CHAPTER 53

“What took you so long to find me? I thought the plan was to stay near, but out of sight,” Tianna asked when tea had been laid out. She was back in that ridiculous bed, at Thanlos’ insistence.

“There was an attack on the house this morning while Tril was there alone. Some last ditch attempt to subdue us all before giving up her identity, I would think.”

Tianna sat up in the bed. Thanlos immediately reached out toward her, as he had every time she had woken in a panic since the poisoning. Apparently her own adrenaline was giving her palpitations. She avoided his hand and stared at Xor’annan.

“Is she alright?” Which was rather silly, as Tril was one of the people in her room. Tianna turned to her. “Are you alright?”

Tril gave her a wicked sharp smile.

“Hellcat, Tril has studied fighting as much as I, or Dorndar. We also train our servants and house guard, they didn’t stand a chance. As I said, it was a weak attempt, perhaps even meant as a distraction. I was speaking with the head of my house guard when I felt your need. I was on the south end of the castle, assuming you were safe for the moment in the Queen’s parlor. If I had known…”

“Xor,” she interrupted, and he blinked at her.

“If any of us had known we wouldn’t have had to make the plan in the first place. Even if you’d been closer it wouldn’t have made a difference. By the time I realized she poisoned my tea I had drank it all.”

There was a strange look on his face. Oh, the guilt and fear were there, as they had been since she awoke, but something else too. Something contemplative.

“There’s no point putting blame on anyone except Ar’miel,” Tril agreed. “But I still don’t understand why she hated us so much.”

There was a nagging feeling in Tianna’s mind. As though she had forgotten something or was on the verge of putting everything together. Damned matcha, she still wasn’t thinking clearly.

“That is why I insisted you come have tea with us,” Xor’annan answered. “I believe I have the answer to your question and we will need to think carefully about what we do next.”

Tril leaned forward.

“It turns out, several generations back in our family history we are descendant from Zophicmot.”

Tril’s face paled.

Tianna held up a hand. “Who is Zophicmot?”

“A great king of old, who’s line was thought to have been wiped out. When Vilvause’s line came to power it was because they were the closest relation, though still quite removed. I am not sure why my family hid this connection, or if they even knew about it, but I plan to do some investigation of my parents old writings and papers and see if I can figure it out. What is important, though, is that technically we have just as much right to the throne as Vilvause, and since Eveera has connections to both lines *she* in particular is a threat to Vilvause’s sovereignty.”

That’s what Ar’miel had meant when she’d said Eveera had more right to the throne.

“She’s just a baby,” new fear welled inside Tianna. To be an enemy of the crown as an infant. Would Eveera ever have a chance at a safe childhood? Thanlos tried to keep her anxiety from taking over, but the instincts she had developed when it came to the girl were far more powerful than his simple ability. “What will happen to her?” Because if she had to take the girl and escape through an arch she would. In fact, the idea began to take hold. She had suffered through too much to be at the mercy of this world.

“If word of this connection gets out it will divide the court,” Tril muttered. “We will never be left alone.”

“It is why Vilvause and I decided not to broach it during the trial.”

“Then we won’t tell anyone, destroy the evidence,” Tianna nodded.

Xor’annan looked at her.

“Xor, I don’t want Eveera to have to watch her back her entire life.”

“You would have great power as the future Queen’s bonded. Enough to affect the changes you spoke of before.”

“Well I, for one, want nothing to do with it,” Tril announced. Hadriana is enough hassle, besides, you can see how much joy being royalty has brought Vilvause.”

“I do not want it either, not for Eveera, and certainly not for me,” Tianna agreed.

The corner of Xor’annan’s lips lifted a little in a crooked smile.

“Then we will publicly denounce any ties to the old king, and willingly give up the right of any of our line to seek the throne. Tianna, you will have do denounce any intention on the throne as well. It will change little for us, but secure Vilvause’s line, as it bolsters with our support behind her.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes. After the denouncement is made and recorded in the palace records there will be no legal way we could obtain the crown, and the public would revolt against us if we did. For if we could not honor our declaration then we would not be fit to lead.”

Tianna rolled her gaze up to the gilded ceiling.

“So all of this…”

“Could have been avoided if Ar’miel had just brought her information forward and asked us to deny our rights to the crown. My brother, my parents, everyone could have been spared but for some woman’s insecurities,” Tril answered bitterly. “Vilvause will have to re-think her succession though. I have a feeling she planned to name Eveera as her heir as soon as she was old enough.”

Yet another reason Ar’miel’s plans were for naught.

“Vilvause has plenty of nieces and nephews who would be more than happy, as well as capable of ruling. Drel’gith, specifically has been coming along nicely and seems to have a good, solid mind with little interest in frivolities. I will be sure to put the thought in her ear as soon as this fiasco settles.”

