Everything was going well until dessert, when Queen Nita spoke for the first time.“Aztia,” she said in a clipped tone.“Maybe you can enlighten us as to how the stars have fallen to the earth again.”
Suddenly, the room was spinning, and Iyana felt all the blood rush from her face.One thought circulated through her mind:my fault my fault my fault.
“Mother,” she heard Kaz say from a distance, “let’s maybe not interrogate our guests during dinner?”
“Zoara, you lost the right to speak to me in such a manner two years ago when you snuck out in the middle of the night.”
Everyone was talking around her, but they all sounded like they were underwater.Shewas underwater.She was drowning.She couldn’t breathe.Air.She needed air.
“Breathe,” a calm voice whispered in her ear, while a steady hand squeezed her knee with impossible gentleness.
“Well, Aztia?”The queen’s sharp voice filtered through to Iyana again, and she finally took a deep breath.
“It started with only one star falling…” Iyana began.Then she told the entire shameful tale of how her naïvety had doomed their world.Emmeric kept his hand on her knee, giving her the strength to make it through the part of the story where Altair had betrayed her trust and called all the stars down from the sky.
Nita was silent while Iyana spoke, but once her story ended, the queen finally spoke.“So if we as humans are enslaved, we know who to thank, then.”
Iyana’s heart rate doubled.
“Nita,” King Saram chastised.“Surely you remember what it is like to be young and in love.I know I do.”The king grinned for the first time since they’d been in Nyr.He had a wonderful smile, she thought; he should do it more often.
Obviously, the queen thought so as well, because she visibly relaxed and returned his smile.“You’re correct, my love.I remember doing some foolish things in my youth for love.”
Zane cleared his throat.“Now that everyone is up to speed, I would like to discuss the matter of the stars in Athusa with you, Your Majesties.”
“We’re listening,” Nita said.
“I was hoping to have access to your army to reclaim my empire, as well as your assistance with the refugees who are slowly making their way over here.”
“You ask for a lot, young emperor,” said Saram.
“I understand that, and I would not be asking if I had any other choice.”
“We will think on it.”
Iyana could see Zane was disappointed in the king’s non-answer, but he still nodded his head and gave them his thanks.She wondered if there was anything Kaz could do to help the Athusan refugees, but judging by how icy her mother had been towards her since her homecoming, there probably wasn’t much sense in asking.
“In the meantime,” the queen continued, “you are all welcome to stay for as long as you need to.Aztia, I understand you are a healer.You have been granted full access to our healers’ quarters.Any training or anything you require from the apothecary is available to you.”Iyana’s soul lifted at Nita’s words.“And it appears you are still in need of a tattoo.You can have that remedied whenever you see fit.”
She’d have her ouroboros at last.Iyana touched the place on her left wrist where the tattoo would encircle her skin.Grief for Mata Imo flowed through her anew.Her grandmother should have been the one to tattoo the healer sigil onto her body, but all the same, Iyana was excited to finally receive the ink that would mark her as a healer.
“The rest of you will have access to all our training facilities.”
The men offered their thanks, then the king and queen took their leave.
Sekhan clapped his hands loudly, causing Iyana to jump.“How about we take this party back to my quarters and continue drinking?”The prince raised his eyebrow at her, and she felt a surge of jealousy from Emmeric.That explained what she had sensed earlier, then.
“Thank you for the invitation,” she said to Sekhan.Emmeric’s bitter jealousy increased, and it was her turn to place a reassuring hand on his knee.“But I think I’m going to head to bed.Maybe another time.”She smiled and bade them all goodnight.Emmeric stood to leave with her.
“You don’t need to come with me if you want to stay,” she told him quietly.
“Where you go, I go, Mouse.”
Relief filled her at his words, and although she knew he was able to read her emotions, she still refused to say the words aloud.So she rolled her eyes and said, “Come on, then.”
And she refused to admit how good his hand felt on her skin as he guided her back through the palace.
ThatfirstnightinNyr, she bid Emmeric goodnight in their common room, too fearful of the unfiltered hunger in his eyes as he appraised her in that red dress to allow him into her bedroom.
