Total pages in book: 197
Estimated words: 186911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 935(@200wpm)___ 748(@250wpm)___ 623(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 186911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 935(@200wpm)___ 748(@250wpm)___ 623(@300wpm)
Remember the ones I love.
“Sorry, Foalan. What were you saying?”
“Rajadom,” he prompted, falling in step with me and Alisdair.
Obviously, we weren’t announcing our military strategy out in the open, but there was no harm in discussing what I knew about the other kingdoms and their rulers. And Emiana knew quite a lot.
More proof Salman was a fool to dismiss the silent, watching listener sitting in the background during all of their royal summits and discussions. He handed her everything she needed to bring about his downfall, and it was clear from her memories, King Salman’s downfall was what she wanted most. She probably would’ve summoned the courage to assassinate him herself one day, if he hadn’t sold her off to the kingdom of Wind and Wild.
“Chancellor Mahoun is difficult,” I said. “Paranoid. Untrusting. The times he visited my father in Lyrica, he’d only eat food prepared by his own servants, and would let no one but them wait on him. He also prefers men. Male lovers. Male servants. Male advisors. And only the comeliest. He has a wife, but after securing the line with four sons, she took up residence in the winter palace and they live separate lives.”
I didn’t say more, since Foalan was wise enough to draw his own conclusions on how difficult that would make it to get a woman close to him.
“Is there a way?” Foalan asked simply.
I opened my mouth to say I didn’t know, then the answer came to me—easily supplied by Emiana’s memories. “Guilt,” I blurted. “He is a staunch and devoted worshipper of Mother Meya, and deep down, he believes the All Mother will punish all of Elva for what we’ve done to her daughters.
“That hasn’t stopped him,” I spat, “or prompted him to repeal a single unfair law, but he does visit the temple morning and night, praying for forgiveness.”
“The high priestesses,” Alisdair and Foalan said at once.
I nodded. The temple priestesses were bound like every woman in Elva, but the one advantage they had was that they still commanded respect. Everyone bowed in their presence and heeded their word. They lived safe and pampered lives in the temples of Meya scattered about the nation.
The only time Emiana had ever seen Salman give a woman respect was when he bowed, waited his turn to speak, and kissed the feet of a temple priestess.
“Sarabai?” Foalan asked.
Again I opened my mouth to say I wasn’t sure. Again, Emiana’s memories interrupted to give me the answer. What irony that, in a real way, she was bringing about the downfall of her hated father.
I replied to Foalan, then cut a look to Alisdair striding on my other side. “So, Alisdair,” I began. “What was your mother like? Tell me about her.”
“No.”
The reply was so swift and curt, I tripped over my feet. The bastard didn’t even take a moment to think about it.
“Why not?” I barked, a little of Emiana’s patented pampered outrage bleeding in. “I’m your wife. You’re my husband. We should get to know each other.”
He said nothing. Didn’t so much as tip his head to look at me.
Irritation swelled up in my chest.
“Alright,” I forced through clenched teeth. “What about fair play? Every question you answer, I’ll answer too. Tell me about your mother and I’ll tell you about mine.”
“You are near perfection, my queen,” he said, surprising me with the compliment. “Your only flaw is you continue to bargain with worthless coin. It isn’t possible for me to care less about your mother.”
My fist went flying, heading straight for that bastard’s hard jaw.
Alisdair ducked me, laughing cruelly. I blinked and he was on Foalan’s other side.
“Beast,” I bellowed. “You make everything difficult!”
Eadaoin shook her head out of the corner of my eye. I knew what she was thinking because I was too. Making this dead-inside monster fall in love with me was not going well.
Eventually, we arrived in Bevin—another small township of Lumenfell proper. Bevin was similar to Lumenfell’s main village in that the warm, deep-brown cottage homes and attached greenhouses were shared by both, but that’s where the similarities ended.
No one passed us on the street, and while Bevin also had orblights, theirs were smaller. Dimmer. Casting barely a glow to beat back the shadows. I squinted, gazing around—searching for the whiskered couples walking hand in hand, the bustling square, or giggling children skating around the fountain.
Nothing.
The only signs of life were the lights trickling through the breaks in drawn curtains.
Alisdair took me on a tour of a few of the surrounding villages. I was beginning to see why he left this one out.
“Is everything okay?” I whispered to Alisdair. “Why is it so dark and quiet? We’re not in wolf territory again, are we?”
“Opossum faeriken.” Alisdair always answered my questions, unless they were about him. “A mix of solitary and nocturnal results in this. Everyone keeps to themselves.”