He hesitated, eyes dropping to his glass before he finally looked at me again. ‘I’ve been wondering the same thing. You can’t inherit powers from your parents’ mate if they don’t share your blood.’
The thought settled heavily in the room. I wasn’t alone in my confusion, but that didn’t make it any less unsettling. Heat curled through me, threading down my arms, wrapping around my ribs like it was trying to remind me who I was.
My father and I exchanged a long, wordless look. We both knew something was wrong, but neither of us knew the right questions to ask or how devastating the answers would be.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Avari
Ihad been waiting for the moment the former Queen of Fire knocked on the estate door. It felt like light-years had passed since I last saw her, and I needed to know more about her situation. Surely my father hadn’t just abandoned her in town and wished her good luck?
I was certain that, although my father turned out madder than I expected, he wouldn’t burden his failed conquest with impoverishment.
As I paced the dining room, studying the portraits, it struck me that none of my father’s children’s mothers were in the picture. I hoped it didn’t mean his relations with them had been as disastrous as with mine.
Before I could dwell any longer on what it all meant, the moment I had been waiting for since waking to the clouded moonlight finally came.
I rushed to the door and flung it open before Clara could, making her step back in shock. The housekeeper lookedappalled and murmured a litany of incoherent curses under her breath.
‘Hi,’ I said, hating how my voice cracked, betraying nerves I didn’t want her to see. I gestured eagerly for the woman to come inside.
River’s mother assessed me with a curious gaze before stepping across the threshold and greeting me cautiously. She placed a vast rolled-up canvas on the cupboard in the foyer before smiling as if she meant to bid farewell already.
‘Would you care to take a walk with me, please?’ I begged, my voice trembling as desperation clouded my vision.
Unable to withstand the pressure, I kept fidgeting ceaselessly.
The former queen’s brows pitched as if searching for a reason to refuse, her surprise softening into hesitation. ‘You would like to walk with me?’
My confession spilled out before I could stop it. ‘I know your sons.’
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, thin shoulders shaking as her whole body trembled with an ache for the family she’d been ripped away from. Taking a steadying breath, her plea rang out, ‘You know my boys?’
The conversation was already more difficult than I had anticipated. The woman looked ready to fall apart at the mere mention of her children. How much would it take to stitch her back together?
‘The Elders forced me into a deal with your eldest. I met all of your sons in Fogoya. I stayed there for weeks.’
Her pupils blew wide with sharp concentration. ‘Please, let’s take that walk. I need to hear about them.’
Without a destination in mind, I instinctively led us to the meadow. After so many training sessions, I began to feel something for it—a quiet fondness, almostcalming.
We walked in silence for several minutes before the former Queen of Fire finally murmured, ‘May I ask why the Elders forced a deal with Blaze upon you?’
I blinked. ‘Blaze? No, they forced me to train with River.’
The mention of the king piqued her interest even more.
‘River?’ She blinked rapidly. Perhaps I should have called him by his title instead.
‘Yes.’
‘I’m sorry,’ she said softly. ‘I thought you said my eldest.’
‘River isn’t the oldest? I assumed he was, being king…’
She smiled gently, wiping a stray tear that slid down her cheek. ‘Our throne goes to the strongest, not the oldest. River won the tournament, though I don’t think he ever wanted the crown. It’s a burden. Tell me about them, please.’
‘Well, as far as I know, Michael is some kind of spy. We were friendly, but he travels a lot, and I barely got to see him. I met Blaze too,’ I said, choosing not to elaborate. I definitely wasn’t going to mention that the king pawned me off for a curse cleanse. ‘And obviously River…’
