Chapter 16
A soft knock came from the bedroom door.
“Come in,” I called as I adjusted the sleeves of my mint-colored Atlantian-style jumper.
Queens be damned, I planned to stroll into the Queens’ Council Chamber with my human clothes. My mind drifted to Draevyn, to Dad, and what they might have to say about it. An overwhelming feeling of guilt tried to push itself to the forefront. I’d been attempting to block it out all day but failed to.
Earlier that morning, I’d soaked in the luxurious black stone in-ground tub in my bathroom and rested my head on the lip—wondering if I was being stubborn about summoning my scales or if this was just me standing up for the humans. As the intoxicating aromas of eucalyptus and chamomile rose on tendrils of steam and permeated the air, I’d tried to convince myself that my actions were noble, that this was about the humans. But as my scales shimmered through the breaks in the bubbles that blanketed the tub, I knew I wasn’t being honest with myself.
Walking into this meeting with the queens in my scales was a declaration of sorts, one I didn’t know I was truly worthy of. It meant that I had accepted my place, my mark. It meant that I had fully embraced being a Water Fae. Gone were the days of slipping into my favorite pair of jeans, my beloved tanks, and their witty sayings I loved so much. My clothes were my skin in many ways. They represented who I was. Accepting my Water Fae form meant I was a part of this realm.
And I didn’t fully feel that I was. Especially not after my last encounter with the Akani. These thoughts repeated until the water grew cold, forcing me to end my bath and face the day that lay ahead.
The bedroom door slammed against the wall with a bang, causing me to startle. Reneah entered with her arms filled with a heavy-looking white coat and my brows furrowed. “What in the world do I need that for?”
She laid the coat across the bed. “This would be for your Quarterly Queendoms meeting.”
“Goddess. Where in the world are we meeting? Antarctica?”
Reneah’s deep brown eyes blinked a few times. “Um. Yes, actually.”
I couldn’t move. I absolutely detested the cold. Snow was meant to be admired, not experienced. I was Floridian, after all. “Uh, I was joking.”
“I’m not,” Reneah said, smoothing out the long, wool-like coat. “Hence why I’m here with your coat.”
I gaped at her for a long moment. “You mean to tell me that the Quarterly Queendoms meeting is in Antarctica? For real, for real?”
She spun and placed her hands on her hips. “Yes, for real, for real. There’s no better place for the meeting. The soil is frozen, so the Earth Fae can’t use it against anyone. The water is frozen, so you can’t use it against them. I suppose if the Fire Fae really tried, they could conjure a flame, but then they’d melt the ice and give you an advantage. And the Air Fae could use the air against all of you, but then you’d all freeze to death. It’s not completely foolproof, and I’m told that the Queendoms council chamber is magicked by the goddess to keep the peace. So, it’s an advantage for everyone.”
“An advantage for everyone except for my limbs, which will be frozen to death.” I shivered as a phantom chill spread through my body.
“Well, that’s why I brought you your coat, silly. Besides, when you enter the portal, it’ll take you directly to the chamber. So you won’t be in the cold for long.” Reneah paused, assessing my clothing while biting her lip. “You’re sure you want to do this? I don’t mean it disrespectfully, but it’s a risk. The other queens will see it as a weakness, not a declaration.”
I blew out a breath. “Yeah…yes. I’m sure.”
Reneah’s head dipped in a nod as she pulled the coat off the bed, holding it out to me. “You need to get going. Your father is waiting at the temple.”
I took the coat from her, my eyes planted on the ground. “Right. The temple. The portal.” They’d explained the portal to the Queendoms Council chamber. The idea of going through some magical void set me on edge.
Reneah dipped her head in my line of sight. “Chin up, Ash. Your father will be there with you, and Draevyn is going as well. You’re not alone.”
I flashed a warm smile. “Thank you.”
