:Something alerted her,:I warned my queen.
:Damn. I felt a flare of heat when I crossed the blood circle. I’m guessing Rosalind must have coded some extra protection into her magic.:
The queens stood and moved past me. I crouched, waiting, hackles bristling, but neither felt my presence. On silent padded paws, I followed them back into the house.
“Wait here,” Rosalind told Marne. “I’ll announce you shortly.”
Then Rosalind made a beeline for the front of the house. Across the wide-open hallway, I saw her take the clipboard from the doorman, but I couldn’t make out their conversation.
:She’s getting our names,:Shara said to Leonie, though I also heard her words.:We still have the advantage. She doesn’t know which of us is lying about who we are.:
The hallway began to fill with more Blood and siblings. As some flowed past me into the reception hall, I caught a telltale whiff of death and taint. Not quite the same taint as the swamp, but similar. More like the thrall beneath the Delafosse house.
:Thrall,:I warned Shara and the other Blood.:I can’t tell which one it is, but I definitely smell one of the Dauphine’s former Blood. Shall I follow him?:
:No,:Shara said.:Guillaume will handle the thrall. Stay with Marne. She’s your target, Xin. If she draws her blood and reaches for her power, I want you to rip her throat out.:
:Gladly, my queen.:
SHARA
I forgothow tediously formal Old World Aima queens could be.
All of the House Valois siblings were ushered into a grandreception hall complete with a marble-columned walkway that had its own roof beneath the soaring grand ballroom. The procession walkway was lined with red carpet, and the rest of the flooring was classically tiled in black and white marble threaded with gold. Ornate gold and crystal chandeliers illuminated the soaring ceilings painted with as much painstaking detail as the Sistine Chapel.
:She tried to replicate a stoa,:Guillaume said.:Those are Doric Greek columns, and they look authentic. Given her heritage, they may even be from Arcadia or Lycosura itself, where the cult of Despoina began.:
At the opposite end of the procession on an elevated dais, Rosalind reclined in an ornate white chair with gilded carvings and plush soft blue velvet padding. Her long golden-brown hair cascaded over one shoulder in waterfall curls, and her gown looked like it was encrusted with diamonds and sapphires. Her chair’s matching twin sat beside her, waiting for Marne to join her.
:Ugh,:Leonie whispered in our bond.:More ugly furniture. Apparently she shares her grandmother’s taste for Rococo designs.:
Barely, I suppressed a smirk.
A man dressed in blue and gold livery that looked like aThree Musketeerscostume reject strode out carrying a golden staff. He thumped it on the floor three times, and the chattering crowd silenced immediately.
“Hear ye, hear ye, Her Majesty Rosalind Valois, Daughter of Despoina, Queen of Paris, calls forth her court to celebrate this joyous occasion. Her Majesty Marne Ceresa, daughter of Ceres, High Queen of the Triune, be welcome in House Valois and the City of Light.”
I found it interesting that Rosalind disavowed her relationship to the Dauphine. Especially now that her grandmother was dead.
Marne didn’t have anyone announced, not even her firstconsiliarius, Byrnes, who walked beside her, forearm lifted for her ever so lightly placed fingertips. She wore a light and airy golden dress with a train dragging along behind her. Her hair was a brighter gold than Rosalind’s honeyed blonde, though Marne wore her hair coiled and braided in an elaborate design. Her face ageless, carved from marble, as cold and reserved as I remembered in Rome.
With one exception. It was a small thing, but there was a tiny crease in her brow. The ever so slight hint of dissatisfaction. Dare I say, worry. She didn’t have enough power to force Rosalind to do as she wished. For the first time in likely centuries, Marne Ceresa stood alone. The might of her Triune seat meant nothing now. Far from her home court, she came to Paris in need of support.
Rosalind didn’t appear to be willing to offer any assistance to her whatsoever.
Pacing along beside them silently, Xin flashed a wolfy smile at me. Glistening white teeth ready for their mark.
Marne’s Blood marched in behind her, three abreast, at least ten rows. I lost count when I felt Lew’s inhale, his focus landing on his old friends who’d served with my mother. Even though none of the rest of my Blood were here, our bonds were so deep they could see and hear and feel everything with me. If I closed my eyes, I could almost feel the heat of Rik’s big body behind me, even though miles separated us.
:That’s interesting,:G said, drawing my attention back to the procession. :I don’t think he’s a king.:
One of Marne’s Blood was bound in thick chains like the ones Vore’s house had used to keep his ushi-oni contained. The Ceresa Blood was huge, maybe even bigger than Rik.
:Not possible,:my alpha grumbled.:At least if I shift.:
As they passed, I had to do a double take. The chained Blood had several sets of arms, all chained and bound to his body.
Marne took her seat, and her Blood took up position againstone wall. Behind the crowd, Rosalind’s Blood lined the opposite wall.
