Rahzlyn
The day had finally come.
Not long ago I’d wanted to spread my wings, and now I wanted nothing more than to be tucked away in the comfort of a nest that no longer existed. Comfort was no longer a place—it was a person, a man with black hair, freckles, and a heartbreakingly rare smile.
Letti fussed with my curls, frustrated that my overnight braid hadn’t controlled them the way she’d hoped. “I suppose it doesn’t matter anyway, since you’ll be under water for the main event,” she pointed out. Her words only heightened the cold apprehension coursing through me.
A gorgeous dress was laid out on the bed. For after, if the other courts chose to come. Apparently, there could be no coronation without the presence of the realm’s other Chosens, which could take weeks.
I wore a simple black robe belted at my waist. My feet were bare, my hair unbound. Letti paused before lifting the communica from my neck. I clutched it in panic. I hadn’t prepared for the moment when I wouldn’t be able to wear anything during my trial.
“Keep it in your pocket,” she whispered, her eyes sliding behind me. “With your hand firmly around it. It’ll be there once you resurface. No one will know.”
I nodded, grateful. “Letti, I know we don’t know each other well. I wanted to thank—”
She held a hand up. “Don’t.”
“But if I—”
“Then you can thank me in the next life.”
I rolled my eyes, taking one last look in the mirror. If I survived, my brown eyes would turn the color of the topaz. My glyphs would glow as brightly and beautifully as the other Chosens. My forehead would bear the primal glyph of hudro.
Regardless of whether I was ready or not, it was time.
Princesses were once ushered to their ceremonial trial in a Pegasus-drawn carriage across the bridge connecting the palace to Antares.
Since Maryn had it destroyed—and given Alekko’s safety concerns—the four Chosens would travel by arch from the secret holding room of the Scorpion talisman into a thermae within the Baron’s District.
Only Chosens could know of the topaz’s resting location.
Alekko and his guards were already in flight on their Pegasi with the advisors into Antares where they would meet Vesperah and the city guard for the short parade from the arch to the temple. Barto and Chessah escorted Maryn to the temple by skyship.
A secret door existed behind a life-size portrait of the first Scorpion seer, hung discreetly in the seer’s current chambers.
Raithe and Felaf guided Gregorios and me down through the door and down a damp staircase void of sound or light.
Raithe and Felaf’s torches offered dismal lighting that was only for my benefit.
Our steps seemed to stretch for miles below the palace, my pounding heart filling the silence.
I stared at the back of Raithe’s broad shoulders, remembering the feel of them beneath my palms. The heated remembrance of that night on the terrace—and every moment leading up to it—followed me like a taunting shadow.
If that was all we’d ever have, then it would have to be enough. My body protested such a notion, craving more of him. Craving all of him, even though he wasn’t mine to have.
When at last we reached the bottom, Felaf and Raithe placed the torches in their respective mounted brackets in the wall on either side of a large boulder.
Together with their strength, they pushed.
It wasn’t until stepping after them that I realized how large the boulder was.
It was easily the size of my chamber. Now I understood why the royal topaz didn’t need constant protection.
No one, except for guardians, had the strength to get in here.
“Pick up a torch,” Gregorios encouraged.
I did as instructed, bringing light into the massive domed cavern.
Water hummed all around us, dripping from the ceiling.
A waterfall sounded nearby. The air was cool and moist. I urged Gregorios out of the way as Raithe and Felaf moved to the other side of the boulder and pushed it back into place. The rumbling sound echoed.
A shadowed figure caught my attention over my shoulder.
I tilted my head and jumped, nearly dropping the torch.
A body hung from the cavernous wall. Half of his face was concealed by dark, stringy hair.
He was entirely naked, his arms tied above his head and ankles bound.
I gasped inaudibly, too stricken by the sight to believe it.
I dared a step closer, certain this couldn’t be real.
We weren’t in the dungeons. There shouldn’t be dead prisoners hanging in here.
The man’s head jerked upright. A pair of hazel eyes stared into mine.
I leapt backwards, sickened by the trick my mind played on me.
“I’ll take that,” Raithe said at my side, reaching for the torch. Our fingers brushed in the transfer. He winked, flashing an encouraging smile, the darkness our only witness.
