Chapter 36

Chapter 36

T he sun rose over the Attlehon Mountains, and Mariah looked for the golden eagles. For the first time in a long time, she felt at peace.

The morning spring air was chilly, but she didn’t bother with a blanket. She inhaled the smell of the mountains and the sea, the rays of the sun soaking into her pale skin. Her mind lingered on the conversation she’d shared with Liliane, on what she confronted in the lunestair pillars, on the visit she’d had from Qhohena the night before.

That visit from the goddess … it felt so different from the visits with Zadione. Less urgent, warmer. Which, she supposed was no surprise—it was a human reaction to be slightly unnerved by the goddess of death.

But there was a part of her, deep down, that couldn’t deny the strange feeling that grew every day.

Something inside of her wasn’t quite human.

She shrugged away the thought. Of course, she wouldn’t feel like a typical human; not anymore. She was only one step away from ascending into power that would grant her near-immortality. Her body was changing, her spirit expanding to accommodate a life far longer than the one she thought she was born into.

A slap of wings pushed wind across her face. Mariah whipped her head, scouring the skies with narrowed eyes.

She sighed heavily. Nothing.

She would never get to see those damn eagles.

A clamor behind her sent her shooting from her chair, palming the hilt of the dragon-winged dagger at her thigh.

She relaxed when a head of golden curls strode into her sitting room, bearing a heavily laden silver platter. Mariah felt a genuine smile spread unimpeded across her face as her hand relaxed around her dagger. She took a step toward the balcony door just in time to see Delaynie, Kiira, and Rylla follow Ciana in, all bearing identical silver trays.

“Get over here, Your Royal Majesty! We brought breakfast food!”

Ciana’s clear voice rang through the living room, and Mariah’s grin widened as she pushed through the balcony doors. The other four women turned to her, all answering her grin with smiles of their own.

“Mariah!” Delaynie gracefully set her platter on the island before gathering her skirts, rushing to meet Mariah, her practiced poised momentarily abandoned. They collided in an embrace, tears springing into Mariah’s eyes.

“Hi, Del,” Mariah whispered, squeezing her friend tight. She’d been back for three days, but she hadn’t yet seen the second lady of her court. Someone had to keep the kingdom running, and Delaynie had placed her duty above her feelings. And for that, Mariah was grateful.

Delaynie squeezed back tighter. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” With a bit of reluctance, Mariah pulled away, meeting Delaynie’s crystal blue gaze. “Thank you for keeping this kingdom running while I was … gone.”

Delaynie smiled, tears falling down her pale cheeks. “Of course. Always.”

Kiira, Rylla, and Ciana waited beside the island, uncovering the trays of food and arranging them around the white marble. Mariah’s mouth salivated at the eggs, bacon, ham, winter pomegranates, and several loaves of fresh-baked bread. There was even a tray loaded with waffles, the pastries accompanied by warmed maple syrup and whipped cream. Mariah looked at Ciana, who met her glance with a smile and a slight nod before turning back to the food.

For the first time since arriving home, Mariah didn’t look at that food as a means to an end. A requirement to get strong again.

She looked at it with a desire to simply enjoy it.

A piece of Mariah’s broken soul clicked back into place.

“Grab the plates, will you, Cee?”

Mariah leaned her head on the pillow behind her, a soft groan spilling from her lips.

“Gods, that was so good.” She pressed a hand to her bloated stomach, the food settling there like lead. She probably shouldn’t have eaten so much, not when she was still recovering and adjusting to being fed again.

But with her friends around her and the breakfast looking so tantalizing, she’d indulged herself. Just this once.

“With that, I would have to agree,” Ciana murmured from the floor below Mariah, her head tipped back against the couch, feet stretched in front of her. Delaynie sat as poised as possible at the other end of the couch, and around the bend of the plush furniture lounged Kiira, her eyes closed. Rylla sprawled face down on the pillows beside her sister. She carefully pushed herself up to her elbows, turning to the side.

And belched. Loudly.

“ Bhagini! ” Kiira grabbed a discarded pillow from the floor, chucking it at her grinning sister. “That was disgusting! Apologize!”

Rylla opened her mouth, but a sound cut her off.

Not just any sound. A laugh like spilling water, a dam breaking.

Mariah was laughing. It was not a soft chuckle or a light giggle. But true, deep laughter, the kind that started in her stomach and worked its way up her chest until tears streamed down her face and she couldn’t breathe.

