He nodded, threw one long look at Liana, and was gone.
The queen stood with her arms crossed, hugging herself against the night breeze.
Liana had met the queen when she’d first joined Amron. She’d never been hostile to Liana, not in the way mothers-in-law sometimes were, possessive of her precious son, jealous of the love he gave her. She’d accepted Amron’s choice, despite the fact that Liana had no family, no standing, nothing to offer but herself. And yet, there had been a rift between them, becauseQueen Orsiana always thought about the kingdom first and Liana found that monstrously cold.
In fact, although she was mortal, Queen Orsiana seemed more godlike than the gods to Liana. She had their scope, their comprehension of the immensely complex structure of the world in her head, as well as the ability to focus on the smallest detail when it was necessary, but she had none of their frivolity, their aimless capriciousness. She was compassionate and understanding, and yet perfectly ruthless to the ones she loved the most when her goals demanded it. Like Amron, but harder. And like him, she could see the divine touch.
The queen’s clear gray gaze rested on Liana—curious, careful. “He’s in love with you,” she said so softly it was like a feather falling on a pillow, “though he doesn’t know it yet.”
Liana sat very still, a mouse before an owl. She waited for the queen to say more, to judge her or demand an explanation, but she turned on her heel, saying, “I need to find Amril,” and disappeared into the darkness, leaving Liana alone with her thoughts.
The king was dying.
If the king died, the war would be inevitable.
Every step she’d taken, every choice, proved to be futile. History swerved a little, but it returned to its course in the end. Liana desperately ran through the options in her head. What if Melia did what Amron had asked her to, what if she begged her father to run? Could it change anything? Probably not, for Roderi was not trying to hide his intentions anymore—this was open rebellion. He’d attacked the king. And if he accused the Seragians, if he managed to spread the lie fast enough…
The queen returned with her elder son. Amril’s face still had a greenish hue, but he moved swiftly, proceeding directly to the bedroom, only shooting a distracted look at Liana and not really seeing her in her uniform.
Amron walked out as soon as his brother entered, looking even more distressed than before. His eyes were red, though no tears slid down his cheeks. The queen put her hand on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
He shook his head. “I’m a fool,” he said in a faraway voice. “I always thought, if I tried harder, perhaps he would finally see me, he would finally—” Pain cut his voice to a ragged whisper.
Liana faded into the shadows, an intruder, an unwelcome witness. Amron wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
“He loves you, as much as he can love his complete opposite,” the queen comforted him.
“You’re far too generous,” Amron said. “After all he’s done to you.”
The queen took a step back, lifted her head to look her son in the eye. “You’re free to judge him for how he’s treated you, but you should leave me out of that equation. Our marriage was our own, for better or worse.”
“He promised to love and respect you.”
“And what makes you think he didn’t?” The queen raised her hands and cupped her son’s face. “You’re the cleverest of all my children, and yet you can be so dumb sometimes. His absence was a gift, a blessing. Do you think I wanted his unrelenting, demanding attention all the time? Do you think I wanted one dangerous pregnancy after another until I died? Would you do that to a woman you loved?”
“Mother—” He tried to turn his head, but she held it in a firm grasp.
“Your father is a hard, complicated man, and he’s made many mistakes in his life, but our marriage is not one of them, and I won’t have you hate him for it. I didn’t raise you to be so narrow-minded.”
Amron blushed and looked away. “Point taken,” he said, as his eyes found Liana in her nook.
Liana expected embarrassment or anger, but all she saw in Amron’s face was relief.
“Mother, this is Liana, Captain Darin’s daughter.”
“The girl with the Seragian blade, yes,” the queen said. “Come closer, child.”
Queen Orsiana’s hands were cold and gentle when she laid them on Liana’s cheeks. “You look like your father, but there’s more to you than that, isn’t there?”
Liana shot a glance at Amron. He couldn’t have told her anything about Lela, about the war, about their future, there had been no time. And yet, the queen knew.
“Can you help us?” the queen asked.
“That’s why I came,” Liana replied. “Though…” Her gaze darted to the bedchamber where the king lay dying. “It might not be enough.”
“If I ask you to do something, if everything else fails, will you do it?”