“Won’t Vilvause eventually marry and have her own children?” She knew Vilvause and Ar’miel had been lovers, but she also understood that Earth’s royalty had placed great importance on marrying and begetting heirs.

Xor’annan smiled at her.

“She might have been forced to do so out of duty, had her father lived long enough to influence her rule. As it is Vilvause has grown used to having autonomy and will not risk sharing power with a King who does not support her vision of the future for the kingdom.”

“What’s her vision of the future?”

“Peace, Hellcat. The queen wants peace, for all peoples.”

***

It was afternoon the next day before Tianna was allowed off of bed rest and could reunite with Eveera. They spent hours together, snuggling while Tianna read to the girl from *In the Mirror*. Chelsey hovered nearby, after all her caring for the baby she seemed to have formed an attachment to the girl, and, Tianna decided, she would be better suited to be Eveera’s nanny than her own maid.

It was nearing evening when Tril blew through the apartment doors, followed by a flustered Sargrach. The poor Daemon blamed himself, somehow, for Tianna’s misfortune and had increased security measures until his own men had revolted and informed him he was being ridiculous.

“Come on, get dressed we are going for a late tea in the city. It’s been ages since we did something together.”

Tianna laughed. “We were at the trial together yesterday, and had tea in my room after that, or did you forget?”

Tril waved away her words. “That doesn’t count. Miserable affair. I want to do something* fun*.”

Tianna looked down at the baby. Eveera had re-established the bond and was now happily patting the books pages and trying to wrest the cover away from Tianna’s hands.

“Chelsey?” she looked over her shoulder.

“I would be happy to watch her,” Chelsey’s face lit up. Eveera’s did too, when the woman reached for her. The guilt at leaving the girl was still there, but not nearly as strong.

She dressed quickly, choosing an afternoon dress that was deep mauve and comfortable to move in. Her hair was braided tightly and pinned against her head.

“Let me,” Tril offered, brushing on a light coat of makeup. “There, one wouldn’t know you had just been on death’s bed,” she announced.

Sargrach was reluctant to approve of the outing, until Tianna kindly reminded him that ‘they did not hide from their enemies’. When she patted him on the cheek and made her way to the door there was a long silence before he chuckled and sent three of their best men after her.

The carriage was waiting in the courtyard where she had first approached the palace. It brought back memories and a pang of longing that nearly overwhelmed her. Xor’annan had been strangely absent since the trial and she missed him. She knew it couldn’t be true, but it felt as though he was avoiding her. She crawled up into the carriage with the help of one of her men.

The day was bright and warm. True spring had set in with patches of green on the lawns and even a few buds opening up along the trees.

“Where do you want to go first?” Tril asked when Tianna took her place on the bench across from her. “There’s a place on Violi street that serves tea, shall we go there first?” her face fell. “Or maybe you don’t drink tea anymore, I wouldn’t blame you.”

Tianna laughed. “I still drink tea,” she promised. Ar’miel could have just as easily poisoned my water, and there’s no point stopping something I enjoy so much.

“Great!” Tril enthused, “I would also wish to check out the fabric merchant, I’ve heard there’s a new dye in the east that creates stronger colors. I’m thinking of having miss Inaz create a new piece for me in yellow.”

Tianna allowed herself a smile, Tril was indomitable. None of the events of the past few days seemed to impact her cheerful nature.

“Have you heard,” she wanted to know, “that the Queen is ending the season early? Right after the execution. Not that I blame her really, the poor thing. She has been hard hit this year.”

“I think the Queen has the right of it,” she told her friend. “I certainly won’t feel like celebrating.”

“You’re right, of course. I suppose I am being a bit petty and childish. Still, I wish it would last just a little longer. I am going to miss Xor.”

Tianna frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, I thought he had spoken to you already. Xor never stays once the season is over. He spends most of the year patrolling the kingdom’s borders and dealing with the outlying villages in the name of the Queen.”

Suddenly any small bit of contentment Tianna was aiming for vanished.

Xor was leaving. And he hadn’t even bothered to talk to her about it.

Tea and shopping were sort of a bust after that. Tril did her best to improve the mood, but Tianna just couldn’t pull out of it.

“You love him,” Tril commented on the slow ride back to the palace. There was a small, satisfied smile on her lips. Tianna didn’t argue. She was coming to think she really did. She loved him and he was leaving. How was she going to live when he would be gone for months?

“I think he has loved you for a long time,” Tril continued. “He’s different now, softer somehow.” She leaned across the carriage and clasped Tianna’s hand. “I am glad it was you,” she grinned, “there’s no one else I’d rather have for a sister.”