Every griffin in the room was silent as they watched me face down the previous queen. Only Orion shifting closer to me, his body an offering of protection, gave me any confidence that I was not alone. And I was suddenly very glad Riordan had sent him with me instead of taking him back to Erétria.
“Well, you have certainly made yourself comfortable,” Andromeda spat in disgust, but she turned and finally left the room. Although she left the doors standing wide open, and the guards in the hall peered inside with wide eyes.
“Would you please close the doors? And do not allow anyone else through who is not meant to be in this room,” I instructed the griffins with a mild rebuke.
I relaxed the instant the doors were closed and made myself meet the stunned gazes of the councillors.
“Now,” I sighed. “Where were we?”
Chapter fifteen
ON YOUR KNEES FOR ME
Orion
Amira was a thing of such fearsome power and beauty. From the intelligent courage and intuition she displayed at the battle to the gentle but firm authority that she used to handle Andromeda, I was in complete awe of her.
But perhaps the most incredible thing about her was the fact that Amira’s confidence was not effortless in the way that Riordan’s was. Myskiámoved with captivating authority through the world in a way that only someone born into power could. That was not to say he’d never had to earn respect, but his voice had always been the most important one in any room he entered. Regardless of how anyone actually felt about him, they had to listen to him. Whereas Amira was more like me and had been born into poverty, hardship, and violence. By all rights, she should not belong in that chamber among all the most powerful Imítheos in the kingdom.
But shedidbelong there. And not only did she belong, she commanded the room with incredible poise. Not with an effortless ease, I had seen her hands tremble in her lap when she faced Andromeda, but with determination.
I was spellbound. I found myself holding my breath in anticipation of her eyes seeking me out, which they had been doing more and more lately. Sometimes her hand would brush mine,as if it were an accident, but I didn’t think it was a mistake when she touched me like that.
The last couple of days since that council meeting had been almost as hectic as the first days after the attack of the Wild Hunt. There was still no sign of Riordan’s father, and a search for the body of the harpoon-wielding fey on the battlefield had not yielded any results. We were also growing concerned that we had not heard from Althaea who had been watching for Nikos to lead us to possible co-conspirators. Nikos had not known she was watching him because she was such a good spy, so I found it very difficult to believe something could have happened to her. But every day that went by without her return had us all more and more on edge. Especially since Lysander had made it back to the city seemingly unscathed.
It had also been confirmed that the vats of mysterious green substance Amira had been so wary of were, in fact, an explosive. So much was found on the mountain that if Amira had ignited it, she would have destroyed the city of Erétria. Possibly even killed us. And considering it did not seem like the Fuath were using the accelerant for anything else, it was likely meant for Amira.
Amira had looked at Riordan with her brows raised, clearly convinced that this was proof that Castor was not the one trying to set her up. But he had merely frowned. His mistrust of Castor was far too deep to be alleviated by anything less than blatant evidence.
“There was something important I came here to ask you,” Riordan interrupted his mother, which drew my attention back to the sitting room. I had needed to tune out her rant about Amira in order to stay civil during Riordan’s visit. “Did you receive any requests to meet Rian regarding his concerns about humanpollution?”
Andromeda froze, her angry expression growing tense as she seemed to try and decide how to respond.
“No silver words, mother, just answer the question,” Riordan urged her in his usual exasperation whenever he was dealing with Andromeda.
The Queen Mother looked first to her daughter Rhea and then Dio who were sitting in her receiving apartment with her and Riordan. I had opted to stay standing behind where Riordan sat facing Dio and hisskiá, Hermes, who sat on the arm of Dio’s lounge chair. I could have also sat with my king as Hermes sat with his lover. But I was too acutely aware that I was the only Ktínos in the room to become so comfortable.
Andromeda had requested this audience with her son, intentionally excluding Amira with the invite, but I had not gotten the sense the witch minded. She had winced at Riordan and apologized for causing him grief. But he had merely laughed and kissed her neck with the sort of easy familiarity I craved from them both.
“I…” Andromeda hesitated again in uncertainty.
“I am afraid it may have been my fault,” Dio spoke up for her finally, drawing Riordan’s attention to him instead. “When we received the request, the Wild Hunt was not of any true concern to us. We were dealing with many issues in the absence of a true monarch, and I advised at the time that we should not entertain such demands from rogues,” Dio admitted. “In hindsight, of course, I see now that it was not the right course of action.”
Riordan nodded, clearly frustrated but also thankful for the transparency.
“You cannot always make the right decision, Dio. I am grateful to you for the temperance and patience you have taught me. And I know it was largely your guidance that prevented a select few from tearing this kingdom apart,” Riordan reassured his advisor sincerely.
“I hope you do not mean to disparagemewith suchunderhanded comments,” Andromeda growled at her son. “I was also very instrumental in your absence,Riordan.”
“It is my honour to serve the kingdom, Your Majesty,” Dio said with an amused glance at the Queen Mother.
“You cannot actually believe the word of a violent fey rogue over that of the Spring King, brother?” asked Rhea who had been quiet and moody since we arrived. She was upset over her father’s disappearance and sulking over the imprisonment of her beloved cousin.
“King Balor is no monument of character to admire, my darling,” Dio reassured the princess. “Your brother is quite right to be skeptical of his machinations.”
“But what of Nikos?” Rhea insisted, glowering at the councillor and her brother. “You cannot thinkhecould be responsible for the abduction of our father and Markos?”
Dio glanced at Riordan sheepishly now.
