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Tymedes backed away, stalking toward the castle without another word. I continued walking around the back of the sanctuary, ignoring the priestess as she walked nearby with her nose in the air, blue robes swirling around her feet.
My power was unremarkable, but it was useful for times such as this, whispering the locations of anyone nearby and making my own presence difficult to notice. It wasn’t strong—Regner had once called my power a “weak breeze.” And it wasn’t passive—I had to be concentrating deeply in order to use it. But it had saved me more than once. I let it trickle free, checking for any signs of people near the graveyard.
The ward allowed me entry, and I pushed open the wooden door.
The graveyard was little more than a patch of dirt and grass, enclosed by stone to protect it from prying eyes.
No markers, no headstones, no way to know exactly where each of Sabium’s dead queens lay.
Had any of them known just how much of a monster he was? Had they attempted to protect the babies thrust upon them as I had?
If they had tried, then they had failed. None of their sons were here. No, they were all lost to the sea, their throats slit, their power drained. And the women who’d come before me were buried beneath my feet.
I stepped farther into the enclosed graveyard.
It wasn’t difficult to imagine those queens standing next to me, invisible as they screamed their vengeance.
“I’ll make him pay,” I vowed. The words settled within me, deep in my chest.
I would not fail. I would do whatever it took to make sure Sabium died.
If one of those women had seen the predator Sabium had been and refused to be its prey, I would not have ended up here. I would never have married Sabium…Regner. I could have had a happy marriage filled with children and laughter.
Forcing myself to push those thoughts out of my head, I focused on my reality.
I would be the queen who lived.
I had sacrificed my daughter for this. I would never feel her kick. Would never kiss her tiny toes or search her features for traces of my own. I would never know if she would have had my eyes or if she might have had more power than me.
She had never even existed. Would never exist. Yet some days, the loss of her seemed inconceivable. All that potential. Snuffed out.
I pushed the thought of her away. My son would take the throne, and we would tell our story. Oh, we would never let the population know Jamic wasn’t Sabium’s son, of course. The people were far too concerned about bloodlines for that. But we would make it clear that Sabium’s evil was the reason so many of them had died. It was the reason the hybrids and fae wanted us dead.
Perhaps I would allow the hybrid heir to live for a few years. She could retire to her own continent and stay there, and we would enjoy peace. When I finally arranged for her death, I would ensure it seemed accidental. Or…I would make it look as if the fae king had ordered her death in retaliation against his brother.
The Bloodthirsty Prince would go to war. My kingdom would shut its borders, and the fae and hybrids would destroy one another. When it was all done, I would pick up the pieces, graciously allowing their people to settle in my lands.
Unlike Sabium, who was little more than a figurehead to his people, I would be known as the queen who suffered through an insane king, raised her son to be a selfless ruler, and prioritized her people.
I would be powerful. I would be generous. I would be loved. No—I would be adored.
Adoration surpassed mere love. With love came the expectation of reciprocation––people who loved expected to be loved back after all. But adoration assumed such a thing was impossible—since the focus of that adoration was on an untouchable pedestal, entirely out of reach. And the higher a monarch rose beyond their subjects’ grasp, the brighter they shone.
I took a deep breath, scanning the graveyard for the final time. Sabium would know I’d been here. Perhaps he would taunt me about it. But I’d needed to see the fate that awaited me if I was unsuccessful. I’d needed to remind myself that if I failed…I would be buried in an unmarked grave, my son lost to the sea.
I rolled my shoulders, lifted my head, and left the graveyard behind me. I would never return.
The castle was quiet as I made my way back toward my rooms. Waving Lisveth away, I entered my rooms to find Pelysian waiting. Something had changed between us now that I knew he was related to the pirate queen. It was as if before this, he had merely been a blank slate I could write my plans across. Now that I was learning just how much power he could wield if he chose to…he somehow seemed more alive.
“It’s dangerous for you to be in here alone,” I warned. I wasn’t afraid of him finding my secrets. He was my biggest secret in this castle.
Pelysian smiled. His expression was animated, his eyes bright. My heart stopped, and I knew what he was going to say before the words spilled from his mouth.
“I’ve found the hybrid heir.”
CHAPTER SIX
There was something incredibly undignified about being hauled around unconscious by two men. Even if one of them was your best friend’s lover and the other was her long-lost brother.
