My other sisters stay silent, their eyes vigilantly trained on the deck where our mother disappeared. Time moves slowly, the sound of voices dwindles until it’s just one male and one female. Then my mother’s frame appears as she steps up onto the ship’s railing. She stops and says something over her shoulder to the man standing there, his golden crown glinting in the light of the torch he holds, before she dives into the water. We sink beneath the surface to join her.
“What happened?” Allegra asks, Sade joining her at our mother’s side.
Queen Amari, already back in her siren form, smiles victoriously. She holds her hand out in front of her, and glinting on her middle finger is a gold ring, a pearl nestled at its center.
“That’s one of the rings,” I whisper, my stomach bottoming out.
She cocks her head to the side, her smile growing sharper as she examines the pearl-topped ring on her finger. “It is, and one I am saving for another. Soon, daughters, we will rule over landandsea.”
Chapter Eighty: Nox
“You think this isretaliation for Nox taking the magical item from their kingdom?” Councilman Hadrik asks from his place to the right of my father, his dark eyes shrewd as he looks at Councilman Kallin across the table. “How would they even know that Nox was there undercover?”
I drown out whoever responds, my attention instead on the image of Tienne in my mind. How had that bastard realized that she helped Rhea? Tienne didn’t strike me as a woman easily convinced to spill secrets. It had taken nearly the entirety of my four years spent in the guard for her to not look at me like I was a fox in a henhouse, though her instinctshadbeen correct. Still, when I took over for Alexi, she threatened to kill me herself if I so much as looked at Rhea the wrong way. How she would know, I had no clue, but I believed she would do it. To see her looking so devoid of the life she had been full of mere months ago was like getting punched in the gut. It knocked the air from my lungs. And Rhea—
“Nox.” I glance up from my hands, meeting my father’s tired gaze. “Councilman Kallin has asked you a question.”
I nearly retort back that I’m fuckingtiredof this bastard asking me questions. It seems that he is never satisfied with my work as heir apparent or my relationship with Rhea. Each question I answer only leads to a handful more. Like pulling on a loose string, I feel myself slowly unraveling under his prattling.
“Apologies for interrupting your thoughts, Your Highness,” he addresses me, his hands clasped on the table before him. “I was simply asking if the letter attached to the woman’s body had any meaning to you.”
“It doesn’t.” I know I don’t exactly sound convincing, but I’ve reached a place where I simply don’t care. The day this council questioned Rhea to the point of causing her anguish is the day they lost any semblance of respect that I had for them. I had offered four years of my life up to ensure our kingdom’s safety. Many more before that as they tested me and my magic. I had done everything they asked of me up until I chose to be with Rhea. Though my father insists that they have no say in our relationship, the council seems to be finding ways to do just that. And if our previous heated discussion after Rhea and I announced our engagement is anyfurtherindication of their feelings towards her, then I can’t imagine that telling them the full truth of who she is will fare any better.
Not that she’s the magic we felt from so far away or that she’s the rightful heir to the Mortal Kingdom, but that she is the true ruler ofthisone. Rhea Maxwell, my betrothed, my love, mylight, bled into the Cauldron of Vires earlier tonight. Her single drop of blood produced a flame that was leagues taller than my own, its color a richcobaltblue. She isn’t just a powerful mage; she isthemost powerful mage. A queenin spiteof her impending marriage to me. Over two hundred years had passed since the last queen of Void Magic ruled this realm, and yet there she was,found a kingdom away. Her magic calling out to mine like it was searching for me.
“Should we reach out to the Mortal Kingdom? Ask King Dolian outright what message he’s trying to send?” Councilman Borris questions, gesturing to the Mirror that is placed at the back of the room.
Shit.I do send a look of concern to my father this time. My magic abruptly tugs at my gut with enough force that I brace my hands on the table. The sensation of fear trickles into me, making my heart beat out of rhythm. As quickly as it comes, the feeling dissipates.
“No. We wait for him to reach out to us. We do nothing to encourage his antics. We have nothing that he could possibly want that will result in anything good.” At the unrelenting tone in my father’s voice, Borris submits, his back hitting the chair as he slides his beady gaze my way.
“There isanothermatter that we have not finished discussing.”
I cut the councilman a sharp glance, my fingers twitching as my magic pulses in my palm. “I think we’ve exhausted that conversation.”
“Nox is right. Though, for reasons neither I nor Alexandria can comprehend, the council does not approve of Rhea, it ultimately is Nox’s choice.” The silence rings out heavily in the air, my father’s words a dagger hitting its mark. The corner of my mouth kicks up in triumph, ready to finally put this behind me.Behind us. Yet, as I scan the room, the expressions of the council before me aren’t ones of dejected acceptance. Only Hadrik looks as confused as I feel, a line forming between his brows.
“Unfortunately, Your Majesty, I’m afraid you’re mistaken.” Kallin’s words are spoken firmly, his gaze holding mine while he answers my father.
“Councilman Kallin, what might I be mistaken about?”
“While we may not have a choice in who His Highness chooses as apotentialfuture queen, wedohave the power to veto that choice if necessary.” My lips flatten as my eyes narrow.
“Councilman, you were here the day I requested that, moving forward, any heir to the throne retain the power to choose who they want to wed, free of any interference from this very council,” my father recounts, his fingers interlacing on the table in front of him. “Don’t tell me that your age has begun to catch up with you?” My father’s teasing chuckle is met with alarming silence, causing him and Hadrik to share a concerned look. I observe each of the council members, one councilwoman still absent from the table.
“I remember the day quite well, Your Majesty. It was the day after your coronation, and you came to this very room with gusto, ready to take charge and lead this kingdom with great honor,” Kallin says, his eyes glazing over as he reminisces. The memory fades, and the councilman tips his chin down to his chest, shadows from the chandelier above slashing a harsh line over his face. “You requested that this council consider a proposal to change how things had been done. That is what we did. We changed the fact that we could not force a betrothal. That an heir apparent be allowed to choose whomever it is they want to court. What we didnotchange, however, is our ability to deny that choice.”
My body stills as my magic pulsates beneath my skin, power scraping along my bones and begging for release.
“What do youmean?” Hadrik asks, his palms planting on the table. “I was not aware of such a stipulation to the law.”
Kallin clears his throat, leaning forward until his eyes move from the shadows. “Do remember, Hadrik, that you did not join this council until a year after His Majesty’s coronation, and we have not had an opportunity totestit as we do now.” Hadrik frowns, his eyes bouncing from my father to Kallin. “As the lawis written, the council is allowed to bring the choice of partner given to them by the immediate heir to a vote. Should we find that partner acceptable, we shall vote that way. However, should we find anything about them unfit to rule by the side of the crown prince or princess, then our vote has the power to stop the betrothal.”
“Kallin,” my father rumbles, his voice laden with his power, “that isnotwhat I proposed when I brought the idea forward.”
“Oh, but it is. You asked that the council not interfere with the choice of partner prior tobetrothal. Yet there were no specifics given at the time regarding removing the power of the council once a betrothalhasoccurred. With Nox proposing to Lady Rhea and her acceptance, it is now up to this council to vote whether or not a marriage between them will be beneficial for the kingdom as its future rulers.”
“She will become queen either way!” I snap, anger flashing hot in my chest. But, no, I cannot tell them who Rhea is yet. Not until she is next to me to reveal that secret herself. The thought of her causes goosebumps to break out over my skin, my magic flaring wildly in my gut and tugging me nearly out of my chair. I glance towards the door, expecting to see Rhea on the threshold, her long blonde hair hanging over her shoulders as she peeks her head in. The tugging sensation persists, but the door remains closed.
