Chapter Four #2
He was still looking at them when he answered, “Dissent.” Before Tem could ask what he meant by that, Caspen turned back to her and said, “I must address this. It will not take long. Can you manage on your own?”
Anxiety closed Tem’s throat. She was all alone here; Caspen was her only lifeline. But she couldn’t cling to him forever. There was no future for her under the mountain unless she could manage on her own. So she said, “Yes.”
Caspen pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before turning and heading for the group of men.
Tem scanned the room, prepared to find someone—anyone—to talk to. Not even five seconds passed before someone appeared in front of her.
“Temperance,” the woman said.
“Hello,” said Tem because she didn’t know what else to say.
The woman sneered. “Hello? Is that all you have to say to me?”
So they were skipping the small talk. Lovely. “What else am I supposed to say to you?”
“You could start by apologizing.”
“For what?”
“For being here.”
Tem crossed her arms. “I have just as much of a right to be here as anyone else.”
“Do not make the mistake of thinking you are special,” the woman snapped. “Caspenon has had every woman under the mountain, including me.”
A blush rose on Tem’s cheeks. Her first instinct was to be embarrassed or even angry.
But she’d already known that Caspen had slept with nearly everyone in this room.
If this woman thought that information would hurt her, she was wrong.
A part of Tem actually reveled in it. Caspen had been with everyone and he still chose her.
It was an honor—an accolade to add to Tem’s list of accomplishments.
She took pride in her status, and she would not be talked down to by this woman or anyone else.
“None of those women mattered to him,” Tem said. “Including you.”
“You should abdicate,” the woman hissed.
“Abdicate?” It was a ludicrous idea. Tem was insulted she’d even suggested it. It was true she was new to the throne and new to basilisk culture. But she had earned her place. Caspen had said so himself. “The day I abdicate is the day I die.”
The woman leaned in. “Then let us hope you are not destined for a long life.”
“Enough, Evangeline.”
The voice belonged to Adelaide. She emerged from the crowd with her arms crossed, looking as perfect as ever. Sharp fury flashed over the woman’s face before being replaced quickly by disbelief.
“Have you lost your mind, Sister?”
The moment she said it, Tem realized how unnervingly similar the two women looked. They had the same regal shoulders, the same flawless hair. It was a wonder she hadn’t noticed it before.
“Temperance is here, and she is our queen,” Adelaide continued. “We owe her our allegiance.”
Evangeline scoffed. “You are the rightful queen. We owe her nothing.”
“Enough,” Adelaide said again. This time Evangeline simply turned on her heel and disappeared. Adelaide looked at Tem, her expression sympathetic. “My sister is angry. I apologize for her actions.”
“It’s fine.”
“Temperance.” She touched her shoulder gently. “I mean it. I am sorry.”
Tem was struck by her sincerity and also by the physical contact. Adelaide knew better than anyone what it meant to be with Caspen. She’d been engaged to him before Tem, after all. Her apology meant a lot, even if Tem wasn’t in the space to hear it.
“Thanks,” she said quietly.
Adelaide dropped her hand. “You may find she is not the only one with opinions about your queenship.”
Tem glanced at the group of men, some of whom were still looking at her. “What about them?” she asked. “What do they think of me?”
Adelaide followed her gaze. “They would not have any woman in charge.”
Something occurred to Tem, and she asked it before she lost her nerve: “Have there ever been two queens?”
“Yes.”
“And two kings?”
“Yes, although not as often.”
“Why not?”
Adelaide gave her a small smile. “Men do not share.”
Tem almost smiled too. That was certainly true. Women were raised to share their time, their attention, their love. Men kept everything for themselves.
“Are you enjoying yourself tonight?” Adelaide asked presently.
What a question. This night was already bizarre and it had barely begun. Tem had no idea whether any part of it had been remotely enjoyable. “It’s…a lot.”
“A lot?”
Tem shrugged. “So much happens here. I feel like I can’t keep up.”
“You will adjust,” Adelaide said. “It may take time.”
The same thing Caspen had said to her. But was it true? “Is every night like this?” Tem gestured out over the courtyard at the piles of copulating bodies.
Adelaide smiled. “Not quite. This is mating season. Everyone is especially…ferocious right now. You chose a particularly volatile time to join our society.”
Tem sighed. She hadn’t chosen the timing at all. “So they’re not usually like this?”
“No,” Adelaide said. “They are not.”
That made her feel slightly better. Adelaide shifted closer.
