At least Sebastian had agreed to play his part.
He was also roughened from the road, but somehow the dirt didn’t stain his face and clothes the way she knew it stained hers. Somehow, his hair was still brushed and tidy, only a stray strand falling forward across his brow.
She wrenched her attention away before she could focus too much on that strand.
He wasn’t happy with their arrangement; of that she was more than sure. But he was a good enough man—asmartenough man—to know the role he needed to play. How important it was that Ciana be allowed to do what she needed to do. Not only for Mariah, but for the world; for the future Ciana wanted more than anything to become reality.
For that future, Ciana would do whatever it took to gain access to the Vathan Archives.
Her gaze landed on the Vathan throne, positioned on a dais above them. A large, imposing chair wrought from smooth wood and more winding vines.
This place vaguely reminded her of the Onitan throne room. The cavernous hall. The throne on the dais. The pillars and darkened tunnels leading into the belly of the palace.
There were nolunestairpillars here, though. But curiously, light still flickered in sconces along the wall, and it wasn’t the wavering gleam of flame.
This place had something likeallume, something like the sun-energy Kreah harvested. Ciana tucked that information away.
Quentin heaved a sigh. “How long do you think we’re going to have to wait?—”
A herald’s trumpet wailed.
“All rise for His Majesty, King Niktael Zylfaren, Sovereign Chief of Vatha!” The herald’s cry echoed off the stained glass.
A bit dramatic for just the four of them—who were already standing—but Ciana could appreciate the entrance.
Still, she sank into a curtsy as the door banged open. Delaynie did the same, Sebastian and Quentin bowing at the waist.
Two sets of heeled boots echoed off the stone. Ciana glanced up through her lashes.
A tall, athletic man strode in first, dressed in rich, fine clothing of black and emerald green. Precious gemstones glinted on his long fingers and a heavy pendant hung around his neck. Atop a head of soft brown waves sat a bronze crown inlaid with garnets and sapphires, framing a classically handsome face.
The Vathan King.
Behind him was a tall man who carried with him a quiet, assured sort of power. The kind of power that did not immediately strike you but settled low into your bones and wrapped around the very fiber of your being. He walked as if he were one with the stones and earth around him, as if they were as much a part of his essence as he was of them.
Ciana had no doubts this was Ydros, the God of the Earth, and she wasn’t sure what to make of that. They’d been told very little of Ydros; only that he would likely be here, and that his domain was over the lands of the continent itself.
King Niktael seated himself on his throne, Ydros standing silently beside him. Guards emerged from the shadows, lining the throne room.
“You may rise.” The king’s voice was warm and welcoming, though there was an undercurrent of curiosity racing beneath it.
They rose. Ciana lifted her head, heartbeat quickening when she found the king’s gaze on her. He sat back in his throne, absently rubbing his chin with an elbow on the armrest.
“What a surprise,” he began, attention still on Ciana, “to wake up this morning and be told that four travelers from noplace other than Onita had arrived at our Idrixian border and were requesting an audience with the King of Vatha.”
Emboldened, Ciana took a small step forward. “Not a bad surprise, I hope, Your Majesty,” she said with a dip of her chin.
The king smiled. “No. Not a bad surprise at all. But a curious one. After all these years of a closed border, why does your queen seek a relationship now?”
“Perhaps my queen—thenewqueen—doesn’t wish to see a continent divided any longer. Perhaps she is eager for change and unity.”
“Newqueen?” The king leaned forward. “So, the rumors are true. Queen Ryenne…”
“Is dead,” Ciana finished. “Queen Mariah Salis is ascended and crowned. Though she doesn’t currently sit on her throne, it’s still very much hers.”
The king shared a sidelong glance with Ydros. The earth god remained silent, only giving Niktael the smallest of nods.
In agreement? Ciana hoped so. Ydros hadn’t fought in the First War, but Rulene said he’d stood against Kol in his own way.