I hastened for the front door, finding Draevyn in the hallway when I emerged from my quarters. He turned toward me as it opened. “Hello, Prin—” Whatever smile he’d had quickly fell, his lips forming into a thin line as he appraised my clothing.
The heat that crept up my neck couldn’t be helped. I straightened to full height and I cleared my throat. “Hello, Draevyn.”
He plucked the coat from my hand. “Come. Your canoa is waiting below. We don’t want to be late,” he said, a twinge of anger lacing his voice. The walk from my quarters to the front of the palace where Braeliah waited in her canoa was a blur of intensity, my heart thumping rapidly the entire time. I breathed in deeply as I slid onto the bench and kept my gaze on the floor before me despite feeling his furious gaze on me as we rolled toward the Shingu River.
When the canoa descended into the river with a mighty splash, I made the mistake of glancing his way. Draevyn skewered me with unflinching fury. “Why?”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Why what?”
“You know what.”
I straightened my spine. “I don’t believe I do.”
“Bullshit.”
I gripped the ledge of my seat and looked away before whispering, “I have no right to be there.”
The tension in our little canoa thickened. “Stop the canoa, Braeliah!” Draevyn bellowed.
“Yes, sir!”
The canoa gave a sudden jerk. Draevyn rose from his side of the bench to stand directly before me. I shrieked when his arms went underneath my legs and behind my back, lifting me to his chest. “What are you doing?” I cried out.
“Teaching.”
“What do you mean teaching ?”
Draevyn's swift motion caught me off guard; I hadn't expected his next move until he was leaping over the side of the canoa, holding me tightly in his arms. I couldn't even draw in a breath before the water engulfed us. Draevyn held me firmly to him as I squirmed in his grip, desperate to make it to the surface for air.
“ Morph .” Frustration and disdain were wrapped up in the tone of his demand. “ You know how to do this, Asherah. Morph.”
I paused my thrashing and gave him a pleading glare, but Draevyn was unflinching. I knew I was running away from a part of myself. He knew it, too. And when I beheld what lay beneath all the frustration, disdain, and anger laced in his penetrating gaze, I finally broke. It was the confidence, the determination, and the trust that had me call my scales to the surface, the edges whispering against my garments as they spread across my body. Draevyn dropped his arm from underneath my legs and palmed the side of my neck, my heart thumping as my air supply depleted.
“ You. Are. Water. Fae. Breathe the water in. Do it. ”
Despite being surrounded by water, I could feel the tears well in my eyes until finally, I submitted. My hands came up to grip his forearms as I opened my mouth, taking in the Shingu—breathing it in.
“ That’s it. Breathe. ”
My toes became scrunched in my silk slippers as the webbing emerged. His coarse thumb traced back and forth across my jawline in a soothing motion as a small smile finally emerged on his breathtaking face. “ There you are. ”
I breathed a few more pulls of water, our gazes fixed on each other, the shock of what he’d done dissipating. The world outside the river waited for us, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
“ I want you to listen to me carefully,” Draevyn began. “ You do have a right to be there. ” He grabbed my wrist, turning it over. “ Do not forget that the goddess herself gave you this mark .” He traced the protective layer on my fingers with a gentle touch. “ Do not forget that regardless of where you were raised, this beautiful coat lies beneath the surface of your skin, along with those beautiful toes that are surely packed in those slippers. ” He caught my chin between a thumb and forefinger. “ There is not an inch of your being that is not Water Fae. Every part of your body is rightfully yours. No one can take that away from you, Asherah. You are meant to be here among us. You are one of us.”
A long pause stretched before I dipped my head in a subtle nod. “ Yes, Draevyn. I’m Water Fae .”
My heart positively swelled when his lips kicked up in a satisfied grin. “ I’m glad to hear it. ” His arms came under my legs once more, his other held firmly across my back. “Now, let’s go above water and get you dry.”
His long, muscular legs cut through the water, propelling us through the surface. Draevyn summoned a wave of water at his feet, guiding us inside the canoa, where he gently set me on the deck. “We’re ready, Braeliah.”
