace and dignity worthy of your station.” Sighing, she withdrew as Zana wilted before Kim’s eyes. “Kim wanted to come and say her goodbyes in person so that you would not feel cast aside. She spoke up for you. I want you to know that.”

Tears streaming freely from her ruby eyes, Zana looked over at Kim. Unless she were an accomplished actor, this all looked very real. She hated that a tiny voice in the back of her mind reminded her that the madness could make a female convincing—so much so that Zana would almost believe it herself as she fooled everyone around her. Kim mustered an encouraging smile, however, as she stepped closer.

“Hey, it’s just going to be a few days. You and I both know that the doctor will clear you and everything will be fine. We’ll be back to discussing the Appalachian Mountains, Big Foot, and the Civil War before you know it.”

Zana’s jaw quivered as she made a valiant attempt to muster a smile in reply. “I would like that. Anything called Big Foot must be wretchedly disgusting. I cannot wait.”

Chuckling, Kim pressed the tablet into her hands. “In the meantime, I thought you might like some reading to keep you busy. I know it always helped me whenever I was grounded.” She leaned in and smiled. “I saw that you’re reading Bronte over there. I’m glad to hear it. I love some romantic classics, and a lot of the more modern stuff too. I’ve loaded some of my favorites for you to explore, as well as some horror titles I thought might appeal to you that was recommended to me.”

Hand closing around the tablet, Zana took the tablet and tucked it against her chest. “Thank you,” she whispered dully, her gaze cutting dispiritedly to her mother as the queen headed for the door with one last fond smile for her nestling.

“Consider it a lengthy break, Zana. It cannot be all bad,” she admonished before gliding out, leaving Kim to follow her.

Biting her lip, Kim motioned to Sijhord to stay put and quickened her strides to catch up to her friend. To her relief, Sijhord maintained a respectful distance to give them their privacy while not allowing her to get too far ahead of him.

“Leiora, can I ask you something personal?”

The female glanced over at her in surprise. “Of course. We have always enjoyed open communication between us.”

Kim refrained from pointing out that it was not as open as it could be. Leiora was not only her employer but a ruler who could take some grievous exception to any of Kim’s observations. Instead, she murmured in agreement.

“I was just wondering how much time you spend with Zana. She really seemed to come alive in there when she thought you were there to visit her.”

Just saying the word visit as it applied to a female who was supposed to be a child’s mother living under the same roof made Kim’s stomach curdle. But even on Earth royal families were not like everyone else’s, so she couldn’t judge too much.

The Matriarch looked over at her in surprise. “Zana accompanies me daily for a couple of hours in an observational capacity when I have the throne room open to the public.”

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