"I don't know," Areana said honestly. "We'll have to figure that out when we get there."
Raviki looked like she wanted to say more, but a pointed look from Tamira silenced her. This wasn't the time or place for difficult conversations about the future.
"Well," Tamira said briskly, threading her arm through Areana's, "right now, the only thing that matters is that you're here. Let me show you the village. It's beautiful, and the people are welcoming."
The group began moving toward the gathering on the lawn, but they'd barely taken a few steps when Tula appeared, cutting through the crowd with Esag at her side.
"Areana!" Tula's voice carried over the din of the music and hundreds of conversations, and then she was pulling Areana into a somewhat awkward hug due to her bump.
"Careful," Areana laughed, steadying her. "You'll hurt yourself."
"I'm pregnant, not fragile." Tula stepped back and gave Areana a once-over. "You look good. Tired, worried, but good."
"You look well, too," Areana said. "Better than well. You look..."
"Radiant?" Tula supplied with a grin. "That's what Raviki said."
"I was going to say content. But radiant works too."
Tula's grin widened, and she reached back to pull Esag forward. "You remember Esag."
"Of course." Areana offered him a warm smile. "It's good to see you again. Thank you for taking care of my Tula."
"It's my pleasure and my honor," Esag said, and the sincerity in his voice was unmistakable. "She's everything to me."
Tula didn't contradict him. Instead, she leaned into his side, and Areana watched the way his arm came protectively around her.
"We should join the celebration," Annani said, interrupting the reunion. "There will be time for catching up later, but right now, I have a speech to deliver, and there is food to eat, music to enjoy, and joy to share."
She swept forward, drawing Areana along with her.
The crowd parted before them like water around a ship's prow, people bowing as they passed, the kind of bows Areana hadn't seen since the time of the gods.
She'd forgotten what it was like to be royalty.
Real royalty, not the manufactured authority that Navuh had claimed for himself.
Annani, daughter of Ahn and Nai, was a true heir to the throne, and for this celebration, Areana basked in her sister's reflected glory.
19
ANNANI
Areana's sons gravitated toward their mother, drawn to her like ships to a lighthouse.
Kalugal reached her first and pulled her into a tight embrace. Behind him, Lokan waited for his turn impatiently.
Carol hung back, probably because she saw Areana every morning and wasn't as emotionally invested as Lokan. Jacki held her squirming little guy, telling him to be patient and that Nana would take him as soon as she was done hugging Daddy and Uncle Lokan.
Annani enjoyed seeing her sister surrounded by love, but she could not linger. She had a speech to deliver.
She touched her sister's arm. "I need to go. Stay with your boys, but do not venture far from the podium. I will invite you to join me up there."
Areana nodded, and Annani glided through the crowd toward the stage.
She climbed the three steps to the podium and turned to face her people.
As usual, she had not written a speech. She never did. Words that came from the heart did not need to be scripted, and Annani had learned long ago that people responded better to authenticity than to polished rhetoric.
