10. Karmen

10

KARMEN

I n a matter of minutes, Dagny had another chair placed to my right and sat down at the table with me. I tipped my head back to look up at Sunzi. "You should sit as well, my Blood."

He inclined his head slightly but made no move to leave his position at my back. "Your comfort is important, of course, my queen, but your protection is paramount. Especially here."

I didn't push the matter in front of a stranger. I didn't want her to get the impression we had any difficulties or differences in opinion. But an image flickered in my mind of this same table, only slightly bigger, with all of us sitting down together. Laughing, dining, drinking, talking. It was lovely.

:We shall make it so,: Sunzi swore in the bond. :But only when you have a place of safety where your Blood can let down our guard enough to enjoy your company.:

"Where shall we start, my queen?" Dagny asked.

"Assume I know nothing at all, because honestly, I don't. I didn't even know what I am until Helayna was able to provide some details at her cabin."

"The queen of Ironheart. She was missing too, from what I understand. Were you held together?"

"No. She was imprisoned in a place of darkness. I was in Heliopolis." I was pleased that my voice didn't quiver. "What do you know from Kevin?"

"Very little, honestly. He was discreet, as a consiliarius should be, especially another queen's. He told me you'd been held against your will and had only recently returned without any knowledge of your house or who to contact."

"I have a few memories of Aunt Lynnea's house, but I didn't know where it was, or what happened to everyone."

"Then perhaps a brief history lesson of House Sunna is in order." At my nod, she continued. "Queen Lynnea's nest, or primary residence, is called Il Villa Sunna, just outside of San Gimignano, Italy. She held a small court allied with Queen Marne Ceresa of Rome. Queen Solveig, your mother, had a nest in Lofoten, Norway. Once she knew she carried an heir for House Sunna, she quietly slipped away to live in Italy and kept the news of your birth a secret outside of Il Villa Sunna. According to Grandmother Dagmar's personal diary, Queen Solveig hoped the proximity of a powerful Triune queen as well as living in obscurity would be enough to protect you."

"So she knew we'd be in danger before she ever had me."

Dagny nodded. "Aima queens were no longer being born, and nearly all of the great solar houses had been decimated. She feared for you. Greatly. Dagmar wrote of terrible visions your mother had of burning fire demons who'd destroy everything and take you away. Despite their precautions, that very same calamity befell House Sunna just before the turn of the eighteenth century. Queen Lynnea was killed in the attack, and you and your mother disappeared. Most of the human staff living at the villa escaped with their lives. Dagmar wrote that she tried to offer herself in place of our queen to spare House Sunna, but the man ignored her as though she wasn't even speaking."

Chills crept down my spine. "Did she describe him?"

"A man dressed in white linen robes, Egyptian in style, with a heavy gold necklace bearing a large medallion marked with the Eye of Ra."

I couldn't suppress a shiver, and both Vlad and Marcus pressed closer on either side of me. "The vizier, High Lord Amun."

"He told Queen Lynnea that House Sunna now belonged to Helios. She begged to be allowed to accompany you and Queen Solveig, but Dagmar said the man turned away without a word, and the fiery demons engulfed her. For whatever reason, he didn't want her."

My throat ached. Poor Aunt Lynnea. I didn't remember much about her other than a kind smile. "He had a proven breeder and her young daughter. Taking another queen from the same house might have given us the opportunity to work together and find a way to escape Heliopolis. She was less of a threat dead."

"Goddess." Dagny shuddered, tears streaking her cheeks. Slowly, she moved her hand closer to mine on the table, and when I didn't pull away, she wrapped her fingers over mine. "I feared that might have been the case."

"Ra wanted an heir more than anything," I said hoarsely. "A solar queen of House Helios."

She snapped her fingers, and a pair of swinging doors opened. A young man carried a silver pitcher, which he used to fill my glass. "Would you like something a bit stronger, Your Majesty? Perhaps some wine?"