“Temperance,” she said quietly. “I can imagine that your time here has not been simple.”
Tem snorted. That was putting it lightly.
“Should you ever need guidance…or a friend…I am available.”
Tem raised her eyebrows. A friend? Adelaide was the last person she thought would offer something of that sort.
Friendship wasn’t something Tem had expected to find in basilisk society and certainly not from Adelaide.
But who better, really, to understand what she was going through?
Adelaide was once engaged to Caspen. Adelaide was a Seneca, and she deeply understood her quiver’s plight.
There were stranger things, certainly, than a friendship with her.
Tem was smart enough to recognize when she was being offered an olive branch and was brave enough to take it.
She’d considered Adelaide an enemy at first. But perhaps that wasn’t true at all. Perhaps they were allies.
“Thank you,” Tem said, suddenly self-conscious. It was difficult for her to accept help, especially from someone like Adelaide. But she found she was deeply grateful for it. Basilisks did not often extend graces. If Adelaide was choosing to be kind, Tem was glad to receive it.
“Of course,” Adelaide said.
A silence followed, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.
Instead, the two women stood together, watching the revelry taking place.
Nearly everyone was having sex. Mostly in pairs, but sometimes in groups.
For the first time, Tem saw a full range of basilisks, particularly older ones.
Tem realized she had never seen a baby basilisk and had no idea how they were born.
“Are there any children here?” Tem asked.
Adelaide smiled. “There are not.”
“Why not?”
“We do not raise them here. It is unsuitable for the young.”
Tem stared at the writhing naked bodies before her. Unsuitable indeed. “Then where do you raise them?”
“Out in nature. They are born as basilisks and transition into humans when they come of age. Once they are able to assimilate, it is safe to bring them near the villagers without worry they will lose control and violate the truce.”
This was fascinating to Tem and answered most of her questions. But she found she had one more: “When do basilisks come of age?”
“One hundred.”
Tem blinked. She’d always known Caspen was ancient, but she hadn’t realized that a century was the starting point. Surely, he was far beyond childhood by now. Her eyes slid to Adelaide, who was watching her with a smile, as if she could already predict her next question.
“How old is Caspen?”
“Perhaps you might ask him that.”
“Perhaps I might not,” Tem muttered.
“We are not shy about our age, Temperance,” she laughed, touching her shoulder again softly. “But I know Caspenon, and he would want to tell you himself.”
Tem sighed. It was hard to wrap her head around the fact that everyone here was over one hundred years old.
They all looked so…youthful. Even the basilisks who were clearly older—who had hardened faces and traces of gray at their temples—were beautiful.
Humans wilted as they aged. Basilisks seemed to do the opposite.
They watched the crowd some more. Every once in a while, someone walked over to release themselves into the fountain. Tem spotted Apollo, entangled in a web of women. The moment he made eye contact, she blushed and looked away.
“Do you know Apollo?” Tem asked. “Caspen’s brother?”
Adelaide shifted, glancing down at her. “Of course. Why do you ask?”
“Caspen said he’ll try to sleep with me.”
The basilisk smiled elegantly. “That is likely true.”
“Well. I don’t want that.”
Adelaide’s smile only widened. “It is not such a bad thing, Temperance,” she murmured. “To have two men fall at your feet.”
Tem had no idea what to say to that, so she said nothing. Eventually, the silence lingered, and Tem felt the need to break it. “Do you have anyone falling at your feet?”
Adelaide gave her a devious look. “Always.”
Tem perked up immediately. If Adelaide had been engaged to Caspen, the son of the king, who was a suitable match after someone of such high ranking? “Who?”
Adelaide leaned in. “Can you keep a secret?”
Tem raised her eyebrows. “Yes.”
She leaned even closer, and Tem felt the thrill that only gossip could bring forth.
“Cypress has been in my bed the past seven nights.”
Adelaide pointed across the room. Tem followed her gaze to see Caspen’s sister. They had the same dark hair, the same regal stature. She was a stunning woman and a fitting complement to Adelaide. Tem could imagine they looked beautiful together.
“Why is that a secret? I thought everything was allowed here.”
Adelaide shrugged, straightening. “Men are curious creatures, Temperance. They are petty, and they are stupid.”
Tem snorted.
“It is true, is it not?”
“It’s completely true.”
Adelaide laughed too, far more elegantly than Tem. “Caspenon is protective of his sister, as he should be.”
Tem frowned. “Sister? I thought he had two.”
“Agnes is dead.”