He contemplated answering before: “We sent a letter to your grandparents in warning. Once our queen regent has been properly informed of your presence, Felaf and I will bring them here.”
I exhaled, knowing my grandparents would soon be safe from Allory and Markus. “Thank you. And my brother?”
His eyes flicked to the seer. “Gregorios?”
“Considering he is of blood relation, we must do our due diligence.” Gregorios paused. “Do you know of any other living blood relatives, Roselyn?”
Blood relatives. Those words were intentional. To be Chosen meant the sacrifice of all known family members. To find Basil and bring him here, alongside my grandparents, meant their eventual deaths. My vision tunneled. “No… no, this can’t be happening. This isn’t real?—”
“If you weren’t a Chosen, then we wouldn’t have needed to use Blood Healing to save you.”
“Blood Healing?” I repeated. “What in the stars is that?”
“Chosen blood is sacred. Should any harm befall a Chosen, they may drink or steep in their fellow Chosens’ blood to quicken the recovery. It is also the ritual needed to ensure someone newly Chosen survives the process.”
My knees threatened to buckle. “I didn’t choose this. I never wanted?—”
“What you want is no longer of any consequence. We don’t choose our destinies,” Gregorios said simply. “Our destinies choose us.”
His words pinned me in place.
“This may already seem evident,” he said, “but to be clear, there is no escaping this fate. To flee will result in your death. A Chosen must complete their trial within twelve months. Running will not save you, nor will it save your family.”
Dread settled into my bones. A Scorpion princess hadn’t passed their trial in over a decade. I was not going to be the exception.
All that mattered now was ensuring my family’s safety. I had failed them in so many ways, but they would not die because of me and the foolish decisions that had led me here.
I would free them from this fate, no matter the cost.
Chapter 25
Raithe
“The queen regent is demanding answers,”Gregorios informed us that evening in the observatory. He placed a note on the table between the chairs he and Felaf occupied beside the fireplace. Any communication delivered to seers required specific parchment with raised ink for deciphering. “This is her latest summons for us. She knows Raithe was seen carrying a bleeding woman into the palace, and naturally she’s suspicious.”
“No doubt courtesy of Barto and Chessah,” I muttered.
“Never mind them. We cannot delay any longer.”
I leaned against the mantel, trying to remain focused on the conversation at hand. My attention strayed to Rahzlyn across the room. She ignored us by feigning sleep. Her uneven breaths gave her away.
“What does it say?” Felaf asked.
“We don’t need a letter to tell us,” I said. “She hasn’t stopped fuming to her advisors down in her chamber.”
Felaf read the note anyway and cringed. “Oh my.”
Gregorios steepled his fingers. “We need a story.”
“Weneed answers,” I said pointedly, my gaze boring into Rahzlyn’s back.
“And we’ll get them, in time.”
“We don’t have time. We can’t allow her to roam free knowing she’s an apostate. Surely her affiliation with them is why Gemini spoke to you.”
“I still can’t believe that happened,” Felaf murmured. “How do we know this isn’t the curse’s work?”
Rahzlyn shifted to face us. “I told you, I amnotan… It was Al…” Her words died. She seemed to struggle to find the right ones. “And Mar—” She groaned in frustration, as if she couldn’t physically say what she wanted to. “I’m not one of them.”
