Chapter 4 The Ritual #2
I waited for her to share more, but instead she moved to grab the gnarled twin branches hanging on the wall beside my vanity. She nodded at the bench, her grip tightening around my version of a crown.
I rolled my eyes as I sat. “Okay, Reena. I am sitting, so now would be an opportune time to share whatever upsetting news you overheard.”
She placed my headdress down, then her fingers laced through a section of my hair with expert precision, braiding my locks for what was probably the millionth time.
She glanced around, dropping her voice to a low whisper. “Gustavo mentioned a rumor spreading across the city—there is talk of a new rebel group forming.”
I scoffed. “That is not news. The mortals have tried countless times to overthrow me, yet they never succeed. May I remind you, I am the only one with magic in the human lands. So, there is no reason to fret, unless you know of another queen who can summon and command magical serpents?”
I snatched the tube of lipstick, dismissing this frivolous conversation and moving on to paint a swipe of my signature blood-red color across my lips.
Reena spoke so lightly, an ordinary mortal wouldn’t have heard her. “This group’s leaders plan to travel to Ashivire soon.”
The lipstick stilled in my hand as my eyes shot to meet hers through the reflection. I clicked my jaw, tension wracking through my body at the mention of my homelands.
“Did Gustavo say what their rumored plans are?” The intensity behind my glare made my lady-in-waiting avert her gaze, swiftly moving on to braid the last section of my hair.
“They want to travel to the border of the moral lands—to hike to Morotis and speak to the Serpent King.” She shook her head in disbelief.
All hail the Serpent King.
Instantly, memories of my people’s sweet tasting hope seeped down my throat, and I brushed my fingers against my neck as I worked on swallowing my swiftly growing irritation.
Although my disciples have previously attempted coups, they never went as far as to seek out the Serpent King for aid. A nagging feeling speared my gut while I reminisced on the mixture of fear and hope wafting through both of my most recent executions.
Was this why my people felt so hopeful? Did they truly believe this rebel group could be the ones to finally overthrow me?
Such heinous acts called for a grand execution, and the thought of catching these traitors in order to put on a fabulous show began to calm my wild rage.
“The Serpent King will not help them. Surely, they will go insane before they ever make it to meet the king, because of those horrid caves leading to his lair. Mortals can’t withstand the whispers filtering throughout his caves.
” I steeled my mask of indifference into place, relaxing my shoulders as Reena worked on styling the two braids around my black wooden crown.
“You survived them . . .” she whispered, uncertainty quickly scrawling across her features. “Apologies, Your Majesty. I know you don’t like to talk about that period of your life.”
Raising a hand, I halted my lady-in-waiting’s tongue from speaking further of my past life. “I may have survived, but those weak-minded men will not.”
Reena’s brows rose as if she wanted to say more, but she pursed her lips instead.
While she finished my hair in silence, my gaze roamed over the blood-red jewelry box before me.
It was left open for me to select one of the beautiful gleaming jewels to wear to tonight’s dinner.
I hated myself for allowing my eyes to skim over all of the gems until I found a much smaller piece—an oval ruby ring with a small serpent carved into the golden band.
The stone shone underneath the warm sconces lining the walls, and I felt myself slipping from reality and into a memory I tried to bury long ago . . .
The Serpent King slipped the ring on my finger with a startling gentleness, as if he was afraid to shatter such an intimate moment brewing between us.
“A token, to symbolize how much you mean to me.”
My heart skipped as I reveled at the beautiful jewel, but my stomach sank when I glanced up at the king.
I was elated, but the king did not match my awestruck expression.
Instead, he looked like someone stepped on his foot, his eyes pinching with pain.
“I’ll always be grateful you walked into my realm and changed everything.” He cradled my hand, his eyes desperately trying to convey something he left unsaid.
“I’ll cherish this forever. Thank you,” I whispered.
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Then, he released our clasped hands and—
I slammed the jewelry box, closing the door on the agonizing memory at the same time.
Reena jumped from the startling noise, but she quickly resumed her work. She untucked a few pieces of my hair, allowing them to fall loosely to frame my face. Such a small act made a startling difference in my appearance, softening the sharp edges of my nose and jaw.
My lady-in-waiting offered me a reassuring smile, but I saw the concern lingering in the fine lines beside her eyes. “You are all ready for dinner, Your Majesty.”
“See to it that the grand dining hall is prepared for my guest,” I said, formally dismissing her.
With a dip of her chin, she fled from my chambers. The door clicked behind her, leaving nothing behind but the crackling of the fire. Although my rooms were peaceful and quiet, my mind was the complete opposite.
It felt like someone was screaming over and over again as miserable thoughts plagued me.
You are a pathetic excuse of a queen.
You will never be as strong as the Serpent King.
We won’t bow before a monster.
Most days, I dreamed of making the voices in my head shut up, of drifting into an eternal oblivion.
Instead of acting on my self-loathing thoughts, I stewed in them as I lined my eyes with kohl, then moved on to dabbing my fingers into a pot of rouge. I patted the deep red shade on the apples of my cheeks, bringing life back into my uncharacteristically pale face.
Over my dead body would the rebels reach the Serpent King.
I’d dealt with a handful of attempted coups, For Serpent’s sake, I’d even survived a few assassination attempts—I wouldn’t allow the mortals to finally succeed in besting me.
I’d do anything to hold on to my throne, to my power.
The day I escaped my mother’s tower was the same day I refused to be rendered powerless ever again.
The bench screeched as I slid it back against the stone floors. I paced, contemplating skipping dinner altogether and proceeding straight to allowing Landon to feast on me.
I desperately needed the distraction of his tongue between my thighs.
A sharp slice of light silenced my spiraling thoughts, causing me to turn toward the floor-length mirror. I moved closer, marveling at my reflection and the gold sequins gleaming in my gown from the burning sconces.
As I ran my hands over my dress, smoothing any creases, I noticed my hands were trembling slightly.
How odd.
I usually only shook when I was extremely angry, but I didn’t feel the tell-tale sign of the burning kindling in my gut from said emotion right now.
As if they could sense the shift in my mood, Ember and Dante slithered across my shoulders, offering me the best embrace two snakes could. I forced a smile at them through the mirror, then let my eyes drift closed while trying my best to steady the peculiar feeling floating through me.
Their soft hissing comforted me while a plan to stop the rebels wove through my mind. As much as the thought made my blood boil, it might actually work . . .
Slowly, I fluttered my eyes open, my pinched red lips shining as I stared at myself through the mirror.
I didn’t express to Reena that there was a small chance one of the rebels could slip through the Serpent King’s caves.
If they were successful at making contact with that horrid male, I didn’t want to find out if he would aid them in their foolish pursuit to overthrow me.
I wouldn’t put it past the king to help the rebels after how we ended things.
I adjusted my crown, my decision solidifying as I donned the mask of the Serpent Queen for tonight’s dinner.
I’d stop the rebels myself.
But in order to do so, I had to go back to the place where I was raised—where I swore never to return to . . .
To Ashivire, the lands that broke me.