Page 60 of Songs of Sacrament


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Veena continued speaking, but I froze, stuck on her words.

Shaan didn’t wish to speak with you.

She could have stabbed a dagger into my heart and it would hurt less.

“You’re very handsome, I hope you don’t mind me saying.” Veena lifted a biscuit and perched it delicately on her fingers. “I can see why Shaan is in love with you.”

I chuckled uncomfortably and grabbed a treat for myself mostly to avoid speaking. My teeth slipped through the soft dough and the buttery biscuit melted in my mouth. Shaan obviously wasn’t in love with me if he couldn’t bear to speak with me. And I couldn’t blame him. Hope kept raising me like a wind that pushed me forward before slamming me into a tree. One would think I’d stop jumping into it so fruitlessly.

I swallowed and set the rest of the biscuit on a plate. “Your brother once told me you were the most charming of his siblings.”

Veena beamed and pressed her hands against her knees. “Shaan is wonderful.”

“Yes,” I whispered. “I agree.”

She set her treat down and took a sip of tea. “You’re nothing like how the Seelie are portrayed.”

“How is that?”

“I don’t know… scary, I guess. Something to be afraid of.”

“Is that right?”

She bobbed her head.

“You know,” I said, “the Prasanna are often seen the same way in my court.”

“Why do you think that is?”

I sighed. That wasn’t something I had fully untangled, much less a topic I could try to explain to a child. “I’m starting to believe it’s because of a great deal of misunderstanding and hatred from beings long gone.”

“Well, I wish that wasn’t true.” She took another drink, and steam swam around her face, highlighting her long lashes. “Maybe if our courts could get along, you and Shaan could be together. I think that would make him happy.”

My lips parted, but I found myself at a loss for words. I certainly wouldn’t interrogate a twelve-year-old over why she believed her brother was still in love with me, even if her words sparked twin flames of hope and confusion in me. She kept bringing it up as though it was a fact that everyone knew. If so, I was certainly left out of that knowledge. The only thing Shaan seemed to feel for me in the throne room was fury and disgust.

A guard stepped closer to Veena, but she waved him off and he retreated. She approached this like a princess fully in charge. The Maharani must trust her, despite her age. God, what must that be like? Father never would have allowed me to lead a meeting with international implications at such a young age. He likely still wouldn’t.

“What I don’t understand,” Veena said, “is the talk of potential war between our courts.”

“Well…” Once again, her straightforwardness stole my response. Perhaps this was the Maharani’s strategic action, after all. I was likely to slip up and say things differently to Veena than I would to an adult.

“Mother worries over it,” Veena said, “but isn’t your court’s magic glamour? I don’t understand how the Seelie intend to fight our warriors?” She frowned, her forehead furrowing, and her voice came with a waiver. “Won’t the Seelie get hurt?”

I’d wondered that myself. I lifted the mug and let the warmth of the tea fill my mouth. The guards watched me, waiting for any nugget of any information I might offer. I had nothing to give. I didn’t understand either. My father was a military man at heart and understood strategy. He wouldn’t walk our troops into a slaughter.

Veena, though, made an excellent point. We could use glamour to confuse, and we had some troops strong in warding as well. That would help fend off the Prasanna’s memory magic. But how would our soldiers face theirs? Prasanna magic was stronger. That was a well-known fact. If I understood correctly from brief mentions Shaan had made, breaking wards was part of their soldier’s focus. What chaos they would bring if they could tear back our defenses and rewind our troops’ steps. It was likely what had saved their people a century ago.

We couldn’t stand against that kind of magic.

Father seemed so certain though. He spent so much time in meetings around military decisions lately. Even the last morning I’d spoken with him he’d appraised those darts. What good would darts do against an army?

Suddenly a memory flashed through my mind of Lira reaching for the bars of a jail cell.

Don’t, I’d said,the metal will drain your magic and hurt you if you touch it.

Warmth drained from my face, and I jumped to my feet. Guards rushed forward, pulling their weapons free. Veena didn’t move though, she just looked up at me, watching.

“I must speak with Prince Shaan at once.”

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