“That sounds overwhelming.”
“The more in control I am, the easier it is to hone one sense at a time and temper how much or little I tap into each.” I hadn’t allowed myself to savor food that way in a long time. “What’syourfavorite food?”
“Carrots, parsnips, potatoes?—”
“Vegetables?” I couldn’t help but laugh.
Neither could Rahzlyn as she lifted a finger. “Drenched in herbs and spices, might I add. I like being able to taste when something’s come from the earth. I’m a terrible cook, but in a good mood, my grandmother could rival the chefs of Taurus.”
I let out a low whistle. “Sounds like she had a way in the kitchen.”
“Her entire family did. Herbalism was her legacy.” She swiped at her eyes. “So was that shop. Our home. Stars, I couldkillAllory and Markus for what they’ve done to it. To my family. It had to be them, right?”
I swallowed thickly. “We may not be able to do anything right now, but they won’t get away with it.”
I intended to confirm it was them, only the prisoner we’d captured refused to talk. The guilt of hiding him from Rahzlyn twisted in my gut, yet my need to handle him alone—and pry the truth from him—was stronger.
“I’ve been wondering.” She glanced up at me with glossy eyes. “Is the palace such a dangerous place that a queen mustalways be guarded? There’s no way the apostai could get close to here, could they?”
“Not without an armada.” I redirected her as she veered in the opposite direction of her chambers. “The true reason we protect royals at all hours of the day is to protect them from themselves, not necessarily from others.”
Rahzlyn halted in her tracks. “What do you mean?”
My hand dropped from her back. I was surprised Gregorios hadn’t already warned her. Perhaps he didn’t want to scare her from trying to findhudro. “The call of the elements is strong. It can be tempting for a royal, especially at the beginning, to overindulge in their newfound elemental power. Withhudrospecifically, the more you use your power, the thirstier you’ll become. Forever parched, as if nothing could satiate your need for water.”
“So you’re saying that I’ll want to drown myself?” She ran her fingers through her curls. “Well. Didn’t see that coming.”
“That’s why Felaf and I exist. I’ll—we’ll—always be nearby to protect you.”
“From myself,” she murmured. “That’s encouraging.”
“While it’s a lifelong burden, royals find a way to endure. Gregorios will guide you through it once you reach that point.”
“And I could take off the topaz, right? If it becomes too much.”
“Not for too long,” I warned her. “The longer you go without it, the more your ability to control your power resets. It’s the same for guardians and seers.”
She was contemplative for a moment. “Markus and Allory cared more about King Zephyr’s talisman than the king himself. The apos?—”
My hand wrapped around her mouth. I slipped us into a quiet alcove nestled behind thick velvet curtains, wherea cushioned window seat overlooked the gardens bathed in moonlight.
Rahzlyn stared at me expectantly. I removed my hand and whispered, “Maryn.” I waited until the trio’s heels clattered further down the hallway away from us. “All clear.”
There wasn’t much standing room. The cramped space was dark without the hallway’s soft sconce lighting. I could see impeccably, but to her I likely appeared as nothing more than a shadow until her eyes adjusted.
I removed my hand. “Apologies. You were saying?”
Her eyes tracked the outline of my figure. “I was?”
“About the apostai.”
“Right,” she murmured. “Talismans seem essential to their cause. At least, King Zephyr’s was. It made me wonder why the stones aren’t more heavily protected.”
“They are. The Astrals bound them to metal that morphs to its Chosen wearer so that only the Chosens of a given Zodiac sign can wear or remove them. Or if a Chosen voluntarily touches, skin to skin, another person.”
“Don’t talismans matter more than Chosens then? Because without them, Chosens are?—”
“Powerless, yes.”
