Chapter Twelve
Chloe
Both Chloe and Farah’s designated lady’s maids had led them down to the dining hall only a quarter of an hour earlier, though neither had spoken in the corridors of the castle other than to inform the princesses they were requested for dinner.
What appeared before them was more of a feast than a simple dinner for guests, even when she was family.
On the table before her lay an exorbitant spread of wild boar, vegetables, stews, freshly made breads, and pies.
Only six people sat at the table in the dining hall, yet the meal before them could easily feed twenty.
Chloe hated waste—in Nexos they never served more than what was appropriate for the family, and all additional food was brought to local soup kitchens and to the elderly in town.
Though, she couldn’t deny that the mixed scents of spice, honey, and sugar made her salivate.
Seated to Chloe’s left was Farah, dressed in what appeared to be a new gown made of black wool and gilded embossments of leaves.
That was not a dress her tailor aboard the Parataxis crafted, meaning Avra must have gotten to her already.
It appeared that was another thing her aunt and mother had in common—a love of finery.
On Chloe’s opposite side sat her cousin, remaining in his guard leathers, though he no longer wore the thick fur cloak.
Her hands still clenched around the almost healed cut on her arm thinking about how Acacius baselessly attacked her earlier in the great hall.
What an introduction it was. Hello, I’m your long lost cousin you didn’t know about, and I want to kill you.
He would not stop smiling at her after that, even now, and it was utterly spine tingling.
Across the table, already indulging in wine and ale, were Avra and Halius, along with another man that Chloe had not seen before.
He was older looking than the king and queen—though not in actual age—somewhere in his mid fifties.
Peppers of gray flecked his honey brown hair.
His skin was darker than most in Hespali, as deep and rich as fresh soil after a long rain.
Fine wrinkles dispersed from the corner of his cobalt blue eyes, but they did not seem to age him as they did most. He was dressed in a similar manner to Acacius, more than likely the leader of the king’s guard or his most trusted advisor if he was seated alongside royalty.
“Thank you both for joining us,” Avra said once the plates were finally full. “I hope accommodations are to your liking?”
Chloe patted her mouth after a sip of wine. “The rooms are lovely, thea.”
Her guest quarters were more grandiose than even her room in Nexos. Everything was gilded in gold leaf and the walls were draped in rich green velvet. She swore the candelabras were dazzled in actual emeralds, although that would be absurd. Emeralds were extremely difficult to find.
“Wonderful. Well, that is enough pleasantries for one evening.”
Her aunt must not be used to guests because that was a total of one pleasantry. Chloe was used to entertaining others for nearly an hour before they got to any real conversation. Avra took two whole minutes.
“Since you are unfamiliar with how the Eleusinian Mysteries proceed, I was hoping to use this time to let you know that they move rather quickly. I have already informed Farah that traditionally a ball is thrown in the initiates’ honor.
You may invite those scoundrels of yours from the ship as long as they behave.
” Avra curled her lip in disgust. Apparently, she was not a fan of pirates.
Chloe shouldn’t be surprised, most kingdoms on the mainlands weren’t.
“Those scoundrels are some of the finest sailors in the Mykandrian, thea. But I’ll let Kirke know to keep the men in line.”
“It is not the men I am worried about. It is that witch of yours. She is as unpredictable as the sea.”
Farah turned toward Chloe with furrowed brows and mouthed, Witch?, but she shooed her off. There was no time to get into that explanation.
“After the ball, you will have your first trial, and the second and third will come in two and four-week successions after that. If you survive, you will be married here at court following the third trial.”
“You don’t sound convinced that we will,” Farah murmured and Chloe shot her a look of death. Avra was not known for her patience.
“Only the Fates know what will occur in the Mysteries, dear girl. But for my niece’s sake, I do hope that you will.”
Unlikely. Avra probably forced them into the Mysteries so they would wind up dead and she’d finally have her revenge on her sister.
“You will each have a trainer,” Halius spoke next.
His voice was lighter than Chloe remembered, more similar to her uncle Cal than the fearsome God of War.
“Chloe, yours will be my dearest advisor here, Markos. He is an exceptional teacher and has trained initiates over thirty some years now. He has the highest success rate of any.”