“Yes, sir!” The canoa kicked into motion a second later.
I stomped my way into the cabin, leaving various puddles of water that formed on the deck from my soaking wet garments—Draevyn nipping at my heels.
“Let me help you get dry.” He lifted his palm and pulled the water drop after drop from my body, sending it back through the cabin door and into the river. Within seconds, my hair was dry and cascading down my back, my clothes were impeccably dry, and when I looked into the mirror hanging against the wall of the small cabin, I had only to wipe away the small smudge of eyeliner to erase the last remnants of Draevyn’s lesson .
I turned to him fully, unsure whether to be outraged or thankful.
His hands flexed at his sides. “I know you’re mad.”
“You think?”
He gave me a sheepish smirk that had me fighting a smile. “But maybe just a little happy?”
I sighed and wrapped my arms around my middle. “Maybe. You could have picked a better time for your lesson .”
“It was as good a time as any. And you needed this.” He stepped closer to me, his body heat radiating from him—his gaze softening as he regarded me. “Take them off, Asherah.”
I didn’t dare to look away from him. I didn’t dare look too closely at the significance behind his demand and this moment. I had donned my scales and intended to keep them. There was just one final act to make.
It was time.
A smirk emerged on my face as I held his gaze. “Why are you always trying to get me to take off my clothes?”
He said nothing as I pulled down the sleeves, my hands shaking. His stare became something else entirely as I revealed every scale on my body to him, what lay hidden under the garments that now rested at my feet. There was something almost predatory, instinctively primal, about the way he gaped at me. My scales displayed in the same style as they were the first day they had emerged. He crouched before me, never moving his eyes from mine as he removed my silk slippers. When he rose, he kept his body within an inch of mine, and I forgot how to breathe. Draevyn Eliron was mesmerizing. I couldn’t look away. But he slowly stepped back and placed the garments and slippers on the bureau before the mirror, and I instantly missed his body so close to mine. “You are ready,” he said, bringing us back to the moment.
My hands fidgeted before my waist. “I don’t feel ready.”
He encompassed my hands with his. “I will not lie to you and say that the other queens will welcome you with open arms. The Queen of Earthos will likely be a silent participant. Airelandia is your closest ally who typically keeps the peace, which will be needed because the Queen of Corenathia is a viper. I want you to listen to me carefully. You do not show her weakness. Do not give her the opportunity. She’ll take it and attempt to provoke you at every turn. You rise above it. You hear me?”
Draevyn’s intensity cut right through my self-doubt. I willed another deep breath. “I understand.”
“Good.” He broke out in a radiant smile. “You look stunning in your scales, Asherah Delmar.”
I tsked. “You shameless flirt.”
“Only with you,” he said with a wink.
I couldn’t help but laugh. He joined in, and our laughter filled the small canoa cabin, cutting through the intensity. Draevyn’s methods might have been slightly extreme, but I felt better about facing the other queens. “Thank you.”
“Anytime, my Queen. Anytime.”
We climbed the steps to the Temple of Atabey, where Dad stood, chatting with the Bohiti Loma—a long wool coat similar to mine draped over his arm. When we caught his attention in his periphery, he excused himself to greet us.
“Hey, Sher Bear. How are you feeling?” he asked, pulling me into one of my favorite hugs.
“About as you would expect.”
He drew back. “So, nervous as hell then?”
“Yup.”
His head dipped in a nod, his dark hair lightly brushing the olive skin of his forehead. “Sounds about right. But at least you’ve mastered your scales. That makes me a proud father.”
I swallowed past the lump that instantly formed in my throat. “Thanks, Dad.”
His dark brown eyes traveled over my shoulder. “Draevyn. Good to see you.” I couldn’t help but notice the clipped tone.
“You as well, Your Highness.”
I cleared my throat and raised a brow at Dad, to which he cocked his head in question—a smirk pulling at his lips. He held his elbow out to me. “Shall we?”
