And it was. The sunlight glittered off the water, catching the shadows of the mountains. Flowers in full bloom clung to the cliffs and towering pines stood sentry where their roots could sink beneath the rock.
Matheo made a low noise of agreement. “Yeah, I’ll give it that.” He followed her stare up to the mountains, brow twisting. “I grew up in the Attlehons. We always thought those mountains were mighty. But they have nothing on these.”
“I disagree. I think all natural beauty is equal,” Mariah mused. “Just because it’s different doesn’t make one better than the other.”
“Spoken like a true queen.” The corner of Matheo’s mouth tipped into a grin.
Mariah didn’t answer, though she returned the smile. They trailed the others up the path, the only sound the quiet clop of Kodie’s hooves and the brush of the wind across the cliffs. Cielle circled above, her feathers hiding her from sight. Mariah didn’t mind, though—her new friend needed to go hunt, anyway.
Her bond with the eagle was yet another thing that perplexed her, but she hadn’t had time to dwell on it. She hadn’tbotheredto dwell on it.
Why question a blessing, especially at a time when she had so few?
“How are you doing, by the way?” Matheo’s soft question carved through the silence. He waved a hand in front of him, around him—a vague, general gesture. “With…everything.”
Mariah pursed her lips. She knew what he meant.
“I’m fine. It’s complicated.” She sighed. “But when is it ever not?”
Matheo nodded. “If it matters,” he said, “he’s always been like that. Hot and cold. I think he just needs time. Who knows what he went through back there.”
“I know,” Mariah said quietly. “I just…he was getting better.”
“And he’s still better than he used to be. Because ofyou.” His hazel stare touched her cheek. “Just keep trying. Don’t give up on him.”
Something in her hardened. “I never will.”
They fell back into an easy silence. “What about this place?” Matheo finally asked. “What exactly do you hope to find here?”
Mariah considered his question. There was so much she wanted. Vengeance against Kol and the Royals for what they’d taken from her. For Andrian to open up about what happened in that gods-cursed castle. To have her magic back, to learn more about that second form she’d only just discovered before it was yanked away.
Her mother, back in their family home in Andburgh. Her father, relaxed and happy again. Her brother, without sadness hardening his gentle heart.
When the breeze brushed her cheek, stirring her hair around her face, she gave the truest answer she could find.
“Myself.”
It was justMariah’s luck that their arrival would require the interruption of averypublic communion in Eyarfell’s main temple.
The room was magnificent, as was everything in Leuxrith, and yet wholly rough and unshapen. Carved into the mountain but not in the way Verith was. The ceiling was cavernous, dripping with stalactites and gleaming with crystalline waters. Rich veins of mineral and gemstone deposits glittered on the walls, creating a natural opulence.
Rows and rows of curious faces, eyes of varying shades of purple blue, watched Mariah stride toward the table at the far end of the temple. Andrian and Matheo flanked her, their boots too loud on the smooth floor.
Seated at that table were five individuals, both men and women of varying ages. All wore simple robes and gold-plated discs hanging on chains around their necks and resting over their sternums.
The Leuxrithian Council.
Signe had briefly filled Mariah in on the northern kingdom’s politics. Like Kreah, Leuxrith was governed by a council rather than a singular monarch. Unlike Kreah, though, the Leuxrithian Council wasn’t elected. It was instead chosen by the Oracle, a religious leader with a reincarnating spirit blessed by Callamus and reborn each generation.
At least, that was what Signe said. Mariah, even after all she’d seen—all she’d experienced—still was a bit of a skeptic.
That skepticism didn’t stop the shiver of nervousness that raced down her spine. Her hands twitched at her side; shewanted to twist them together, to hide the trembling in her fingers that she knew was close to starting.
A shoulder brushed hers. Strong and solid and warm. A familiar, calloused hand grazed her palm, just the barest hint of a steadying touch.
She found Andrian’s gaze. His expression was still shuttered and closed, but he couldn’t hide the concern glittering in his eyes.
Mariah gave him the barest hint of a reassuring smile—the best she could muster—before facing forward and halting.