“That’s reassuring,” Chloe laughed uneasily. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“Pleasure is all mine. I have heard much about you, Princess, and am excited to see some of those abilities your aunt and uncle talk about so often. I was just telling my husband earlier today that I’d be working with a Nexian wolf, and royalty at that, and Petros was exceedingly jealous.”
“Farah’s an exceptional fighter, better than me, if I’m honest.” It was true, Farah’s abilities could rival that of any elemental Grechi and Chloe had only the powers granted to her by her mother.
A shifter, mental persuasion, but not that kind of raw unbridled power.
“He shouldn’t be disappointed. I assume Petros is to be her trainer, then? ”
“He will not,” Acacius butted in. “I am to be Farah’s trainer.”
Chloe choked on the bite of food she had quickly tried to get in while speaking.
Next to her, Farah shook her head repeatedly. “That’s impossible. The Mysteries are marriage trials. To go through them you would need to be engaged, which would mean you are married. You can’t be married.”
“I can guarantee you, Farah, I went through the trials. Kaliope and I went through them together.” His face twisted when he said the name, stare blankening. “She was the daughter of one of my father’s advisors and we were in love from a very young age.”
Not only was her cousin hidden from her all this time, but he was a legitimate heir. Married to a noblewoman from this very court. How had news not travelled to Nexos? Or better question—why?
“You asked me to marry you when you already have a wife? When you are supposedly in love?” Farah shot up from her seat slamming her hands down on the table and knocking over her chalice of wine.
“I will not train with someone so despicable! Why do men throw that word around as if it means nothing? What, is she expendable to you?”
“Had. I had a wife,” Acacius growled, though he surprisingly kept his composure otherwise. “And I can assure you that Kaliope was not expendable.”
“I don’t believe a word you say. I know men like you. Fates, if I had stayed in Morentius I would have been wed to a man exactly like you. You use women like playthings and when you are done, who is the one to suffer?”
Who needed the Mysteries to kill them? Farah was going to get them killed long before they set foot in the first trial.
“Apologies, cousin, I think Farah is just tired after our journey,” Chloe said. She reached her hand out, laying it on top of Farah’s, giving it a calming squeeze.
Farah narrowed her eyes at Chloe. “I am—”
With a small dilation of her pupil, Chloe repeated herself. “You are tired from our journey. Why don’t you go upstairs and get some much needed rest.”
After blinking several times, Farah eventually nodded and let out a long sigh. “You’re right. My emotions always get the best of me when I’m exhausted. If you’d excuse me.”
Farah pushed back her chair soundlessly and headed without pause to the door, where she disappeared into the darkened corridor.
“Do you use those tricks on her often, cousin? Is that how you got her to accept your proposal?” Acacius asked between bites of boar.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Chloe shoved her own food in her mouth, finishing off what little remained on her plate before swallowing it all down with a sip of brandy.
“Leave dear Chloe alone, Acacius, you have taunted her enough today,” Avra chastised, her lip snarled at her son.
It was a perturbing scene, her aunt who had for so long despised the Kirassos family due to her strained relationship with Giselle, being kind to Chloe.
Even more so because the tone felt genuine, kindred.
She couldn’t hyper analyze that now, there were a million other thoughts spinning in her head about how she would even survive these trials—with Farah beside her or not.
“May I ask—when exactly are we to begin training? And if the Mysteries are kept secret from all that have not entered themselves, how exactly could Markos and Acacius even help us.”
Markos cleared his throat and bowed his head to Avra and Halius.
“If I may? We cannot divulge what occurs when you pass through the threshold of any of the trials, but we can hone the skill set and fortitude you might need. Each of the three Mysteries are connected in a power of will and trust. It is a tradition the Fates blessed our kingdom with that dates back to the times of the Olympi. Although I can not speak for Acacius’s course of action, we will begin tomorrow. ”
“Let me guess…at dawn?” Chloe rolled her eyes.
“No time in particular. When you are ready you will find me.”
“What does that even mean?” Chloe scoffed, shifting side to side in her seat. Her meal was done and she was growing unnaturally tired.
“You’ll figure it out.”
And that was the last anyone spoke at dinner.