“Like I have an option,” I muttered, lacing my arm through his.
Our brisk steps carried us to the back of the temple just past the pyre. I didn’t give it much attention, and the way Dad blocked it from my view told me he understood my unease. A tall archway with its tip pointing to the top of the temple occupied the furthest wall. Oddly enough, there was no entryway, just a solid wall of sandstone blocks within it. My brow furrowed when our steps could go no further. Draevyn stopped silent as a predator in the night just a few feet behind us. “Um. How are we—”
“Coming! Coming!” the Bohiti called from behind us, launching across the vast open space of the temple with a comforting smile. She skillfully crushed ingredients in her fire-red clay mortar and with a matching pestle. “For as often as I’ve done this, you would think I’d be prepared. And yet, I always seem to run on HPST.”
“HPST?” I asked.
“High Priestess Standard Time,” she informed with a wink of her obsidian eye. Draevyn’s amused chuckle reached my ears. She deftly gathered the substance in the bowl on the tips of her delicate fingers. “No matter what we do, time seems to slip away.” Her long, silky black hair shifted as she wheeled around to the archway, smearing the substance on the stone before her. The Bohiti lathered every crevasse of a symbol etched in the stone that I hadn’t initially noticed. My eyes narrowed on the symbol that matched the one on my wrist, save for the dot. When thoroughly satisfied with her work, she set her bowl on the ground and began her incantation, the spell rolling off her tongue with practiced ease. While her words were unfamiliar, my scales began to prickle with awareness. I gasped as the symbol before us expanded into a large black mass as dark as a midnight sky—a twinkle or two winking in the expanse.
Dad stepped forward, and my breath quickened. When I didn’t move—couldn’t move—he glanced my way. “It’s okay, Sher. I’ve done this a million times. I promise you’ll be fine.”
Panic swelled up inside me, threatening to consume me whole, but when Draevyn’s hand brushed the small of my back, the panic began to ease. “You can do this, Ash,” his soothing, baritone voice encouraged.
I blew out a breath and reached back, threading my fingers through his. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
The gesture didn’t escape my father’s notice as that knowing smirk returned to his face. He squeezed my arm tight to his side as we stepped beyond the archway with Draevyn in tow. Pure, black darkness enveloping us, snuffing out the light of Atlantis.
The immediate euphoria that followed was entirely unexpected. In college, I rarely had time to partake in parties or any of the extracurricular activities students were into. Chrissy often recanted her escapades—both of a sexual nature and of the substances she experimented with. Those stories are the only knowledge I had to describe what it felt like to indulge in the million types of substances that run rampant on college campuses. But as I fell through this vast expanse with only a few specks blinking in a brief wink, I’d have to imagine those simple human pleasures were nothing in comparison. The portal was ten times any feeling of pleasure I’d ever had. And I didn’t know if I had the willpower to break from it.
When small, bright particles of light began gathering before us—the different colors shifting into bright greens, deep golds, and cerulean blue—my teeth clenched. The picturesque landscape, with its rolling hills of the whitest snow and the bluest of skies, was not enough to deter my longing to stay in the void.
To stay indefinitely.
“No,” I murmured. “No, no, no.”
The void was safe and warm. It invited me like a cozy fire on a cold winter day.
‘ But even fire can burn, Asherah. ’ A familiar feminine voice penetrated my void lust. ‘ Step into the light. ’
My breathing accelerated as I tried to reason with myself, some small part of me fighting like hell to remember who I was.
Asherah.
Heir.
Save the humans.
I breathed in deeply, focusing on the picturesque landscape before me. The familiar voice—one I began to recognize as my mother’s—encouraged again. ‘ Step into the light. ”
And when the arch before me solidified with a sea of blinding white snow beyond, I stepped into the light.
