24. Rahzlyn #3
“It is a common place to insert a travel stone for younger folks,” Gregorios said.
“Surgical experts recommend the area for children because once inserted, the growing bones morph around it, and it’s unlikely to be felt by the wearer, nor cause issues long-term.
However, since you have no recollection, my guess is it was inserted when you were a babe. Your family never mentioned anything?”
“My grandparents could never afford such stones.”
“Perhaps not now. What about when you were born? What were their circumstances before you were alive? What of your parents?”
“My brother and I never knew them.”
“So how can you claim to know what is and is not possible?”
I clenched my teeth together. “Because… because…”
“A parent will do anything to keep their child safe.”
“Not all parents,” Raithe grunted, reminding me of his presence.
There was so much Basil and I didn’t know about our grandparents’ life before us—their son, our parents. Who was our father? Our mother? Could they have been responsible for implanting travel stones in us? I didn’t want to believe it.
“I have a natal chart,” I said numbly. “My grandparents… I don’t understand why they would lie to us all these years.”
“I wouldn’t put too much stock into her words, Gregorios,” Raithe remarked. “She is quite talented in the performing arts. Not to mention, her betrothed is also an apostate.”
“You son of a—” I advanced on him with my palm extended. He lazily caught my wrist before it pummeled his face.
“Bitch?” he finished for me. “Sweetheart, you have no idea.”
Sweetheart. Unwelcome memories of our first encounter rushed to the surface: catching sight of him in the crowd, dancing suggestively for him, his body holding me from behind…
My skin burned, and not entirely from my glyphs. Stars, I needed to get a grip. I’d seen attractive men before, though I often gravitated toward those with more approachable features. This guardian—Raithe—was off-limits and maddeningly infuriating.
“Jere isn’t my betrothed,” I said finally. “I never accepted.” It took a moment for the rest of his accusations to catch up to me. “He’s one of them?”
“He’s how I found you.”
I didn’t know Jere well enough to determine if it made sense, other than his foul personality. “Wait until his mother finds out.”
“You’re saying you didn’t know?” Raithe asked dubiously. “What about your other—”
“I’ll remind you, Raithe, she is a Chosen now like us,” Gregorios reprimanded. “Do not let Maryn’s loathing of our kind poison your heart as well. This woman is your princess, your future queen.”
Except I wasn’t. I couldn’t be. “I need to return to Gemini.”
“And why is that again?” Raithe quipped.
“Because my brother has been captured by…” I closed my mouth at the challenging raise of his brow.
He was baiting me to reveal exactly who held my brother captive.
The Scorpion seer would undoubtedly be less inclined to offer any assistance if he knew I was tangled up with the apostai.
“When Raithe found me,” I tried again, more carefully this time, “my brother was in trouble. I only agreed to come here willingly if he promised to help find him.”
“Did he now?” Gregorios seemed surprised.
“Well?” I demanded of Raithe. “I’m here. Will you hold up your end of our bargain?”
He contemplated answering before: “We sent a letter to your grandparents in warning. Once our queen regent has been properly informed of your presence, Felaf and I will bring them here.”
I exhaled, knowing my grandparents would soon be safe from Allory and Markus. “Thank you. And my brother?”
His eyes flicked to the seer. “Gregorios?”
“Considering he is of blood relation, we must do our due diligence.” Gregorios paused. “Do you know of any other living blood relatives, Roselyn?”
Blood relatives. Those words were intentional. To be Chosen meant the sacrifice of all known family members. To find Basil and bring him here, alongside my grandparents, meant their eventual deaths. My vision tunneled. “No… no, this can’t be happening. This isn’t real—”
“If you weren’t a Chosen, then we wouldn’t have needed to use Blood Healing to save you.”
“Blood Healing?” I repeated. “What in the stars is that?”
“Chosen blood is sacred. Should any harm befall a Chosen, they may drink or steep in their fellow Chosens’ blood to quicken the recovery. It is also the ritual needed to ensure someone newly Chosen survives the process.”
My knees threatened to buckle. “I didn’t choose this. I never wanted—”
“What you want is no longer of any consequence. We don’t choose our destinies,” Gregorios said simply. “Our destinies choose us.”
His words pinned me in place.
“This may already seem evident,” he said, “but to be clear, there is no escaping this fate. To flee will result in your death. A Chosen must complete their trial within twelve months. Running will not save you, nor will it save your family.”
Dread settled into my bones. A Scorpion princess hadn’t passed their trial in over a decade. I was not going to be the exception.
All that mattered now was ensuring my family’s safety. I had failed them in so many ways, but they would not die because of me and the foolish decisions that had led me here.
I would free them from this fate, no matter the cost.