The rest of the trip passed in a blur. Soon, they were setting down on a landing pad on the edge of a dense green forest full of towering trees. Nojan stood once they were secure and turned to face her. “Come,” he said, extending his hand. “I want to show you my world.”
Mayra took his outstretched hand with a smile and let him lead her out of the ship. “Never mind me,” Sanri pouted from behind them. “I can find my own way around.”
“My brother, Zelup, will be coming to assist you,” Nojan said over his shoulder. “In fact, here he comes now.”
Mayra followed his gaze and saw a tall and powerful-looking male headed their way. He had Nojan’s dark hair and chestnut eyes, but his nose was stronger, his jaw heavier, and his chest even broader, if that were possible.
“Yummy,” Sanri said, bounding out from behind them to land in front of the approaching Vartik. “What’s a sexy savage like you doing in a civilized place like this?”
Zelup looked down on her, his expression an equal mix of amusement and confusion. “I assume you’re the troublemaking hitchhiker I’ve been hearing so much about.”
Sanri raised her hands and painted an innocent look onto her face. “Who me? You must be mistaken. I was the one who got stabbed.” She crooked a thumb over her shoulder. “Shewas the one doing the stabbing.”
“Stabbing?” Confusion beat out amusement in Zelup’s expression.
Nojan let out a long sigh. “Knock it off, Sanri. We’ll talk about this later. For now, let’s get inside. I’m sure our parents are going to have plenty to say about all this.”
“You have no idea,” Zelup said as he led them inside. “Father would like to address you in the Throne Room.”
“Fuck,” Nojan spat out under his breath. “Figures the old man would want to look as impressive and powerful as possible.”
Mayra felt the undercurrent of concern that was radiating from the man she loved.His parents won’t approve of you, a voice whispered insider her.
Notavoice.Thevoice.
You’re a stranger, a former slave girl, and they’re royalty. Even if you are the oracle, they’re going to find out how mentally unstable you are. Do you think they’ll ever let a woman with a history of violence into their perfect little family?
Mayra’s head was pounding. She felt sick to her stomach. That damn voice, back to spread its malicious whisperings. She’d brush it off if she wasn’t so worried that what it was saying was true. She could hardly concentrate on the opulence of the Vartik palace as she was led down hallway after hallway.
Finally, Zelup paused at a pair of tall, ornately carved doors. A woman was standing there, although she looked like little more than a girl. She had mahogany hair that tumbled past her shoulders and large dark eyes. Her face reminded Mayra of Nojan’s.
“What are you doing here, Kara? We’re supposed to report directly to Mother and Father.”
Kara folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not here to stop you. I just wanted to get a look at the famous oracle before Mom and Dad got their claws into her.” Kara looked back and forth between the women. Then her weighty gaze settled firmly on Mayra.
“So you’re the oracle, and it seems my brother was able to unlock your powers.”
Mayra nodded, an embarrassed flush covering her cheeks.
“It’s not quite what you expected, is it?” The Vartik female’s gaze was unsettling. She was tall, like her brothers, and so slender that she was virtually devoid of curves. Her eyes reminded Mayra of a fawn’s eyes as she’d seen them drawn in one of Demaylia’s picture books. “Still, there’s something not quite right.”
Kara turned her stare onto Sanri. “And you.” Her head whipped back as if slapped, her jaw dropping open. “Who are you?”
“We don’t have time for this,” Zelup said, picking his sister up and moving her out of the way of the doors. “You can get inside their heads later, sis.”
“Wait,” Kara said, hitting her fists ineffectually against her big brother’s back. “Something’s wrong. You can’t—”
“Later,” Zelup growled, setting her down and turning back to the doors. “We’re already late.” Then he pushed the big doors open to expose a lavish room outfitted in crimson and gold. Nojan put an arm around her to lead her forward as Mayra’s heart felt like it might burst through her chest.
“Can your sister read minds?” she asked Nojan softly. But it was Zelup who answered.
“Sure, she can read minds, but the whole family can do that. Her real talent is finding people. That’s how we knew where to look for you.”
Mayra frowned, and Nojan caught her eyes, a serious expression on his face. “Kara is empathic. She can hone in on someone planets away and point to a map to show you where that person is. She found you on Vanfia and told me what to look for.”
It seemed her rescue had been a team effort for the Vartik family. And now she was about to meet the matriarch and patriarch of this talented clan.Please don’t let them find me lacking.
Perched on matching golden thrones on a dais at the far end of the room, Mayra first laid eyes on the King and Queen of Vartik. He was tall, regal, his body obviously at the peak of health. Like his sons, he was muscular, a warrior in build and in bearing. She was almost as tall as he, and like her daughter, straight as a board, although it was clear that she was as athletic as he. Both had dark hair and brown eyes, and both would easily be considered the height of attractiveness on Territh, she supposed.
“Come forward,” the king said in a deep voice that commanded obedience. They moved closer, Mayra wondering if the whole group could hear her heart pounding. It was time to find out if the cold voice inside her was right about Nojan’s parents.
If it was, she wasn’t sure if she could stand it. Just once, she wanted something to work out for her. Mayra couldn’t stand being vulnerable to the whims of the elite any longer. From slave to oracle, everyone thought they could use her. This time, no matter how much it hurt, if his parents wouldn’t accept her, then she would refuse to help them.
This time, things would happen on her own terms.