I’d have to remember to express my unending gratitude to Reneah when I returned to Atlantis for the heavy coat she’d made sure I’d left with. The frigid wind cut into my bones as I clung to my father’s arm. A stark white sea of snow reached as far as the Fae eye could see, meeting the crystal blue horizon before us. There was no telling which direction we were headed. There wasn’t a single structure or any other living being in sight. I found out just how much cold my protective layering of skin could withstand as the biting wind assaulted my face. My teeth began to chatter, and tiny frosted drops gathered on my lashes. Dad pulled me forward as Draevyn placed a hand on the small of my back, pushing me against the wind. I glanced at Dad in confusion, hoping my facial features conveyed my question since I found myself incapable of forming words with my tongue frozen to the roof of my mouth.
“Just a few more yards,” he called over the roaring wind.
Draevyn moved in closer to shield me from the onslaught when I began to shiver violently—his thick, brown wool coat flapping in the wind behind him. My webbed toes stiffened with every step, the cold becoming increasingly unbearable. Dad stopped abruptly and knelt in the snow, tugging me down to join him. My mouth would have fallen open had it not been frozen shut. A puddle of water sat untouched and unmoved, like a tiny, hand-sized lake surrounded by miniature blinding white mountains covered in snow. How any unfrozen water existed in the frigid temperature remained a mystery, but I knew better than to question the magic of the Fae. I was beginning to learn that anything was possible.
Dad led my hand to the puddle of water, and upon touching the surface, the landscape before us rippled. An array of colors emerged like a mirage in a snowy desert landscape. A pathway made of tiny stones of blue and gray led to a charcoal-colored stone building with tall Roman columns supporting a dark metal dome roof. They lifted me from the ground, rushing forward.
The moment our feet hit the pathway, the air around us warmed considerably—my fingers and toes welcoming the heat with profound relief. My teeth chattering began to subside, and I breathed a few lungfuls of cool air.
“I’ll never get used to that,” Dad complained, shaking out his coat.
Draevyn blew into his palms and rubbed his hands together. “It makes me desperate for the warmer Atlantian waters. Goddess, it’s cold.”
As the warm air defrosted my limbs, I removed my heavy coat and surveyed the area before the chamber, noticing all the intricate details. Lush green moss bracketed the pathway, a small stream trickling alongside. My brows furrowed. “I thought we weren’t allowed water here?”
Dad tilted his head. “We’re not allowed a massive amount of water, but the stream is more symbolic than it is useful to us. I imagine the other queens’ entrances are also decorated with their elements. But, unfortunately, it’s inside the chamber where your powers will be rendered useless.”
I breathed out a sigh. “My powers are useless.”
Draevyn cut me a scolding look. “None of that, Asherah. Your powers are not useless. You need to go in there confidently.”
“He’s right,” Dad agreed, placing his cool palm on my shoulder. “If you show even an ounce of self-doubt, the queens will eat you alive. Remember, you are meant to be here.”
I nodded, not feeling even the slightest bit ready for the inevitable meeting. “So, what happens now?”
Draevyn took the coat from my hand. “You and your father will enter the chamber. I’ll stand guard outside.”
“When we enter the chamber, there’ll be a large round table with four chairs. Yours will be directly in front of you,” Dad advised as we strode down the pathway, the stones crunching beneath our feet. “Only the queens are permitted to sit in those chairs. You’ll take your place, and I’ll stand behind you as your regent. There’ll be lots of talking. Plenty of arguing, I’m sure. Try not to intervene this time and simply observe. They’ll no doubt try to needle you.”
I blew out a harsh breath as we reached the chamber door. The tall, imposing frame with its dark metal handles and fastenings loomed over us. I gripped the handle and pushed it open—the ancient wooden door squeaking on weathered hinges—entering with all the confidence I could muster. I risked one last glance at Draevyn, soaking in all the encouragement in his Caribbean-green gaze—his dark hair framing his gorgeous face. I let loose a breath as Dad closed the door behind me and hung his coat on a steel hook on the wall behind the door.
