Chapter 30
The Serpent Queen
“Welcome to the Emerald Palace,” the Serpent King said, grandly gesturing to the castle shooting into the vibrant golden sky behind him.
Slowly, my eyes trailed upward, taking in the sheer size of his mother’s palace.
It was large enough to hold three of my castles within it.
The sun was beginning to descend over the rolling green hills surrounding us, casting a brilliant warm glow upon the stained glass windows lining the entire front of the structure.
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the windows as I continued to marvel at all the colorful snakes hidden within the stained glass. The only reason my attention drifted from the intricate design was because a voice as soft as silk caressed my ears.
“Welcome home, Alaric.” Her voice wasn’t the only thing that was beautiful about the female approaching us.
With her arms wide open, the king drifted forward, bending down to wrap the woman into a tight hug. My eyebrows flew up at the surprisingly affectionate gesture coming from the man who reveled in the fact he owned my soul.
“I’ve missed you, son,” his mother whispered into his ear while they warmly embraced.
I felt like I was intruding on a rather intimate moment, but I couldn’t look away from the goddess.
She was more stunning in person than the Luminoso portrayed. Her blonde hair flowed in wild waves around her heart shaped face, stirred by a warm breeze. Curiosity passed through me as I wondered what the Serpent King’s father looked like . . .
Was he the one to thank for the king’s midnight black hair that shifted to green with rays of light?
The wicked man most definitely inherited his porcelain complexion from his father, because his mother sported golden, sun-kissed skin.
She looked like the type of person who relished being outdoors, and the golden leather band adoring the crown of her head suggested she might even ride alongside the warriors, who straddled that enormous snake.
However, the goddess had a more detailed band, and I studied the serpents etched within the leather that wrapped around the entire scrap. An emerald jewel dangled from the middle, bobbing across her forehead as she finally retreated from her son’s crushing embrace.
The moment her eyes locked onto mine, I knew where the Serpent King got his piercing green gaze from. She assessed me with a severe intensity, just like her son had many times before, and I forced myself to stand taller—I refused to squirm underneath a god’s glare.
But then, as if it was a mere trick of the light, warmth flooded through her eyes, replacing the coldness that was there mere moments ago.
She moved toward me, her smile radiating as bright as the sun.
Before I could introduce myself, she wrapped her strong arms around my figure, pulling me into a tight hug.
I bit back my surprise and buried my initial urge to grasp for the dagger strapped around my thigh, ready to eliminate the threat who now wrapped her entire body around me.
No, I told myself, now was not the time.
The gods would all meet their reckoning by my hand, but, first, I needed to learn their weaknesses in order to defeat them.
“Welcome to my home,” his mother softly whispered, still squeezing into me.
It was then that I realized I did not hug her back.
When was the last time I hugged someone, if ever?
“I’ve got you,” he said, tugging me into his solid chest.
I shook off the flashes of the last time I was hugged seventy-five years ago, drifting back to the moment where I was presently feeling unbearably awkward.
But since I didn’t want the god to recognize my contempt, I lightly patted her back, all the while praying she would finally break our too-long embrace.
After what felt like a tortuous century, his mother pulled away, but she quickly grabbed ahold of one of my hands.
“Please feel free to call me Adalina. I loathe formal titles.” She continued to flash her brilliantly bright smile straight at me.
I could barely force myself to nod, but she seemed satisfied enough since she released my hand.
For Serpent’s Sake, this goddess's kindness deeply unsettled me. On top of her otherworldly beauty and kindness, she even had a stunning name.
Although Adalina and I both claimed the title of the Serpent Queen, we were complete opposites. All the way down to the fact I realized I was frowning at the goddess who still cast a warm smile in my direction.
Oh fuck, was she waiting for me to say something back to her?
I plastered the fake smile I wore everyday as the Serpent Queen onto my painted lips. Thankfully, she pushed the conversation forward, ignoring my awkward pause.
“Seera, it is so nice to finally meet you.”
“You know my name?” My brow quivered with surprise.
“Of course I do! Alaric told me all about you.” She slapped her son’s shoulder playfully, dragging my gaze to the king.
His lips were pulled into a paper thin line as he shot a withering glare at his mother.
“Is that so?” I smiled coyly at the king, who started to shift uncomfortably on his feet.
Well, well, today truly was full of a bunch of first times.
The Serpent King’s pale cheeks brightened with pink splotches, as if he was embarrassed by what his mother just revealed.
She continued on, completely oblivious at how uncomfortable she was making her son. “Oh, yes. He’s told me all about how infuriating of a woman you are. He even went as far as to say—”
The king’s low growl cut her off. “Mother, shouldn’t you greet your other guests as well?” He gave a pointed glance toward Landon and Reena, who waited a few paces behind us.
“Oh, of course. My apologies, bad habit of mine. I tend to overshare when I’m excited.” She covered her mouth with a hand, but I saw the sliver of a small smile peeking out from behind it.
Now that was music to my ears.
I gave her a sweet smile. “No need to apologize. I’d love to know more about the Serpent King’s mother, the female who also calls herself the Serpent Queen.
” I tossed my fakest smile yet at the god.
