A lie,of course. We hadn’t formally honoredTempussince Pahn got sick years ago. It wasn’t that we no longer believed in Gemini or the other Astrals; we’d simply lost faith since Pahn’s illness took over.
Each of Gaianos’s twelve territories had their ownTempus, the sacred month-long period in which the sun passed througheach territory’s constellation. It was a time to recognize the natal days of each territory’s inhabitants and worship their respective Astral. Most establishments—save for public ale houses and taverns and the like—closed for the celebrations.
Cancer’sTempuswould begin tomorrow, marking the end of Gemini’s. The start ofTempuswas often met with quieter reflections and peaceful ceremonies; the end brought mass celebrations and festivities across the kingdom.
“I have some news I wanted to share with you, Iris,” the baroness gushed.
Nahn secured a pot of water in the hearth for boiling. “Does it have to do with the upcoming ceremonial trial for that new Scorpion princess?”
My grandmother always was a gossip fiend.
“None of the other royals are planning to attend again. If King Zephyr isn’t, then I most certainly am not. You couldn’t pay me a thousand travel stones to step foot on those cursed Scorpion skylands. Especially with the apostai out of control there.”
“Yes, but a royal not attending another royal’s coronation?” Nahn wondered. “Is that allowed?”
“It’s not in the Treaty, though it certainly is bad form. Last we went was nearly ten years ago with the previous Geminian king. We traveled thousands of miles to watch a woman drown. That cursed queendom is so far out of balance that not even the Cancerian or Piscean queens are strong enough to help end their drought.”
“Indeed,” Nahn said quietly. “I have heard awful things about the curse. I couldn’t imagine a drought lasting nearly twelve years. All those lands and waters dried up, and those poor people?—”
“Yes, those poorbarons.” The baroness sighed. “Elected into their positions, only to be stuck with impoverished, starving cities to oversee.”
My hands clenched beneath the blanket.
“Yes, yes,” Nahn agreed. As if sensing I was about to blurt something in defiance, she cast a warning look at me. “The apostai have gotten out of hand there.”
“Every Scorpion I have ever encountered has been manipulative and vengeful. If any queendom deserved such a curse, it’s Scorpio,” she prattled on.
While Scorpio was thousands of miles away on the other side of the Equator, many were too afraid to speak of the cursed queendom and its violent inhabitants. Even for those rich enough to afford travel stones, a ban on travel to the cursed queendom had been enacted for the last twelve years due to safety concerns and civil unrest.
“I hope that wretched curse doesn’t make its way into our kingdom the way the apostai have started to,” the baroness fretted.
“Not all rebels are bad, Mother.”
“Jere!” she scolded. “You mustn’t say such things. Gemini has blessed our family; we should not give him a reason to curse us.”
“King Zephyr may be young, but he is strong and healthy and wields his air magic plentifully,” Nahn assured her. “Look at this storm we have today.”
Desperate to escape this conversation, as well as Jere’s blatant leers, I gathered the blanket in my lap. “I should probably go check on Pahn.” It was best to keep him secluded and idly occupied, otherwise we risked triggering one of his fits.
“Nonsense,” the baroness said as Nahn poured steaming water into her teacup. “You are the purpose for our visit.”
Jere’s grin widened.
“Me?” I questioned suspiciously. “What could I possibly?—”
“You’re a grown woman. You’ve proven yourself incapable of doing anything noteworthy in your life. It’s time you take a husband.”
Nahn’s teacup clattered against the tiny plate in her hands. “Baroness?—”
“Simply Jacostah, Iris, I insist. You’ve been treating my condition for years and have kept it discreet, as I’ve asked you to.”
“Jacostah,” Nahn amended. “Roselyn is my granddaughter. I will decide what is best for her.”
“She is beautiful, no doubt, and it is no surprise that my son has taken quite a liking to her.”
I glared at Jere as his grimy lips tugged into a wide, knowing smile.
“Plenty of others have too,” Nahn said. “Despite my efforts, she has no interest in them.”