A round oak table sat perfectly positioned in the center of the round room—a few weathered books and light leather journals scattered on its surface. A pair of females sat in two of the four opulent upholstered chairs surrounding it. Tiny dust motes floated in the air, the near-blinding sunlight casting its rays through a tall rectangular window on the opposite side of the chamber. I took in the multiple ancient tomes and aging scrolls lining the walls that seemed to reach the darkest corners of the circular, dark metal roof. As my steps carried me to the table, their heads snapped in my direction—my father’s clipped steps sounding behind me. The females stood, staring at me with two very different types of expressions; one with a warm smile, the other with a look of trepidation, both just as intense as the other.
“Hello, Princess Asherah,” the female said with a warm smile—her dark brown eyes observing me with interest. Wings with feathers of the brightest white unfurled behind her, complementing her beautiful, dark chocolate complexion. Her long black hair hung in perfect curls down to her waist. She was, in short, a marvel—the stuff tales of angels were written about. “I am Queen Laenah Karaya of Airelandia. And this is Queen Ayi Jiba of Earthos,” she said, motioning to the female beside her. Queen Ayi’s forest green eyes scanned me with neither contempt nor approval, long locks of her fire engine flowy red hair shifting as she nodded in greeting.
“You must call me Laenah, of course,” she beamed, her hands folded primly over her white satin trumpet-style dress. Why I was expected to don my scales while the queens so clearly could do otherwise would be one of the first questions I’d ask as soon as we breached the realm of Atlantis.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. And please, call me Ash,” I replied. I gave Queen Ayi a passing glance and found her intense glare still upon me—no first name given. Fair enough.
“Regent, good to see you again,” Laenah addressed Dad. “It’s always nice to have a male presence in the Queendoms chamber.”
“Says you,” Queen Ayi murmured.
He bowed slightly. “It is nice to see you both as well.”
The chamber door flung open with a violent thud against the wall, startling us all. I thought it might’ve been a gust of wind, but it turned out I wasn’t so lucky. A fierce female with facial features set into a severe expression strode powerfully into the room. Her bright blond hair was pulled tightly at the back of her head, causing her prominent cheekbones to stand out. The deep red fabric of her floor-length gown floated behind her in a gust of wind. She neither greeted nor acknowledged anyone in the room; she strolled to the chair neighboring mine and slid into her seat—slamming the weathered journal she’d been carrying upon the table.
“I don’t think I need to remind you, Regent, that your attendance here is a privilege,” she seethed, thumbing through the pages of the journal to a fresh blank page.
I quirked an eyebrow at him. He cleared his throat. “Yes, Queen Sessi. I understand. I’m here as Regent and to support my daughter.”
Queen Sessi’s steely gray eyes lifted, landing on me. They traveled from the tallest standing strand of my dark hair to the tips of my webbed toes and back. “Yes, yes. Support your daughter. It’s a wonder how she’ll manage when she is crowned Queen. Whatever will she do without her Daddy?”
“Enough of the dramatics, Sessi. We have important matters to discuss,” Queen Ayi admonished. She folded the skirt of her rich emerald green dress beneath her as she sat on my other side, and my head did a double take. It was no dress Queen Ayi wore but hundreds of palm-sized leaves skillfully drawn together to form her gown. I couldn’t help but admire the intricacy.
“Indeed. And better to discuss these things diplomatically,” Laenah added, sitting with a plop in her chair—her bright wings vanishing as she shuffled it forward with a loud scrape against the stone floor.
Sessi pulled a black marble pen from its home on the side of her journal with a huff. “Polite diplomacy is more your thing than mine, Queen Laenah. I prefer a more blunt approach.”
“No shit,” I heard Dad murmur under his breath.
Sessi scowled in his direction. “I hope you understand that you do not get a chair at this table, male ,” she said contemptuously.
“Yes, Queen Sessi. I understand,” he replied in a borderline tone of boredom. “I stand by my daughter. Nothing more.”
