“There are other Serpentine locations?”
“There’s one in every territory. Gemini’s is the most revered,” Yarah explained. Her eyes held mine. “For some reason.”
Something about her tone gave me pause—as though she knew exactly what that reason was and had no intention of sharing it.
How odd.
“So. Leo, huh? I thought I detected an accent.” I scanned her person, wondering where she hid her travel stone. I’d learned of stones capable of translating any language for its wearer, but she wore no jewels apart from the bracelet. “Impressive that you speak Geminian so well. Usually only the wealthy can afford such an education.”
Pahn had been an exception, hailing from a family of historians with little wealth except that of knowledge.
Yarah smiled, her first one all morning. It eased the weird tension from moments ago. “Just because I danced for nobles doesn’t mean I didn’t come from a family of them.”
“Oh.” I gaped in surprise. “Apologies, I didn’t mean?—”
“Dancing isn’t exactly considered a respectable profession, at least not in a masculine kingdom. My desires did not meet my family’s expectations of me, and so they disowned me. It was hard at first, especially as I sought to make a living for myself. My only regret is the distance that my decision put between my sister and me.” Yarah glanced away. “Since moving here, all my letters have gone unanswered.”
“How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”
Cocking her head to the ceiling, she sighed. “Three years now since the matron found me. As twins, we’d never been separated for more than a day.”
My heart ached at her words that I understood so well. “I have a brother, also a twin. We’re completely different people, but I’d be lost without him.”
Yarah studied me for a moment. “You have a soft heart,” she said, the edge in her voice returning. “Shield it while you can.”
Beneath our masks, our light brown eyes regarded each other. There were some differences in the bone structure of our faces, but her hair was as full and dark as mine with reddish undertones. Our builds were similar, both of us having tapered waists and flaring hips. From afar we could pass for sisters—especially with masks.
“What does our hair have to do with dancing?” I asked her.
Yarah’s face softened into something akin to pity. “I almost envy how oblivious you are. Like me when I first took over.”
I ignored her back-handed insult. “Who was the woman before you?”
“I only studied her for a week before she… left.”
“Left?” I questioned. “To go where?”
“They said she ran away with a rich nobleman. Most likely someone who paid for frequent private audiences.”
“Are we to do that?”
“Oh yes,” she murmured, her attention snagging on a worker who swept the floor. The matron had assured us that there were always security details, like guards, on duty to ensure our safety. “Very wealthy clientele, brokered through the matron, will pay for a dance.”
My mouth grew dry. “Justdancing, or…”
“You’ll learn soon enough.”
Chapter 12
Raithe
“Why do you antagonize her?”Felaf muttered once we were outside the council room. She trailed after me all the way up to our chambers. “She hardly lets us sit in on those meetings, and you find a way to make her reconsider that every time."
“I don’t,” I replied over my shoulder. The servants were too busy smudging the halls and disassembling adornments to notice my brisk pace.
“It’s not that I blame you, but for someone who so ardently serves the Zodiac and its Astrals, you have a funny way of showing it sometimes.”
Cyrene’s death had blanketed the palace with despair, but it would be fleeting. Only the death of a queen warranted weeks of official mourning.
