Chapter Forty-Eight
Saphyra
I t was the smell that hit me first. I expected decay, or at least stagnant dust, but that wasn’t what I found behind the carefully hidden entryway. It smelled like sunflowers and a dewy spring morning.
Light from the open door spilled in, outlining two rows of sarcophagi. Three on each side and another, more elaborate one against the far wall of the long rectangular mausoleum. Above the stone coffin, opposite the entrance, was a stained glass window. It allowed a muted glow to penetrate the thick blanket of overgrowth covering the outside of the building, illuminating the otherwise dark room.
Under the delicate scent of sunflowers and dew was a sweet hint of caramel that reminded me of my mother. The smell validated my memories. I hadn’t doubted our time spent here, but tangible proof boosted my confidence. The gold datapad should be somewhere in this room. I just had to find it.
Hiding places were limited. The walls were carved stone reliefs, like the doorway with the flowering arch outside. Not many nooks or shelves to tuck a tablet sized object out of sight.
“Saphyra.” Grey’s voice broke through my concentration.
I dragged my attention away from the sculpted rock and turned to find my beta mate staring at me. The bond was full of static, like overexcited confusion.
“What Grey? What’s wrong?” I asked.
Lex was a step behind him. His expression was drawn, as if he’d seen a ghost, and his lips were pressed together in a flat line.
I whipped around, scanning the room, but everything was the same. Seven ornate, if dusty, stone boxes. Muted sunlight streamed through multi-colored stained glass, casting rays of brilliance over the sarcophagi at the far end of the mausoleum. Nothing was out of place. “You’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”
Grey shot a glance at Lex over his shoulder. But my blond mate was no help. “Do you know what this is?”
I spun slowly, studying the area more carefully. “It’s a burial chamber… tomb.” A chill crawled up my spine.
“Did you look at the inscriptions, little one?” He asked, his words soft and reverent.
Goosebumps broke out over my skin, and the downy hair stood up. “Noooo…”
The look on their faces was starting to scare me. I’d been so focused on my search for hidden cubbies, and my hazy memory, I hadn’t actually looked at anything closely. When I was a child, I would’ve been too small to read the epitaphs, but now that Grey had mentioned it, I was drawn to the swirling text.
Here lies Conley, Prince of Pyraxis. Loving mate of Queen Opal of Verden. Cherished brother of Brantley of Pyxis.
Below that was a set of dates that outlined his birth and death and a star map highlighting Pyraxis in relation to Verden.
The stone box beside it was similarly decorated, but the depiction of the planets was different. Carved into the lid was the same looping script.
Here lies Brantley, Prince of Pyxis. Loving mate of Queen Opal of Verden. Cherished brother of Conley of Pyraxis.
A second mate to the same queen. My lips parted as I pieced together what this meant. Brantley’s birth and death dates were the exact same as his brothers, thousands of years ago. The star chart was of Pyxis this time.
I glanced at my men by the door, my heart pounding in my throat. Was this true? Did one of my ancestors have two mates?
I hurried to the next coffin.
Here lies Amon, Prince of Pharanax. Loving mate of Queen Opal of Verden. Stalwart protector to her people.
The birthday was different, the death date was the same as the first two. The map correlated to his planet, Pharanax.
Three mates.
I looked to my own mates again, but they were silent. They’d read the stones while I’d been searching the walls for hidden pockets. They already knew.
Someone lied to us. Someone kept us apart all this time for nothing. Why? Who would do this? What would they have to gain? Did Titus know this and keep me from them on purpose? My throat squeezed shut as my mind raced.
Sweat prickled across my skin. I checked the casket across the aisle.
Leith, Prince of Arden. Mate of Queen Opal. The date of death was the same.
The one beside it was the same design, but a different map and dedication.
Eran, Prince of Altaira. Mate of Queen Opal. Same death date.
The one beside it was slightly different.
Rowan, Prince of Fearen. The queen’s mate.
Date of death, two years prior to the others. He would’ve been one hundred and fifteen years old when he died if this was accurate. How could that be right?
Six mates. One from each of the primary civilizations of that time, thousands of years ago.
Queen Opal had six mates... An omega could have more than one mate! I could have more than one mate? Giddiness rushed to my head.
The only sarcophagi left was the final tomb under the window. I already knew what I’d find. How could it be anything else? The Queen.
I hurried closer to read what had been written about her. In the dim rainbow light, the stone was more difficult to see. Or maybe it was the tears pooling in my eyes. Something tightened in my chest, as if I was reluctant to finally see the truth.
I scanned the carving for a while in silence, processing what it said.
Queen Opaline, first queen of Verden. Mate to Conley, Brantley, Amon, Leith, Eran, and Rowan. Beloved mother to Bisera, Micah, and Durdona.
She had six mates, three children, and died when she was one hundred and eight years old. They’d all lived incredibly long lives, abnormally long, passing away in close succession, and buried together.
Reeling from the discovery, I almost missed the groove carved in the stone above the head of the casket. The memory of my mother hiding the datapad in a disguised notch emerged from the depths of my rioting thoughts.
It was there. I sucked in a ragged breath.
That’s where it’d been kept. As long as it wasn’t stolen or lost, it should still be hidden.
I pressed my fingertips to the cool flat stone depression and felt it shift. In a blink, the back of the indented surface slid down, opening a square slot. I reached inside and was met with smooth metal. My fingers closed around the object and pulled it from the cavity.
There were too many things happening to sort them out all at once, so I just held up the gold datapad. We’d found it, and so much more.
Lex brushed past Grey and lifted the device from my hand. “What is this, Saphyra?”
I staggered back a step, catching myself against the Queen’s stone resting place. “It’s the digital backup of the books from the library. And… I don’t know. Maybe more than that.”
It’d been said that all Verden’s records were lost, but I was certain this would be everything that we’d thought was gone. My mother had spent hours upon hours in that tower copying every page of every record. The more current files could be uploaded in a blink. Surely those wouldn’t have been overlooked, either.
“Does it still work?” Grey squeezed in closer.
Lex was studying the datapad. “I’m not sure. Saphyra?” He offered it to me.
My hands were shaking, but I took it, pressing my thumb to the bottom corner of the glass where my mother had shown me. With a soft ping, the screen brightened, showing a green and gold coat of arms that I recognized from my childhood.
My lungs swelled, and an unstoppable smile spread across my lips. “It works.”
This was everything we’d come for. All the answers we needed were here. I found myself dizzy and overcome with joy.
The tomb darkened, and a rumble of thunder rustled the trees beyond the door. We all shared a look, and I rushed outside.
The horizon was shadowed, and angry clouds brewed in the distance, sparking with multicolored flashes. The magnetic field thrashed above the storm, but it was fragmented. Strong, but still not cohesive enough to keep out a physical threat. Not until the condenser was back online.
I hoped Ghost had been able to rewire the control panel because it was getting late, and if we were right about the Imperatrix’s trajectory and speed, they’d be here soon.
“We need to get back to the others.” I held the datapad to my chest and started out across the dilapidated gardens, my mates trailing behind me.