30. Raithe #3
“Accusing a king of being an apostate affiliate is bold. And we’re supposed to trust that no one else in your circle was aware of any of this? How did you even get into Serpentine?”
Her swallow was deafening. “A friend of mine. He got some coins and… well, I think he’d been a few times before because he knew that they were looking for another dancer.”
She must have been referring to Kole.
Was she that protective of him—or just that oblivious?
I snorted. “And this friend of yours happened to get inside an establishment run by the apostai, no questions asked?”
Her cheeks reddened. My questions made her uncomfortable. “He wouldn’t have put me in such danger if he knew what was going on.”
“See, I’m having a hard time believing you’re that naive.”
Her trembling chin tilted upright. Her eyes glistened slightly.
“Believe what you want. It’s not the first time I’ve been called that.
I’m trying to make sense of it all, like you.
All I know is that King Zephyr was willing to break his oath of celibacy for me.
Or Yarah—or whatever her name is.” A single tear ran down her cheek. “Was.”
“The fact that he even visits a place like that… isn’t that enough to get him in trouble?” Felaf conjectured.
“We can’t make such bold accusations about another royal,” Gregorios said quietly. “His court will demand how we even know about Serpentine, and we can’t share how or why Raithe was in Gemini secretly without King Zephyr’s permission.”
“You could lie,” Letti offered, her first words since Gregorios attempted Blood Sight on Rahzlyn.
“Letti!” Felaf gasped. “We most certainly could not.”
“Say that you finally got an apostate to reveal the truth to you,” Letti said, ignoring Felaf. “Don’t say where you found them. You’d have to find someone to blame it on, of course.”
“Maryn will not vouch for that,” I said. “Because she will not have seen the prisoner herself. You know how she is regarding the apostai.”
“Her word wouldn’t matter if she was simply an advisor.” Letti gestured at Rahzlyn. “If she lives through her trial and claims everything we’re suggesting, then it wouldn’t matter what Maryn thought or said—it would be the word of a royal queen. No one challenges a queen’s word.”
“Yeah, well, who knows how long that will be,” I pondered, noting the flash of disappointment in Rahzlyn’s eyes.
“The next apostate we capture, get me alone with them so I can interrogate for answers to see if my theory proves right. If so, Maryn will have no choice but to believe it and notify the other courts.”
“Maryn will undoubtedly question you, Raithe, as we are right now about how such a theory is possible without you also being an apostate,” Felaf pointed out. “Knowing her, she’ll jump at the chance to implicate you.”
“And,” Rahzlyn voiced surprisingly, “what if the ones we somehow capture have no idea what Serpentine is?”
“Maybe it’s bigger than Gemini,” I said, recalling its familiarity. “Maybe it exists across the realm.”
“It does,” Rahzlyn confirmed. “There’s a Serpentine in every territory. Gemini is just their most popular location.”
If that was true, then it also existed in Scorpio. “These people, Markus and Allory, know by now that Rahzlyn was abducted and likely believe she’s alive. They’re probably still looking for her. We don’t know how many others we’re dealing with, or what other resources beyond green fire they have.”
“You’re proposing something, aren’t you?” Gregorios prompted me.
“I need to get back into Serpentine so I can find what they use to brand their members with. Find out what the Black Rose means to them because it’s clearly something coveted. Even you have to agree, Gregorios, for why else did Gemini want you to find the Black Rose?”
Felaf tossed her hands in the air. “Are you fucking kidding me? You want to go into their lair, without resources, and further risk exposure?”
“You will do no such thing, Raithe,” Gregorios chided. “You will go to Gemini only to retrieve Rahzlyn’s grandparents. We will tell Maryn that I have confirmed their existence in Pipirima, for we can’t risk her informing King Zephyr of your presence there.”
Rahzlyn chewed on her lip. “Maybe… maybe you could say my grandparents aren’t—”
The seer held up his hand adorned in rings and jewels.
His sleeve fell past his wrist, revealing his topaz bracelet.
Rahzlyn’s eyes tracked the talisman and wisely said nothing else.
“This is the way our world is. Every Chosen who has existed since the Astrals created Gaianos has made this sacrifice. I sacrificed my aunt, uncle, and four cousins as part of my ceremonial trial. It is what must be done, as decreed in the sacred Treaty of the Twelve that has kept our realm at peace since the First and Last War.”
I smirked. Whatever leverage she thought she had didn’t exist.
Felaf touched Rahzlyn’s arm. “Be thankful that they can be here with you at all as you learn how to harness your power leading up to your trial.”
Rahzlyn shrugged away the contact, much to Felaf’s disappointment.
“But do not forget,” Gregorios added, “that if after twelve months you have not been able to wield hudro, you and your family will still be sacrificed.”
Water glistened in her eyes. “And my brother?”
“From all you’ve told us, it’s possible he’s dead,” Gregorios answered.
“Or still captive. Our priority will be capturing an apostate, here in Scorpio, who can reveal anything we need to know about Serpentine, the brand, and other notable hideouts that could be right under our own noses. With that information we’ll notify Maryn and then the other courts, who will pressure King Zephyr to infiltrate Serpentine and arrest any apostates caught there.
Whatever King Zephyr’s alleged affiliation is will not matter if he helps bring down the apostai and rescue your brother—barring he's even alive, and still their prisoner.”
With a stiff upper lip, Rahzlyn said, “I’d like to be alone now.”
“Of course.” Gregorios wobbled to his feet, with all three of us reaching out to help steer him.
“What of her natal chart?” Felaf reminded Gregorios. “How will you create a real one without being able to use Blood Sight?”
“My tarot cards will help deduce most placements,” he said, addressing Rahzlyn.
“The rest we’ll have to fabricate. Your first lessons begin tomorrow with the tutors.
The advisors will ask them to dive into your chart to assess your personality.
I’ll do my best to forge one that is as accurate as possible, but you must not give them any reason to suspect you were born and raised in Gemini. ”
Rahzlyn rubbed her arms.
“Your grandparents might know your true natal date,” I said, staring at her profile. “We’ll question them once they arrive.”
Rahzlyn’s eyes flicked to meet mine. She held them there warningly. “Define question.”
“We wouldn’t torture them,” Felaf clarified.
Gregorios nodded. “I’ll convince Maryn to approve your leave to retrieve them.”
The sun sank beyond the towering walls of the palace as we departed the queen’s chambers. I cast one last glance in Rahzlyn’s direction.
Her back was to us—shoulders hunched and shaking.
The sight softened a dormant piece of me, troubling me more than I cared to admit. I rubbed at my chest, and turned away.