I perched delicately on the black velvet of my chair, feeling impossibly small around the three queens. Imposter. You’re an imposter .
No, you are not. You are meant to be in that chamber.
Draevyn’s voice bellowed in my head. Whether it was real or my subconscious, I couldn’t tell.
I breathed carefully, shifting my gaze to the right to find Sessi’s eyes boring into my skull. “I understand condolences are in order,” she said dryly.
I could hear the blood rushing to my head. “You dare to offer condolences when one of your own took her life?”
The other queens stiffened in their chairs, their eyes pinging between us. Sessi’s perfectly pink lips pursed in a thin line, and her head tilted with predatorial precision. “I said they were in order. I never said I would provide them.”
Laenah clapped her hands together. “Of course, yes. Our sincerest condolences for the loss of your mother. Neleah was a lovely female and Queen.”
“My condolences as well,” Queen Ayi provided as she gave a terse nod.
They glared at Sessi expectantly, but she only scowled back at them before waving her hand in the air with a sigh. “Yes, yes. What they said. Now, can we please get back to the meeting?”
I wanted to rip her throat out and scream how she’d been responsible for ordering Mom’s murder, but I remembered the words Dad gave me a few days ago in a warning. There is no proof of her involvement yet, and we mustn't accuse the Queen during the meeting. But goddess, how I wanted to.
Laenah cleared her throat. “Right, the first item on our agenda—”
“An item needs to be added to today’s agenda,” Sessi rudely interrupted. She sat back in her chair, twining her burgundy polished fingers in her lap. “Please add the topic of Princess Asherah’s existence. Perhaps now that she’s present, the Regent can answer the question we’ve been asking of him these past few months. We need to know how she existed without our knowledge.” She glared over my shoulder where Dad stood.
Laenah scribbled down on the parchment before her. “Right. Item has been added. Moving on. The first topic to discuss is the plan for the upcoming ice age.”
Sessi scoffed. “I do not see why we need a plan. We already know what must be done.”
“Which does not align with what the goddess calls us to do,” Queen Ayi voiced in a tone that left no room for argument. “Going against the goddess’s wishes will call her fury upon us. The Queendom of Earthos will have no part in it.”
“She is right, Sessi,” Laenah agreed with a grimace when Sessi turned her steely gaze in her direction. “We cannot go against the goddess’s wishes. This is Atabey’s will.”
Sessi huffed and leaned forward, placing her clasped hands on the tabletop. “May I remind you that the scholars in Corenathia have interpreted the texts differently. We will have our humans. They are a gift to the Fae from the goddess.”
“The hell they are.” I couldn’t hold my tongue with that decree.
Sessi shifted her attention to me, an evil smirk pulling at her lips. “Ah, of course. The little human want-to-be would have a problem with us fulfilling our roles as the masters of the human race. No matter where she was raised, they’ve instilled those human-empathizing Atlantian values. Always trying to save the poor, innocent humans.”
I tilted my head. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“You act like humans have any other purpose than to serve us. We are the superior species. That’s what the goddess wants, and for a millennium, your queendoms have treated them like they are called for something more.” She turned her attention to the queens. “Look at what’s happening in the Above World. They’ve become too brazen, too comfortable. They look at their short lives and figure that if they’re only on earth for a little while, who cares if they destroy the world? It doesn’t affect them. They won’t be here anyway, but their children will. And they don’t even care about their children’s future.”
Queen Ayi let out a soft chuckle. “That is rich. You speak of caring for children like you actually care about your own.”
“Queen Ayi,” Laenah hissed. “Please try to be civil.”
“Furthermore,” Sessi continued without a denial, “they are destroying each other.”
“And we’re what? Not destroying each other?” Queen Ayi remarked, her red brow lifting.
Sessi lifted a shoulder. “Our conflicts are completely avoidable if you all would just conform.”
