“And he warned you not to tell anyone.” The two jumped at the sound of Queen Valeriya’s voice. She towered above them with a frown tugging at her lips.
“Queen Valeriya—”
“Enough, Elyse. Az was clear of the consequences if you told anyone.” She paused with a sigh. “I trust Marietta with this knowledge, but you both must never speak of this again.
Marietta flinched. The Queen must not have known about the night prior to trust her still.
“You knew?” cried Elyse.
“I did. You both need to listen to me carefully,” she said, a translucent bubble appearing around them, muffling the yellingcoming from the suite. “If either of you speaks a word of his name, you will be killed. Even I can’t protect you,” she said, her icy blue eyes locked with Marietta, “regardless of our relationship. Understood?”
“No,” Marietta said, anger stirring. “I don’t understand—”
“Enough, Marietta. You and I will speak in a week. I’ll send you the details.”
Confusion crossed Elyse’s features, eyes glancing between the two. Marietta only nodded her head.
“Good. Now I’m going to drop the barrier and force Keyain and Gyrsh out of the suite. I suggest both of you lie low for a few days for both of your latest exploits.” Queen Valeriya gave Marietta a pointed stare, turning her gut to ice.
Gods, she did know.
Marietta and Elyse remained on the floor as Queen Valeriya left the room. After the commotion from the suite died down, the Queen ushering the men out, Elyse leaned into Marietta. “Does it ever stop hurting?” she whispered.
Marietta’s heart shattered, her voice so small and broken, but she didn’t have it in her to lie. “No,” she whispered back. “You just make room for it.”
Pain from love was long-lasting. After she left Keyain, he remained in a forgotten part of herself. Tilan remained as well. For the men she loved were etched into her heart, forever branded there. Yes, both lied and lied continuously, but Marietta still loved parts of them. That didn’t just fade away.
Elyse was about to learn that pain, though she quite possibly couldn’t love a man she hardly knew; yet Marietta saw how she acted with him. The truth would hurt her, and like Marietta, the love Elyse had for Brynden would remain in her heart. When the silence became too much, Marietta said, “Let’s get you washed and into some comfortable clothes.”
Marietta spent the day with Elyse, the two lying in her bed. Marietta told her about the rest of her night—told her about the King’s kiss in the stairwell. Elyse shared what happened between her and not-Brynden. Marietta didn’t have it in her heart to tease her, knowing her pain was so raw, and likely it would remain as such for the foreseeable future.
How fortunate that, despite the awful things that had transpired since her arrival in Satiros, Marietta still had a friend. Elyse was quiet, thoughtful, bashful, and kind. And somehow, in their short time together, they learned they could lean on one another.
Friendship, in its most basic shape, was simply that. To support one another, to uplift and encourage, to listen and be heard. Elyse was her friend, and Marietta was sure of one thing at that moment—she couldn’t abandon her.
Elyse could blossom if far away from Satiros, away from all the toxic bullshit that saturated these people. Stunted, they never gave her the proper care to grow. Perhaps they could escape Satiros together.
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Valeriya
The plan fell apart. Everything Valeriya had worked toward had begun to land into someone else’s hands. When did everything shift? How had she not known? Better yet, how had her sister not known?
Now, with Az making his name known to Elyse, the girl was in more danger, especially with her proximity to Wyltam. If he knew the truth, knew his actual name, then he could fit the pieces together. For Marietta to know as well was a damn shame. She hoped they both knew better than to say anything.
Before, Valeriya would’ve been confident that she could prevent them from getting hurt, from being targeted, but no one could know. Her and her sister’s plan was to throttle Wyltam’s court, build a new one, and place Valeriya at its head. That was why Chorys Dasi came to Satiros, that was what they had planned. And now? Sylas had been clear. She and her sister were cut out of the picture.
Valeriya trembled at the center of her bedroom, hands flexing at her sides. How could the Chorys Dasians betray them? After they had tasked Valeriya with the dirty work of weakening Wyltam and Keyain and to steal information. They didn’t believein equal standing for pilinos—that was going to be the fight after she controlled Satiros. But now?
She took a sharp breath. Nastanya needed to know. Focused, she ceased her pacing, pulling to the aithyr around her. She thought of her sister’s rounded face, her large doe eyes, of her in the castle of Reyila, and formed the message wrapped in aithyr.
“Chorys Dasi is deviating—they withheld that Wyltam knew magic. Implied we were cut out. Are we being made fools?”
Through aithyr, Nastanya would have received the message instantaneously in the like of Valeriya’s voice. A few moments later, her sister replied,“Knew about Wyltam. Auryon said to stay your course. We’ll be reunited soon.”
She knew about Wyltam?
Valeriya’s breath heaved as the room tilted under her feet. Why didn’t she tell her sooner? For fuck’s sake, she lived in the same suite as him, yet no one bothered to inform her? Even Sylas knew. Why did she say thatAuryonsaid to stay her course? Nastanya was in charge. This was her plan.
