The thing Lunelle hated most.Uncertainty.
She made her exit the moment Oestera fielded a final question from a councilwoman, aiming for the bed she’d missed every night for months.
“Lunelle.”
Arcas appeared from the edge of the gardens between her bedroom and the Celestial Hall, his expression an unreadable mask.
“I have no interest in games today, Arcas,” Lunelle muttered as she brushed by him, ignoring her name as he called it twice more.
For the first time in weeks, she desired to actually be alone.
She’d donea great job of hiding from the rest of the world for most of the night.
So much so that she’d missed Lura’s soft footsteps as they found her in her study, unable to sleep, despite her exhaustion.
“Lunelle?”
She glanced up from her book—not that she’d retained a single word—and was instantly up as Lura’s expression sparked a panic in her.
“What’s happened?”
“Your sister?—”
“Oh, gods, what did my mother do?—”
“No,” Lura laughed. “Not your mother. Though if she knew, she’d have your sister imprisoned. I was just out in the gardens, and one of the guards saw her leave with the Mercurians.”
Lunelle rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Where?”
Lura cleared her throat, her eyes glancing out Lunelle’s window at the expansive aurora in the sky.
“The Rift.”
“Mother above,” Lunelle sighed. She was already on her way through the door and into her dressing room. “That godsdamned traitor!”
Lunelle ripped through her clothing, searching for a pair of pants amongst the gowns and dresses. Her fingers ran over a pair of old riding leathers she’d never put to work, and she wasted no time yanking them on.
“Here’s your cloak,” Lura said. “And your dagger.”
Lura pushed a cool metal dagger into her hand, and Lunelle’s heart stuttered. She knew the handle bore a Mercurian seal.
“Are you coming with me?” Lunelle asked Lura.
She shook her head. “Ameera and I will keep watch here. We’ll send someone if your mother comes calling.”
Lunelle twisted her long braid into a crown atop her head, pinning it with a silver star before tucking Mirquios’s dagger into her boot.
“Goddesspeed, Lu,” Lura said.
“Pray for Mercury’s foolish king and his asinine commander, not me,” Lunelle chuckled darkly.
ChapterTwenty-Five
“Sir?”
The barkeep’s eyes flickered from the crates beneath the aventurine slab to the silver-haired demigoddess in the doorway. His heart stopped. He knew her face.
“Your—Your Majesty?”
