Chapter 26
Chapter
Twenty-Six
EVIE
“ Y ou finally came,” the queen said. “I was about to send one of my attendants to check on you.”
Those attendants, all seven of them, gave me sickly sweet smiles, even as their eyes narrowed. More advisors loyalists, so close to the queen.
“I’m sure they have much better things to do than cross my threshold.” And if they knew what was good for them, they’d stay the fuck away. I ran my hand over my braids, making sure my armed bracelet shined in clear warning.
“Oh, dear, don’t discount yourself like that. Come, sit, sit.” Zavoya, mighty queen of the Blood Brotherhood, scooched on her own dais to make room for me.
I sat down gingerly next to her, noticing Beryn’s gaze on me from the corner of my eye. Leesa was already talking to Petrylla’s maid, completely unnoticed. Perfect.
“Tea, please.” Zavoya nodded at her ladies, before turning that graceful face of hers back to me. “How do you like my small court?”
I didn’t. “Quite…distracting.”
The perfect place to keep someone happy and malleable.
“How odd, my son said the same thing. Valuta took a bit of offense then, she helped me decorate.” Zavoya laughed. “But we’ll keep this between us.”
I gulped. I really, really felt bad for using Zavoya as a distraction–but that was only half of my plan.
“I actually wanted to discuss something with you, which I hope will remain between us,” I said.
Zavoya’s beautiful eyes widened. “Nothing is wrong with the army, I hope.”
“No, your son is handling things on the front lines–” May the gods keep the bastard safe until the war was over. “I’m actually concerned for the civilians. We don’t know how long this war will last.”
The queen nodded at her ladies to leave us alone; as alone as we could be with an entire room watching us. “It will end soon, I imagine.”
Easy for her to say. “We can only hope. Until then, we need to do everything in our power to help our warriors–and your son.”
“Absolutely.”
I licked my lips. “For the good of the Blood Brotherhood…we need to introduce rations in Phoenix Peak as well. The Capital already has them, it’s only right everyone works together for the greater goal.”
Zavoya frowned. “But we already have rations in Phoenix Peak.”
I exhaled deeply through my nostrils, smile twitching, and nodded at the trays of pastries and sugary treats. “We do not.”
Zavoya’s frown deepened, like she was fighting a mean headache. “I swear I heard Banu talking about it.”
“Your Majesty.” I grasped her hand; her skin was so much softer than mine could ever hope to be. “You don’t have to trouble yourself, I’ll oversee the shipments myself–but I need you to give an official decree for me to do it.”
“Banu and Valuta administer the supplies.”
“In times of war, we can all help out, right?” I slid closer to her. “Think of the children, Your Majesty. We need to protect them as best we can.”
The seconds ticked by as Zavoya blinked rapidly at me.
“Of course we do,” she finally said. “I’ll speak with my husband and give an official decree. Our blood and fates are one, we are all in this together.”
I exhaled, holding on tightly to her hand. “Thank you.”
This was the best I could have hoped for. There was still a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that something was terribly wrong, though, for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what.
The tea was brought and, for once, didn’t taste like ash. Curious.
Zavoya and I drank in silence, making sure to exchange our cups and wipe them down when we finished, as was custom.
“How is Zandyr?” Zavoya asked, the muscles on her forehead creasing.
“Alive.”
“I know that, but how is he really?” she asked urgently, drawing closer.
“I–I haven’t gotten any letters from him,” I said cautiously.
Zavoya shook her head. “I’m talking about the bond. You two have it, yes? A mother always knows.”
How did she know ? The two of us had barely understood our dreams weren’t dreams. “I–he’s…safe. Fighting.”
“Oh, I see. They’re those kinds of dreams.” Zavoya’s smile turned into a smirk. “Very well, I won’t pry, keep your secrets. I remember Eldryan and I had the same issue when he went away for the Harvest Festival in Frostfall Reach at the start of our marriage. I was too pregnant to travel, so you can imagine the state I would wake up in.”
My face must have been the same shade of red as Zavoya’s delicate nails. My mother-in-law talking about sex dreams with me, in front of the entire Blood Brotherhood court, was not what I had bargained for today.
Leesa was still talking to Petrylla’s maid and I couldn’t leave until she finished.
“I know things are…difficult at the moment. But finding your true mate is a godsend,” Zavoya went on, oblivious to my torment. “I thank them daily when I wake up next to Eldryan. So much happiness in one lifetime is a blessing I don’t take it for granted.”
Her eyes glazed over with the bottomless happiness only great memories could bring and I felt even guiltier for using her as a distraction when she was so open with me. It seemed my heart could still beat, even after what her son had done.
“You have many more days before you,” I said distractedly. Petrylla had turned her attention toward Leesa.
Zavoya cleared her throat and lowered her voice. Suddenly, her face turned serious. “You can, too, you know? Though convincing Zandyr will be difficult. Then again, with the way things are going between you two, you’ll need all the time you can get.”
I frowned. Did I miss a part of the conversation? “Excuse me?”
“Your youth,” said the woman with the most youthful appearance in the entire room. “You can extend it. We do.”
“Forgive me, but…it’s obvious. You don’t look older than me.”
“Thank you. Eldryan’s quite pleased he hasn’t lost one inch in his calves. Men and their muscles.” She laughed, then lowered her voice even more. The intensity in her gaze hardened. “I know you still struggle with what happened at the wedding. You flinch every time I mention him. But this is important.”
I realized the invitations for tea weren’t just for some misplaced bonding time. Zavoya had a plan, too.
We’d both been playing each other.
“Our issues are ours alone,” I said.
“He is the Clan heir. You are his wife. Your issues are Clan issues–as are your duties. And one of them is producing an heir.”
Gods above, why was everyone in this Clan obsessed with heirs? “It’s way too early to talk about this.”
“It’s never too early to talk about grandbabies, dear. Yes, plural,” she said. “You have a good pair of hips, you might have four or five children in you.”
I froze, my entire body on alert, as a memory of my first meeting with Banu and Valuta slithered into my mind.
But if she has a good pair of hips, she might have four, five kids in her.
The advisors’ words, this time coming out of Zavoya’s mouth. I turned my head toward her slowly, all of my senses on alert.
Zavoya’s movements didn’t seem forced and her words tumbled out naturally from her mouth. The queen didn’t seem controlled by the advisors right now .
The same words could have been a coincidence.
Or the king and queen of the most fearsome Clan in all of Malhaven had been so manipulated by magic throughout the years, their minds had turned to mush.
Only one way to find out.
“–and we have the best healers, who will look after you,” Zavoya went on.
“I’m not the only one who could give you grandchildren,” I said carefully, eyes glued to her face. “Why don’t you ask Kaya?”
Asking the question and saying her name pained me. But not as much as the blatant struggle on Zavoya’s face.
The twitching of the lips.
The fast blinking.
The seconds ticking by.
“Kaya is weak .” The words finally rushed out of her mouth as if someone had forced them out. Zavoya shook her head and went on. “Lovely girl, but we can’t take any chances. Will you do it?”
I started breathing heavier. “Do what?”
“Extend your life. It’s easy. Zandyr can control his blood and yours, if you ask him. We’ve already taught him how.”
“Magic takes energy.” Zavoya and Eldryan not only looked pristine, but they had a young air about them–whether from their naivete or not, I couldn’t tell. Keeping themselves stuck in time must have required daily doses of magic. “A lot of it.”
“It does. It’s worth it.” Her eyes got a sharp glint in them. “And you need to do it, just like Eldryan and I.”
“Why?”
“Because,” she said forcefully. “You have more time to produce another child in case the first heir dies.”