“What about forgetting?” Helena asked on behalf of her friend. “Some of us would rather not remember.”
George nodded, hoping the bob of her head would loosen the tightness in her chest. She let her gaze sweep over each of the eight women before her, a small subset of those held by the king, his cadre of personal aides. “Anyone who wants mindmolding can have it done. The choice isyours. The choice is always yours from now on.”
She couldn’t stop the tears from welling up then, and she didn’t bother. Helena’s glistening gaze met hers, and they shared a moment of quiet understanding: They’d all been captive here.
“Wouldyoustopthat!It’s distracting me,” Wynnie scolded Isahn, who paced in their periphery.
“He’s only nervous.” George smiled in the mirror at Wynn, who wound together an artful tangle of plaits at the nape of her neck.
“Isahn, go be nervous in the other room.”
He chortled, but did stop pacing to grab a chair from George’s desk... so he could sit right beside her.
“Deiwa hathemi.” Wynnie borrowed one of George’s favorite phrases.
“Walk me through this one more time.” Isahn clasped George’s hands, rubbing small circles on the inside of her wrist.
“I become queen.”
Wynnie barked out a laugh.
He eyed them both, exasperated.
Feeling slightly bad about teasing Isahn, George launched into her forty-ninth explanation of the ceremony to come. “We’ll all depart from here and process to the central atrium, where the viceroys, their families, all the fae, and anyone else who can find a spot are invited to watch from the terraces above.”
He nodded, squeezing her hand in a silent bid to continue.
“You’ll all file in. Ean first, Hildy last. Then I enter the circle between the two of them.”
“They’re the heavens and physical realm, right?” Isahn checked.
“Exactly. I’ll walk around the circle to receive the blessings of the gods, starting with Hil representing Enoth. She’ll give me the oak scales for justice and dominion over the physical realm. Then, Burke representing Vites, the underworld, music, art, and general mischievousness—”
“It’s really the perfect role for Ean, instead of Burke,” Wynnie quipped as she turned George slightly and began to line her eyes with kohl.
“It is, but this works too. He’ll give me a flute carved from willow. Then you come next, Wynnie. Appia, the mother herself, gifting me enhydro quartz.”
“And the weird water-filled rock represents life?”
“A child in the womb.” George smiled at Isahn, although her eyes remained closed for Wynnie to work. “I’ll go to you fourth.You’re Lellin, death and rebirth. You’ll carry a sickle and satchel of seed to bestow upon me, so I might rid us of the old and usher in a new era. Then I go to Bina, the pixie, standing in for Ahninia, the goddess of the hunt and harvest.”
“And the moon!” Wynnie added.
“And the moon. She’ll give me berries. But I heard from Ean that she’s planning to wrap them in pixie dust to make them glow.”
“I want to see that.” Isahn grinned adorably, his dimple popping. She wanted to stick her tongue in it, but that would have to wait for later. “How are you going to hold all of this stuff?”
“I won’t. Between gifts, I’ll put them on the dais in the center of the circle.” She continued walking through the ceremony. “Adda comes next, followed by Dunstan, as Lewkotis and Keyotis, respectively. Adda will give me the diamond representing light, Dunstan the onyx, for darkness. Thus ensuring the realm will sleep and wake each day, with me on the throne.”
Wynnie interrupted briefly, asking George to stand so she could wrap her in a stunning, silktoga.
“I go to Ean last, who I’ve asked to represent Demir.” George lifted her arm per Wynnie’s hand-tap request.
“Admit you’re doing it for the magic. There’s no other reason for him to be Demir,” Wynnie groused.
George sputtered. “Oh, I’m definitely doing it for that. He’ll come empty-handed, and when I kneel before him, he’ll magic the crown in, right onto my head. Then, I’ll move to the middle of the circle. Hildy will make her voice loud and do the whole ‘long live Georgetta’ thing. You all say it back, and that’s it. I’m officially, ceremonially confirmed queen. I’ll leave the circle first, out where I entered, between Demir and Enoth. And you’ll file out in reverse order with Hildy following me.”
“So, at first, you enter after us, the gods. Then we elevate you, and you leave before us?”