I tugged my gaze from his and clutched the communica tighter in my pocket with my trembling hand.
“Hey.” He gripped my arm gently, urging me to look at him. “What is it?”
My heart clenched when I met his concerned eyes that glinted mesmerizingly from the torchlight. “I thought I saw…” I sighed. “Nothing, we should keep—”
“What did you see?”
“You’ll think I’m losing my mind,” I whispered.
“Let me decide that for myself.”
“I… could have sworn I saw Basil.”
Felaf’s head whipped in our direction.
Raithe’s brows only lowered. “Your brother? You’re certain?”
I ran a shaky hand through my curls. “I know he’s gone. Gregorios confirmed as much. And to be honest, I would rather he be dead than living whatever hallucination I just had.”
Raithe’s hold on me remained. I was grateful for his steadiness.
“I must be delirious from sleep deprivation. Part of me feels like I’m walking to my death right now. It’s only natural that I conjured an image of my brother in my final moments.”
“You’re going to be fine,” he said tersely. “You can do this. You can.”
I smiled weakly, his confidence in me burning away the lingering chill. My hand twitched with the desire to cup his cheek. To ease the surprisingly blatant worry etched into his handsome face. There was still so much left unsaid between us.
“Ahem. Up here, Princess,” Felaf called, her voice bouncing off the cavernous walls.
Our gazes lingered, drawing out this final quiet moment before joining Felaf and Gregorios.
The royal topaz, the fourth talisman of Scorpio, sat nestled at the center of a thick gold torque necklace resting atop a velvet pillow.
The flames of the torches caught along the smooth, polished surface of the golden-yellow stone.
Behind the podium it rested upon was a waterfall, its mist sprinkling my skin as enchanting strings tickled my ears.
Gregorios felt ahead of him for the pillow before lifting it into his arms. “Ready when you are, Princess Novah.”
Raithe stepped through the waterfall first, likely to ensure there were no threats waiting on the other side.
From what I recalled of arches, only a talisman could grant access.
Gregorios followed after him. Felaf and I clasped hands.
The water crashed down on my shoulders for only a moment before it stopped and we were in a room filled with light.
We found ourselves in an ankle-deep pool, a waterfall at our backs. The thermae.
Raithe slicked his wet hair back. “All clear. Alekko and Vesperah have secured the area. We should be safe for the parade.”
I took in the empty space. “Is this a public bathhouse?”
“For nobles only,” Felaf answered.
“Erm, shouldn’t we be worried about how vulnerable the stone was back there?” I gestured behind us at the waterfall we’d come through. “I know only those with a talisman can step through it back into the palace, but—”
“What if Chosens from other courts wanted to steal it?” Raithe supplied.
“Well, yes.”
“This arch is not on any disclosed maps we’ve shared with the rest of the courts. Only we”—Raithe gestured to the four of us—“know of its precise location. We’ll emerge into the city down a tunnel connected from here, meeting Alekko and Vesperah at a designated location before joining the parade.”
“Still seems like you put a lot of faith in that boulder and the arch,” I noted.
“It’s been safe down there for thousands of years,” Gregorios assured. “Our guardians check on it routinely.”
I didn’t know what to expect when we stepped out onto the street.
A herd of guards closed in, enclosing Gregorios and me in a tight formation.
Dust caked my toes. The brightness of the sun overhead beat down on us unforgivingly.
The roar of thousands rang everywhere, but all I could see was the mass of black enclosing me.
I couldn’t bring myself to look at the crowds that swarmed the streets, chanting and cheering with hope.
I focused on the temple looming at the end of the path we walked. On the Scorpion statue who appeared to stare right back at me. Her figure grew larger as we neared. A black creature scurried along the base of the massive carving, capturing my attention.
A scorpion—a good omen, or bad?
I reminded myself to breathe. I was safe for the moment, with Raithe right in front of me.
Three things. His voice soothed my mind, guiding me through all of the senses. It worked until it didn’t.
In a blur we were ushered into the temple that was every bit as intimidating on the inside as it was the outside.
Felaf and Raithe secured the doors closed, drowning out the outside world.
Several acolytes greeted us. Before long, Gregorios was guided down the length of the temple, leaving me, Raithe, and Felaf lingering near the entrance to wait for the ceremony to begin.