“The Queendom of Earthos doesn’t answer to you. We answer to the goddess and no other. Please remember that the next time you decide to spew your extremism.” Queen Ayi paused, turning her attention to Laenah and myself—her rich green eyes in stark contrast to her cream-colored skin. “At the request of Queen Sessi Nacan of Corenathia, our scholars have reviewed the texts and concluded that the humans’ true nature is not to serve the Fae but to live in unison with us. Therefore, the Queendom of Earthos will be happy to take in our share of the humans before the ice age commences. We will sign the proclamation.”
“Wonderful,” Laenah beamed, her bright white teeth peeking through her dark, full-lipped smile. “As stated in the previous queendoms meeting, the Queendom of Airelandia will also sign the proclamation. With Queen Neleah’s initial creation of the proclamation, that makes three queendoms—”
“Does it, though?” Sessi interjected. “As far as I understand, Atlantis doesn’t have a Queen.”
“No thanks to you.” The words escaped my lips before I could think better of them. The room fell eerily silent. I caught Dad’s curse under his breath behind me.
Sessi’s face turned beet red. “What exactly are you accusing me of, Princess?” She spat the question through gritted teeth. Frustration and disdain were laced with every word.
“You know exactly what I’m accusing you of.”
“Where’s your proof?”
“The proof is in how the Fire Fae attacked me both in the Above World and Atlantis. The proof is in the way I sit in this chair, and my mother doesn’t.”
“Princess Asherah,” Laenah said with kind eyes, “unfortunately, those are very tall accusations to make against a queen with no evidence. I feel for you and your father. I feel for the whole queendom of Atlantis, but we cannot accuse Queen Sessi of such a thing. Those were a few rogue Fire Fae.”
I heard what she didn’t say: those were a few rogue Fire Fae until we could prove otherwise. I shifted my attention to Sessi. “The Queendom of Atlantis will have their Queen.”
Sessi smiled knowingly. “That’s not what I hear. I hear that your little council is quite set on booting you out. How very diplomatic of them. How very against the calling of the goddess, with that mark upon your skin. It seems the Atlantians only want to follow the goddess’s rules when it serves their purpose, does it not?” Sessi leaned back in her chair. “With that said, the proclamation is void until the Queendom of Atlantis has a Queen.”
“They will have their Queen,” Dad answered.
“No one invited you to speak, Regent,” Sessi hissed. “But now that your mouth is moving, perhaps you could explain why you never informed us of your Heir.”
“That is mine and Neleah’s business. Not yours. We don’t go around telling you what to do with your children. Otherwise, we might encourage you not to squirrel them away for their entire existence.”
“How dare—”
“It would be nice to know why you did it, Regent,” Laenah interrupted. “It was a bit of a shock to find out you had a faeling and didn’t tell us.” I could have sworn there was hurt in her brown eyes.
His hands landed softly on my shoulders. “Neleah and I did what we thought the goddess would want for our daughter: for her to understand the humans and their nature and for Asherah to develop compassion for them before the coming ice age. No heir has been raised amongst the Above World humans. Given that Asherah has grown into a wonderful female with a heart that encompasses the whole world, I’m confident we did the right thing, and I know Neleah would say the same.
“Our desire to keep her existence from the rest of the realms was simple; we wanted to protect her. And seeing how the moment others discovered her existence, her life was perilous, it appears we did the right thing.”
“How touching,” Sessi said, sarcasm dripping from her tone. “Anyway, we’ll wait to see what the Queendom of Atlantis does with their Heir. Since the rest of the items on the agenda deal with the upcoming ice age and we are clearly at an impasse, this meeting is officially over.” She stood precipitously, her chair screeching against the stone. “This has been so enjoyable, as always.” She gathered her journal and strode for the chamber entrance. “Until next time.”
My gaze followed her until the chamber door clicked shut. A renewed energy filled my soul, my calling more evident than ever before. I wouldn’t let that spawn of hatred take one single human into Corenathia, and I’d fight till my last breath.