ESSA #3
“I fought on dragon back that day,” she said, pacing toward the hearth.
“I and a handful of Skrathan fought the planes and chased them as far as Dorhane. When we returned, the city was overrun with golenae. The others who were with me fought well, saving as many civilians as possible, but our enemies were too numerous. One by one, my comrades fell. It was only luck that kept me alive until the golenae finally retreated. And only Mylith’s strength and determination that allowed us to make it back to Issastar at all. ”
“Is he…?” Mylith was Auntie’s dragon, a powerful capran with scales the color of polished jade. He’d been as much a mentor to Othura as Auntie was to me.
“He’s alive,” she said, “but he was severely wounded. He flew east and put himself into a kataal. With luck, it will only take him a few years to heal himself, then he’ll return.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. We’d all lost so much. I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to lose her dragon, too.
She placed a hand over her heart. “It’s okay. I can still feel him. And I know he’ll be back. In any case, after the battle, I returned to Charcain to assess the damage and found Natath, Kortoi, Hoatan, and the others.”
“So you didn’t know ahead of time? About the uprising?”
She snorted. “Of course not. And when I learned that they were the ones behind releasing the golanae—for such a thing can’t be kept secret forever—I promised myself I would repay them, when the time was right. And we will repay them, Essa. Your mother… I’m so sorry.”
She’d been made of steel when she spoke of Laynine, but tears rose to her eyes now.
I reached out and took her hand. “We both know what it is to lose a big sister,” I said. “And our home, and our city, and our country…” she shook her head, wiping a tear from her eye with a finger. “But if we can get you back on the throne, that will be one more step toward putting things right.”
I looked away, my eyes drawn to the candle’s quivering flame.
“I don’t know,” I said. “If I take the crown from their hands, I’ll just end up being their pawn.
I know that’s what they expect—that I’ll take the throne and they’ll control me—and then they’ll have both power and legitimacy in the eyes of the people. ”
“Yes,” Auntie agreed. “They do think they can control you. Because they think they’re smarter than everyone else—masters of Torzame. But that’s their weakness, Essa. They underestimate us.”
“Us?” I asked, a wan smile rising to my lips.
“Of course,” she said, squeezing my hand. “Don’t ever think you’re alone in this. Take your crown. And together, we’ll use it to crush them.”
Wary as I was, I couldn’t help but feel a spark of hope at Auntie’s words. And the knowledge that I had another ally in this place, where I was surrounded by enemies, lifted my spirits. Still…
“I’m worried about the bydrune,” I said. “I don’t know if I can do it.”
Auntie Dreya’s nose wrinkled. “Yes. That barbaric custom…”
“It is barbaric, in a way. But it has kept the peace for millennia…” I said, repeating what I’d been taught growing up.
“It has. And it could bring peace again,” Auntie said. “I would spare you from it if I could. But they will never allow your coronation until you go through it. And if you do accept it, they’ll be convinced that you’ve truly acquiesced to them. Only then will they let their guard down.”
I looked down at my hand, balled up in a fist in my lap. Auntie touched my knee.
“Anything of the flesh can be endured. I taught you that when you were running with a weighted pack up and down Mount Turr, remember? And you proved it when you had to swim across The Cauldron in your training—you did it even with only one hand, when others with two hands had to be plucked out like drowned rats. And you proved it again when you triumphed in the challenge against Laynine, hard as it was. Anything can be endured, Essa. And there’s a secret passed down among the women of our family for many years.
A potion that can be used to make sure the seed of those noble scum never takes hold.
I brewed it for your mother. Then, afterwards, if you wish, you can pick a sire of your choice. ”
I stared at her, wide-eyed.
“You mean… Mother wasn’t impregnated by the bydrune?”
Auntie shook her head, a rebellious quirk to her lips. “No, indeed. I told you they think they’ve outsmarted us, but they never will.”
I frowned, thinking. “Then… do you know who Paemalla’s father was? And my father?”
Auntie paused, her smile faltering. She brushed an errant lock of hair from my face, as she’d done so many times when I was a little girl.
“That is a conversation for another time, I think. The hour grows late, and this castle is filled with watching eyes and listening ears. We don’t want to arouse suspicion.
But ease your mind about the bydrune, Essa.
Like all physical trials, you can conquer it.
And then, we’ll conquer your kingdom—together. ”
I nodded, resolute. “I will see the traitors dead. Every last one of them. Somehow…”
Auntie put a hand on my shoulder. “I’ve kept my eyes open these past months, Essa. The nobles aren’t the ones to worry about. It’s Kortoi. He’s the capstone. Trust me. We crush him, and the rest will fall.”