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Solia answered him. “There is no need to enter Tenebra like thieves in the night. My sister’s days of treading carefully there are over. She and the Hesperine delegation can officially accompany me to Patria, where I will attend the Full Council of Free Lords and proclaim my right to rule.”
Rudhira rested his hands on the ornate arms of his chair. “That is a proposal my mothers must consider. While our Hesperines errant are my purview, Orthros’s position on a potential change of government in Tenebra must be the Queens’ decision.”
“We are aware of the opportunity before you, Solia.” Queen Alea gazed at her with eyes that had seen sixteen hundred years’ of Tenebra’s history. “But you also have a right to the queendom of Orthros. There is freedom and glory for you here. An eternity of anything you choose.”
Praise Hespera for the Queens, who had the most silver of all tongues. Perhaps they could sway Solia in a way Lio and Cassia could not.
“Three lands would welcome you with open arms,” said Queen Soteira. “Tenebra. Orthros. Or the Empire. Yes, even your beloved Empire, and even if you throw off the destiny Her Imperial Majesty has in mind for you. You would be surprised how open her borders would be to you with a little persuasion from us.”
“I appreciate the magnitude of what you are offering me,” Solia said.
“Do you? I think Cassia must show you.” The Second Princess waved a gracious hand. The small table by her chair, draped in a cloth, levitated to stand before the Queens.
Cassia faced her sister across the table. “Soli, last time I was here with the Queens, before we went to the Empire to find you, I made a promise: that I wouldn’t rest until I offered you this with my own hand.”
Cassia pulled back the cloth. Lio’s Grace could still take him by surprise. He had thought this relic tucked away at their residence, where she fussed over it with ongoing frustration. The mosaic pot of soil might not have impressed anyone who didn’t know its significance. But Lio did.
It was the only Sanctuary Rose that had survived the Collector’s attack. Aunt Kona and Cassia said the roots under the soil still held life. What were they planning?
Cassia rested her hands on her pot, her chin set. Lio knew that look. She was determined to prove a point, and Goddess help anyone who tried to stop her.
“Lio, please come stand behind me.”
“Certainly.” He did as she asked, resting his hands on her slender shoulders.
Cassia reached into her frayed, stained gardening satchel, which she wore with her formal silks, and pulled out her hand spade. She set the sharp edge of it to her hand, where she had cut herself time and time again to bleed power into Hesperine spells.
The fragrance of his Grace’s blood filled the Queens’ garden, and he watched the red drops sink into the barren soil inside the pot. He sensed her focus her Will as he had helped her learn to do during their practice sessions.
When a surge of magic flowed out of him, he bit back a gasp. He could feel her drawing on his power to strengthen her own nascent magic. It was as intuitive as their Union. He fed more magic into her focus, letting her aura’s demand measure how much he gave her. His heart pounded with the exhilarating rush of power, and he gritted his teeth so he wouldn’t show his unsheathed fangs to his Queens.
Cassia’s hands tightened on the rim of the pot, one trailing more blood into the soil, her knuckles white. He felt her, them, flowing deep into that little piece of the ruins the Collector had left behind.
And he realized she had been right. He felt it through her. Life.
The soil burst open. Fresh green canes sprang up before their eyes, formed buds at their ends, and unfurled into three blooms as fat and thriving as the surrounding garden.
Cassia heaved a breath and began to crumple.
Lio caught her close against him before she fell. “Goddess bless. That was brilliant.”
Aunt Kona began to clap, and the entire circle joined her in a round of applause for Cassia’s first display of magic. Knight whined in concern, pressing against Cassia’s robes, and she slid a hand through his ruff to reassure him.
Lio’s Grace leaned her head back against him, triumphant. He realized that her display had not only been for her sister. He could hear her promise in her thoughts: they would not let the Collector win.
Lio lifted her bleeding hand to his mouth and placed a tender kiss upon the cut. His intention was only to heal her, but he tasted new flavors in her blood. Verdant. Wild. Her magic, growing stronger. When they did not have an audience, he would take the time to savor that.
Across from them, Solia reached out to trace one white rose petal with her finger.
“My power belongs in Orthros,” Cassia said, “as do I. This can be the place where you belong too, Solia. All you need to do is choose it for yourself. It is my honor to speak on behalf of the Queens. With this white rose, the Hesperine symbol of welcome, I hereby offer you Sanctuary.”
“Pup,” Solia murmured, her eyes fraught with emotion her spells concealed.
“Please, Soli. Don’t let go of everything we want for ourselves.” Cassia held out her hands.
Her sister gripped them. “I am not letting go. I’m holding on tight.”
Then Solia faced the Queens. “I know I will always have refuge here, and for that, my sister’s adopted people have my gratitude and my love. But whether Tenebra will have me or not, I will have it, for the good of all.”
