Those were Lenna’s favorite. The diamonds were so sparkly in the morning sun as Esmeray trudged up the stairs in varying dresses to have coffee with her and Sparrow before waning Keerian to either the Obsidian or Opal Palace to bicker with royals all day–as Esmeray put it. Apparently, multiple advisors, Dukes, and Lords were jonesing for the Regency position, but none of them were up to par for the Queen Absolute.
Esmeray and Keerian would get back to Florra each night and Esmeray would toss the crown off her head onto the closest surface–much to Sparrow’s dismay. There were crowns in the kitchen, crowns atop lampshades in the living room. Lenna even found a crown with an emerald the size of her fist hanging off the outside handle of Sparrow’s pink door.
It was early morning on the eighth day, when Esmeray stepped off the staircase and onto the patio, that Lenna noted no crown adorned the Queen’s head, and the usual dress of the week had been replaced with loose fitting black linen pants and an oversized sweater.
“No crown today?” Lenna asked flippantly as Esmeray let out a deep sigh before sprawling onto the reclining chair on the patio. Her midnight black hair was tied into a top knot resting between her horns. It was much more “normal Esmeray” than any of the finery she’d worn all week.
“Even Queens need a damn day off,” she muttered, tipping the coffee cup to her lips.
Sparrow sent her friend a feline grin before turning to Lenna. “Esmeray mentioned going to see Hale today. Want to come?”
Lenna felt the blush creep into her cheeks and Esmeray laughed. “Hale is a good male, Lenna. You know, as Queen, Icangrant divorces–Merrick told us you have a pretty shit husband in the Slate Kingdom.”
“Really?” Lenna squeaked. Her hands trembled, and she squeezed them together around her coffee mug. Divorce was unheard of in the Slate Lands–and there were only a rare few that even went through the exhaustive steps to try and get one. Typically, women who requested divorce were shunned and exiled from most social standings.
Lenna felt a weight lift from her shoulders as she considered.
If Irridessen had taught her anything, it was the importance of facing the truth–no matter how difficult. And Lenna knew the truth of her marriage now, and knew what she deserved. She deserved more than thefeeling of being a burden, of being unloved. Because shewasloved by her new family.
And Leon–he was her past, something that she had grown stronger than. She could stand on her own two feet, stand in the light, no longer cast aside in the shadows.
She was the Oracle of Terramere. And a seer. Which was pretty neat when she thought about it.
“I could also just kill him,” Esmeray offered, her eyes glimmering green with malicious intent.
Lenna cocked her head, pretending to ponder her options. “Hmm, as tempting as that is…I think I’ll take the divorce,” she said quickly, laughing as Esmeray feigned disappointment. The happy memories of the beginning of her marriage had finally faded away, leaving the ugly stains behind. Exposed for what they truly were.Herpast.
Esmeray nodded. “I’ll have one of my priestesses draw up the paperwork, and we can have it sent out quickly.”
“But Leon has no clue you exist here… He knows nothing about magic. He only knows there are Kingdoms outside of the Slate Kingdom, but I don’t think he really gives them much thought. How will he know it’s a legitimate divorce?” Lenna questioned, realizing now just how isolated from the rest of the world she had been.
“I was thinking about that,” Esmeray said, spreading her wings and tilting her head back to take in the bright blue sky above her. “I think it’s about time we stopped being so isolated from the Slate Kingdom.”
Chapter sixty-two
Esmeray
“Youcannotbeserious.”Sparrow looked at me with wide eyes, her expression curious as she considered my statement.
“I’m deadly serious,” I replied, pouring a second cup of steaming coffee from the pot I waned down to the kitchen to retrieve and bring back up to the patio. “There are humans in the Slate Kingdom that know lands of magic exist on other continents. Their King knows. He’s been a representative for the humans since he came to power in his early twenties. He’s almost eighty now–King Dalen.”
Lenna nodded, her honey eyes bright as I watched the information clicking together in the Oracle’s mind. “King Dalen has always been a kind ruler. His son, Prince Feydor, is set to inherit the throne upon his death.”
I continued, between sips of coffee, “King Dalen has traveled to the Opal Palace–of course when he was much younger. But he has always been an ally for humans and has visited a couple other Kingdoms on diplomatic trips to advocate for his land. The fact that other lands have magic just isn’t widely declared. And maybe it’s time that changed. Other Kingdoms trade with the Slate Kingdom, but no one has ever offereda true alliance to King Dalen before. He may be a good friend to help bridge the gap between our worlds.”
Lenna sipped from her own mug before placing it on the small table next to her chair as she thought over my words.
I pushed against myacat, feeling it’s comforting pressure through my body. The damn spell book seemed to notice my attention, purring seductively to be let out of my pocket of space. I ignored it until the presence resorted to sulking.
Sparrow sat up in her chair, kicking off her pink fluffy slippers and pullingmyblanket frommylegs to cover her own. Conjuring up fluffy pillows and thin blankets to make the patio comfier while we relaxed and drank our morning coffee had become a ritual for us, as did her thievery whenever my blanket wassupposedlybigger. I gave her an incredulous look, screeching with outrage. She crinkled her nose and hissed at me good-naturedly as she snuggled deeper into the stolen blanket, and I threw my hands up in mock surrender before using my magic to create a new, softer blanket for myself.
The minutes trickled by in a comfortable camaraderie as the sun rose over a beautiful morning in Florra. Finishing my coffee, I stood, stretching my wings out. I hadn’t flown for more than a few minutes over the last few days, per healers’ orders, but I could feel the cloudless sky calling out to me. I wanted to get closer to the warm sun that shone down on the peaceful town surrounding us.
As if he could read my mind–which in retrospect, I realized he kind of could, Keerian appeared at the top of the stairs, shirtless, with low hung, loose, grey pants that made my mouth water. Gods, my mate was hot. Coffee mug in hand, he crossed the patio and captured my mouth in a kiss.
“Want to fly to the waterfalls?” I asked him, stretching my wings out to their full span. They felt sturdy, and no aches danced down the boning or through the delicate muscles connected to my back.
With expert eyes, my mate gave my wings a once over before teasingly flicking the talon at the apex. “As long as you feel no pain, yes. It’s been a week since you flew, and its a gorgeous day.”