I nodded, not really sure what it was—but also eager to try all the things I could possibly experience. The water was clear and cold, soothing my throat. Though I almost pressed the icy cup to my cheeks. I hadn't deliberately called my power, but talking about Heliopolis made my blood sizzle in my veins.

I wouldn't be taken again. I had power now. My Blood would protect me.

I never had to go back to Heliopolis. I would never suffer in that eternal blasting sun or endure Ra's blistering touch again.

Another woman brought out a green glass bottle and poured light-colored liquid into another cup, this one with a long, delicate stem, which started a steady stream of platters and offerings from the kitchen. Warm, crusty bread, small bowls of seasoned oil, orange and white cubes, green and black circles, crisp rounds, and many others I couldn't begin to identify. A little overwhelmed, I didn't know where to start.

But I didn't have to know. Marcus immediately picked up a small plate and began selecting things for me to try, naming them casually so I didn't feel ignorant. Cheese, olives, crackers, blackberries, apples, dates, almonds, cashews, salami and ham. A bounty of interesting foods and textures.

"Thank you," I said as he set the plate before me.

"My pleasure, Your Majesty."

"The wine is Pinot Grigio from Il Villa Sunna," Dagny said.

My eyes flared with surprise. "You—I mean, we —make wine?"

She patted my hand with a wink. "Sunna makes many things, Your Majesty. We rebuilt the villa in your long absence and added additional land over the years. It's my job to protect House Sunna's financial interests, continuing a long and prosperous rule of Sunna queens. Il Villa Sunna is only one of many prosperous properties you own."

"You said my mother had a home in Norway?"

"Indeed, an incredible home on a private island near Lofoten. The views of both ocean and mountains are breathtaking."

"You've been there?"

"Of course. I make regular trips to all of your larger properties to ensure everything is working well and primed for your return."

I nibbled on one of the white squares and savored the way the cheese seemed to melt on my tongue. "That was surely an awful lot of trouble every year, especially when you had no idea how long I might be gone or if I were even still alive."

Dagny shook her head. "No, we knew you still lived. The Sunna legacy remains well protected and in your control. If you'd died, then we would have passed it to the Triune as directed."

"What exactly is the legacy?"

"It's not easy to explain." She blew out a long breath. "The legacy encompasses all the powers you received from Brightest Sól, may She shine forever. It's your birthright of the Sunna line, handed down through generations by Her blood flowing in your veins. However, there's also a physical representation of the legacy that each queen's consiliarius guards for the house. When a queen dies, her power passes too, either to her heir, another queen who killed her and thus claims her power, or lastly, the Triune will lay claim to that power before it returns to the goddess."

"I've had visions from Sól, and I'm learning more about the power She gave me, but I don't know what you mean by a physical representation."

"It will be easier for me to show you when you're ready. Every great Aima house is different, of course, but we carry symbols important to your lineage. Sól is a Nordic goddess with deep Germanic roots, and your mother's line primarily ruled from Norway. These symbols are kept inside a carved wooden box that only a queen of Sól's line can open."

"So I have to open it to gain Her power?" My stomach churned, and it took me a moment to understand why. If I hadn't received this power from the goddess, then it'd come from the sunfires or Heliopolis—meaning Ra. I want nothing of his!

"Not at all. The power was always in your blood, waiting to be released. The legacy chest is simply a physical representation that is passed down from queen to queen through generations. Solveig and Lynnea both had powers from Sól that were tied to items in the chest, but they didn't need to see or touch the chest to work that magic."

Dread turned the soft bread into dust on my tongue. I'd been helpless for centuries, despite the goddess' blood in my veins. It wasn't until Ra finally?—

"No," Sunzi said in a loud, firm voice that made Dagny recoil slightly. "That wasn't why your power was released, my queen."

"Then why?" I asked softly. "Why did it take so long?"

Dagny's gaze flickered up to his face and then back to mine, her brow furrowed. "There are exceptions, of course, but generally, a queen comes into her power when she takes her Blood."