It took every scrap of my control to remain calm from my own words, even though I wanted to spit at Adalina’s feet.
“Ah, that’s right. My son told me something about you taking on that title in the Mortal Realm. How are things going for you as queen?”
I suppressed my scoff at her niceties and feigned ignorance.
All the gods surely had their own Luminoso devices to spy on us with.
“Wonderful, couldn’t be better.” The lie slipped through my teeth.
Like hell would I reveal the truth of the disarray my lands were currently in to this fraud. She may love to overshare, but I certainly did not trust Adalina one bit.
The Serpent King cocked his head at me, his lips slightly twitching into a knowing smile.
He could tell I was lying, yet he didn’t tattle to his mother. He only stared at me with narrowed eyes, curiosity replacing his amusement as he worked on figuring out what game I was playing at.
Little did he know, the king was the biggest wild card in the game I was mapping out on how exactly to defeat the gods. Although we were allies in this moment—merely to defeat the Ice Goddess—I would never reveal all my nefarious ploys to him.
He broke my trust the night of our bargain, and it would not be something easily won back.
Besides, I didn’t think he would take my plan to kill his mother and all the rest of the gods very well.
“So, who did you bring with you to my home?” Adalina’s cheery voice pulled me from my scheming thoughts.
“Allow me to introduce my lady-in-waiting, Reena, and my bodyguard, Landon.” I motioned for them to step forward.
Reena bowed into a deep curtsy. “Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty.”
I bristled at her overly polite greeting, not liking how it felt to have my lady-in-waiting bowing to someone else, let alone calling them ‘Your Majesty.’
As if she could sense my irritation, Reena glanced sideways at me. Her eyes widened, as if to say sorry, but I only narrowed my eyes at my lady-in-waiting’s shriveling figure to let her know we would speak about this when we were alone.
“The pleasure is all mine, Reena.” Adalina grabbed her hand, causing a bloom of color to spread across Reena’s pale cheeks.
Then, the god set her sights on Landon, gently dropping Reena’s hand as her eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“And that must mean you’re Landon.”
He offered Adalina a stiff bow, not as deep as Reena’s, but still very unpleasant to witness.
“Thank you for welcoming us to your lands,” Landon said, not making eye contact with her.
“As I said, the pleasure is all mine.” She practically purred the words at my bodyguard, her gaze soaking in every glorious inch of him.
My blood heated from the way she was looking at my bodyguard.
The feeling of possessiveness sparked through my chest, and it rattled me—I never felt such a strong urge to keep Landon solely to myself, as if he were my own personal belonging. Maybe, like the Serpent King, I too had a bad tendency to be possessive over people.
I loudly cleared my throat and stepped in front of my bodyguard, cutting off the god’s roaming eyes to focus back on me.
“Adalina, would you be so kind as to show us your home and allow us to get settled? The journey to your palace was quite exhausting.” I internally cringed at how proper and regal I was acting.
But if I had to play by the royal handbook to have her not grow wary of my true intentions, I’d grin and bear it.
Adalina softly patted her hand against her forehead. “Of course, where are my manners?! Right this way.” She linked her arm through mine, leading me straight through the arched entry doors.
They, too, were completely made of emerald stained glass, and the serpent designs shimmered a blinding gold as the sunset streamed through the window panes.
“How does a warm bath and a home cooked meal sound? I was about to whip up my famous tomato soup and a side of fresh cheesy bread, but, if that isn’t to your liking, I can make something else for you?”
My nose scrunched in distaste. “You make your own food?”
“Who else would?” She laughed, making my irritation coil within me like a venomous serpent because even her laugh was beautiful.
I hid my growing temper, opting for an incredulous tone as I replied, “Perhaps, your servants?”
Her lips turned down into a frown. “Oh, Seera. We don’t use that term in my realm.
My people are my equals, and those who serve me in my palace do so out of their own free will.
I handle creating most of the meals for my staff—I’ve always loved cooking.
” She squeezed my arm, and I forced my lips to tilt up instead of the scowl it wanted to fall into.
Gods, this female was far too nice for my liking. I’d rather lead her to one of my infamous executions than take a tour of her gaudy palace, but I had a role to play in the game we entered the moment I set foot in her realm—well, tumbled into.
“Tomato soup sounds wonderful.” My words tasted sugary rolling off my tongue, and the craving to taste something bitter raced through me.
I desperately needed to sort out how I was going to get my daily fix of fear while in the Emerald Glades, for it seemed like no one had any reason to live in such a state of emotion here.
I’d have to resort to bringing Ember and Dante out while Reena was around if I couldn’t come up with a better plan, since there was no way I’d survive multiple days without consuming a lick of fear.
Adalina led me further into her home, all the while pointing out small details within the stained glass windows.
I prompted her to answer casual questions about the history of the Emerald Glades, along with her interests.
She easily indulged me in anything I wanted to know the entire way to my new chambers, and I greedily soaked up every piece of knowledge she divulged, hoping it would aid in my plan to defeat her one day.
I smiled sweetly at the goddess who spilled her secrets to a complete stranger, at the so-called Serpent Queen who failed to notice the deadly serpent she had just willingly welcomed into her home.