I grin.“Ah, so you have heard part of it.”
“Nothing good.”
“That I don’t doubt.”I shake my head.“The queen had many thoughts about the Well. It was one of the areas where we disagreed.She believed it could be harnessed, but I wasn’t willing to risk my people for it. We were at an impasse. And while we were busy arguing over how to save our realm, we missed my sister drifting away and becoming a problem.”
“Why does Selia hate you so much?”
“I told you I wasn’t there for her when she needed me.”
“But you’re her brother.”
My fingers grip the ledge tighter. “The court is a ruthless place, Elorie, under any ruler. The rules of royalty are not the same as they are for others. We are not our own; we belong to our people, and that requires sacrifice at many levels.”
My jaw sets as I close my eyes, taking a deep breath.
“The queen was my mother by blood, but that was the extent of her nurturing us. We were her heirs to be used as needed to guarantee the success of our realm. She expected us to comply in any way she saw fit. Whether that be through bloodshed or bedding.”
“She forced you to—”Elorie shakes her head, not finishing that thought, even though I hear the whispers of it in her mind.
“The prison feeds on your nightmares; it doesn’t write them on its own. What you walk in with is how it will torment you, and all I can say is that it was a long hundred years.”
Longer in the last few when Elorie’s voice became a song in my head—hope I clung to. Until the prison found new ways to torment me using her. Playing visions I’ll never be able to erase.
That much, I keep to myself.
“That’s horrible.”Elorie shivers, not knowing the worst of it.
I chuckle at the irony because I’m horrible, and what I plan to do to Lyrichia is horrible, but Elorie still feels sympathy for me because she has goodness in her heart.
“Yes, it was,”I agree with her. “But I was better at disconnecting from it than Selia. And when I left to train in Andare, things got worse for her. Selia caught the attention of someone our mother needed in her favor, so she… made arrangements.”
“She forced your sister to sleep with him?”
My teeth grit because it’s not as simple as that, and I still wish I’d been there to stop it.
“What?”Elorie’s eyebrows pinch, and even if her gaze bleeds with innocence, I know she understands more than people think.
On the outside, she’s delicate. But in her heart, she’s stronger than anyone realizes. Which is why I decide not to shield her from the truth.
“Immortality is a blessing, but it makes for a long life. Things that bring joy and pleasure at first get stagnant for some who live too long. Their needs aren’t as easily met.”
“You’re referring to sex?”
“Sometimes sex. Sometimes violence. Everyone’s needs are different, and those who become numb seek those old feelings. They’ll do anything to recreate that rush they once felt.”
“What did he do to Selia?”
“Things worse than anything I faced in that prison or before it. And not just from him, but his comrades as well. My guards said Selia had been chained for at least a few moons when they finally retrieved her.”I lift off the ledge, dragging my hands through my hair.“I should have been there to stop it. She never forgave me, and I don’t blame her. Not that our mother cared. So when the queen decided to then use Selia to smooth over relations with Malachi, it was no surprise that Selia grew attached instead. Anything to escape the Quietus Court. As horrible as Malachi can be, he’s not that kind of monster.”
“So Selia never went back home after that?”
I shake my head.“She sent messages that she was gathering information when really, she was in Malachi’s bed, whispering in his ear about our plans. It was her idea to draw the courts together, claiming they wanted peace between our realms, only to turn on us instead. By the time I realized the reason for the meeting, it was too late, and Malachi had his entire army waiting.”
“But you’re strong. Your magic is something of another realm.”
“I appreciate the compliment, Starfire.”I wink, and she scowls, but there’s no bite behind it.“But everything has its limits. I watched my men die. Then my father. And finally, the queen. I fought with all I had, but Malachi had more power behind him. An entire army. Magic unlike anything I’d been up against. That’s when I started to Cleave.”
Elorie’s eyes flash wide.“Nothing survives the Cleaving.”
