Next to a golden key displayed in a glass case sat a hand-painted porcelain vase. It depicted an unclothed celestial female sitting on a throne of golden flames. Resting on her head of cascading scarlet hair was a magnificent crown of flames. I had encountered enough depictions of her likeness that I immediately recognized it as a representation of Tuli, the deity of fire. But the goddess was not what intrigued me.
Perched on her right shoulder was a majestic crimson bird with gold-tipped wings and tail feathers. Flames clung to the bird’s body and set it aglow like golden shadows. It was a birdI would recognize anywhere. A bird I had only ever seen in one other place before—in a sketch that had belonged to my mother. A sketch with one single word scribbled in its lower-right corner—Veradis. I had asked my grandmother many times what it meant, but she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, answer.
What was this bird? And why was it depicted with Tuli?Birds were typically associated with Seru, the goddess of air,the skies, wisdom, truth, peace and prophecy.
“What are you doing?” The sound of a deep, low voice yanked me out of my futile attempts to make sense of the puzzle before me.
Spinning around, I was faced with a member of the Royal Guard. I recognized him from the ball and from the day I ran into Hugo in the entrance hall.
“Just admiring the vase. I’ll go.” Flustered, as if I’d been caught doing something wrong, I scrambled for the door.
“Did you do it?” he called out to me.
I turned to face him. Up close he was disarmingly handsome, with high cheekbones and full, defined lips. The hazel of his eyes was arresting against his smooth, brown skin. They fixed onto mine, narrowed in distrust.
“Do what?” I asked, crossing my arms.
He too, crossed his arms. “Did you harm Prince Hugo?”
I scoffed. I couldn’t believe the nerve of this stranger. “Yes. I attacked him then pretended to rescue him,” I said sarcastically. “That’s what all you guards believe, isn’t it?”
He took a step closer and scanned my face as if searching for a lie concealed within my features. “Did you truly save his life?”
I raised my chin. “Yes,” I said with defiance, despite feeling like I might melt under the intensity of his green, gold and brown stare. His expression softened, seemingly satisfied.
“Then I owe you a debt.” He nodded.
Stunned by the unexpected turn in conversation, my brows knitted together. “Thank you, uh…”
“Filip.”
“Thank you, Filip, but you really don’t. Consider it an act of common decency.” I didn’t have the mental capacity to unpack this strange interaction. It had been a long day and I was ravenous.
Without waiting for his response, I spun on my heels and hurried away.
Chapter 29
It turned out that, for mortals, a certain level of revelry was expected after the Ceremony of Rites.
The same might be said for the Mer but, having never attended one before, I couldn’t be sure. For Velcarin, death was like a long-forgotten relative who rarely visited. While it was possible to kill a Velcarin, it was extremely difficult to do so owing to our speed, strength and healing abilities. But that didn’t mean we didn’t have our weaknesses. My own mother contracted a rare illness which prevented her body from healing itself. Giving birth to me took too much of a toll on her weakened body, and it ultimately killed her.
I never allowed my mind to linger for too long on my mother’s death. Doing so only invited unwelcome thoughts and feelings. Rather than confronting them, I chased distractions as a means to outrun them. Maybe someday they would catch up to me, but, as always, I told myself that today was not that day.
The Ceremony itself had been brief and was held on a nearby beach in front of the darkening sky. A High Priest stood in front of the congregated mourners, spoke the sacred prayer to the goddesses, then lit the pyre that was laid on a single, wooden boat. On top of the pyre sat Lord Hywell’s body, sprinkled with a handful of soil from the earth. Once the pyre had begun to ignite, the boat was pushed out to sea. All of this—the voyage to theocean, the flames, the soil, the smoke that carried into the air—was a way to honor the goddesses, and an invocation to grant the spirit of the deceased safe passage to Yvora, the afterworld.
From what I understood, the Ceremony of Rites differed slightly across the kingdoms. The common factor they all shared was that the body was always burned. Fire was associated with both life and death because Tuli, the goddess of fire,was also the goddess of life and death, love and marriage, beauty and the arts.
After the boat was completely ablaze, most attendees left. Some, like Livia, stayed to watch until the boat was completely consumed by fire and water. I had been eager to escape the frigid air that stung my entire body and nibbled on my fingers and toes.
Now, I stood near the colossal hearth of the great hall with a goblet of wine, waiting for the festivities to begin. The part where the mourners were expected to celebrate life.
The great hall had been restored to its typical decor, with long wooden tables lining the floor in preparation for the feast. The tables were set with silver tableware, candles of assorted sizes and decanters of wine. Barrels of ale lined the walls and musicians were in the corner, playing uplifting compositions.
I had not slept well the night before. Thoughts of the murderer, Hugo’s attack, and my task kept my mind busy and my body restless until the early hours of the morning. I was deliriously tired and not particularly in the mood to celebrate. All I could think about was my bed. However, my deepest desire would have to be put on hold for the time being. I needed to make an appearance for Livia’s sake.
Not sure how much longer I could remain on my feet or, for that matter, conscious, I set out to find Livia. Finally, I spotted her at one of the tables. She was wearing a serious look on her face and talking to Oriane. They were seated next to each other, speaking in low voices with their heads down, as though they didn’t want to be overheard.Strange.I didn’t think they werefriends. What could they possibly be talking about?
Curiosity getting the better of me, I edged closer. With my preternatural hearing, I could only just make out what they were saying.
