“Did you or did you not lead me to believe that a Leucosian God was willing to go to your bed? Athan, son of Panos—he is the only one worth having. You snake. You let me assume it was him.”
Nivala shook as the baby burrowed against her chest. “I thought—at first—I thought itwasa Leucosian God that had arrived in my palace. He told me he was a descendant of Jesop—”
“Jesop! Who in all the realms would want his pointless power?”
“Divine blood is what you wanted.” Nivala was a deferent, weeping mess now. “You did not specify whose.”
Eusia floated nearer the edge of the pool, her face right to Nivala’s knees, and glared up at her. She spoke slowly, her melodic voice cutting. “It is my mistake. I’d not taken you for an idiot, Nivala, but you’ve set me to rights.” Through Eusia’s eyes I watched the baby squirm, watched the way Nivala’s hands would not hold its soft body with care. “Let me guess—it was your shame that kept you from me these last months, wasn’t it? This is why you sent others to feed me. Shall I guess whose child it is you wasted your miracle on?”
Nivala shook her head. “It is the child of Nemea, king of the Isle of Seraf,” she said, softly. “When I met him, he led me to believe… and I… I had him many times. I think—”
“You loved him.”
Nivala pinched her lips, as if refusing to answer.
Eusia pushed away from the pool’s edge to float in the center once more. “It would seem, Nivala, that you have gotten precisely what you asked for. My part of the bargain is upheld. ButIdid not get what I was promised.Iam the one who will suffer your deceit, so it is only fair that I ensure you know such anguish in turn.”
“Please,” Nivala begged. “Please, I have come all this way to gift her to you.”
Eusia struck the surface of the pool with her small fist, sending water cascading over Nivala and her babe. “What good is that useless thing to me?” Eusia cried. Her voice went low and sober, like she was speaking a curse. “Hear me, Nivala, empress of Obelia—that babe in your arms is the last miracle you will receive from me until your debt is paid. Let her be a reminder of your treachery, of your abject powerlessness, of your deficit.” Silent tears poured down Nivala’s cheeks, but Eusia was unmoved. “Leave.”
My eyes flew open as the carriage jostled to a stop.
The door banged wide, and a footman’s crisp, melodic accent sounded. “Welcome to Obelia.” He reached in a gloved hand.
I stared, frozen.
Nemea’s daughter. Halla was Nemea’s daughter. Mysister. Somehow, it did not strike me with the reverberation I’d expected it to. Somehow, learning of him doing something so despicable as deceiving the empress, as claiming he was a God, was as shocking as hearing of the sun’s rising. And still, it filled me with fury, it filled me with a deep, inescapable pain.
I could not focus on the weighty emotion, though, because something was terribly wrong. Deep in the middle of my body, I knew. Aleka and Markis watched me from across the carriage, so I set my hand within the footman’s and looked up into his water-hued eyes.
“Where are we?” I asked.
His thin mouth pursed in confusion. “At the palace, miss.”
Aleka shook her head with distaste. “She is the Queen of Seraf and Anthemoessa, you dolt,” she said. “Address her as such.”
The footman blanched, then bowed. “My apologies, Your Majesty.” He gave my hand the barest shake. “May I help you out?”
My body felt like it had been drained. “We are not at the palace. The palace was by the sea. Where are we?”
The footman inclined his head respectfully. “Ahh. Your Majesty, forgive me. Perhaps you refer to the empress’s castle keep, Mustkiva? The black one on the bay.”
I nodded my head, setting a shaking hand to my hollowed-out stomach.
“You’ve reached the empress’spalace.” He gestured behind him with a regal sweep of his upturned hand. “This is Fort Vuoria.”
I could not see beyond the carriage opening, nor could I see through the small, curtained windows, but I didn’t need to see what lay beyond to know. While I’d slept, we’d climbed the white, jagged cliffs that had loomed over the winding coastline and massive port.
We were far from the sea.
“Gods damn it,” I hissed, as I pulled my hand from the footman’s hold. “Shit.”
Markis’s brows bounced high.
Aleka’s eyes went wide. There was a bite of reprimand in her voice. “Is everything as it should be, Your Majesty?”
“No,” I snapped. At my outburst, the footman had taken a wide step back. I bounded out of the carriage unassisted, balling my full skirt in my fists so I wouldn’t trip. The courtyard was wide, ringed in high, snow-capped walls.