The sound made everyone in the room freeze before breaking into laughter of their own. Joy peeled through the room of marble and glass, and before long, they were all wheezing and snorting and gasping for air. Mariah doubled over, slipping off the edge of the couch, her hand landing on Ciana’s shaking shoulder. Even Delaynie had tucked into a ball, holding her side as she dissolved into stitches.

Eventually, the laughter slowed and eased down to a few lingering chuckles and giggles and hiccups. Mariah wiped the tears from her eyes, cheeks burning from how long she’d held that smile.

“I am sorry,” Rylla said, her accented voice still carrying a hint of merriment. “That was rude of me.”

“No,” Mariah said with a shake of her head. “Please, don’t apologize. I haven’t laughed that hard in … well, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed that hard.”

The other women shared a glance, amusement still on their faces, but the joy dulled from their eyes. Just a touch. Mariah backtracked.

“No, please, don’t look at me like that.” She chuckled again, rolling onto her back. “I just mean … even before that happened, before I even came here, I never really had friends. At least, not the kind who would just have breakfast with me.” She looked around the room, meeting each of their gazes, and smiled.

“It’s nice.”

Ciana twisted, looking at her with those sharp amber eyes, and rested her hand on Mariah’s. “I never really had friends, either. But I’m glad we all have each other.”

Murmurs of agreement swept around the room. Mariah smiled at Ciana before turning her attention to the Kreah sisters who lazed upon the couch, much like the big cats who shared their skin.

Which, speaking of …

“So,” Mariah started, “shifters?”

Kiira and Rylla both snapped their gazes to her, one brown and one hazel. And nodded.

Mariah watched them shrewdly. “I’ve seen a lot of what I used to consider impossible these past few months. Had a lot of world views shifted. But I’m going to need a bit more of an explanation than that.”

Kiira looked at Rylla, who pushed herself off her stomach and sat up on the couch, her legs still curled beneath her. Mariah could almost picture the black tail of the cat beneath her skin swishing idly around her legs, the feline comparison to the movement so uncanny.

“Yes, we are shifters,” Rylla said. “In Kreah, we do not have magic of the elements like you do here in Onita. Also, not just our men are blessed with such gifts.” Rylla cut a glance at Ciana for a split-second, so fast Mariah almost missed it. “Not everyone is gifted, but it is equal. Men and women.”

“And the magic—it’s from their goddess, Rulene!” Ciana interjected excitedly, turning up to look at Mariah, who couldn’t stop her grin.

“I’ve heard of Rulene,” Mariah said, nodding. “A priestess from Leuxrith once told me of the continent’s other gods.”

Kiira cocked her head. “A Leuxrithian priestess? By the skies, what was she doing in Onita?”

Mariah’s smile hardened. “Let’s just say she wasn’t exactly supposed to be here.”

“Do you know where she went? Is she still here?” Rylla asked.

Mariah glanced toward the balcony, frowning slightly. “No … no, I don’t think so. I have no idea where she went.” She turned back to Rylla. “Tell me more about your magic and your goddess.”

“Well,” Rylla started, adjusting her feet. “Rulene is the Goddess of the Day Sky. And the day sky changes more than any other—sometimes clear and blue, sometimes dark and gray. She blessed Kreah with her magic of change, mixing with its people. We were brought closer to nature, and with it … the power to shift.”

“Are you all … leopards and panthers? Or cats?” Mariah’s curiosity was insatiable.

Rylla smiled. “No. We are not all leopards and panthers. Some of us are felines; others are wolves and foxes. Some are bears, or horses, or even great birds of prey. But no matter what form we take, we are all blessed with a shared connection to the sky above our heads, the earth beneath our feet, and the steady pulse of nature around us all.”

Ciana sighed. “I want to visit Kreah someday.” Delaynie hummed in agreement.

Kiira nodded, lips tipping up in a faint smile. “You are always welcome. All of you.”

They fell silent for a moment, watching each other. Mariah sat up straighter, planting her feet on the ground, running her palms along her thighs.

“I … I wanted to thank you both. For … everything.” She swallowed, twisting her hands together, fighting off the memories of darkness and cold and fear. “You have no obligation to this court or to me, and you didn’t have to risk your lives like that. So … thank you.” Her words felt weak, not adequate to convey what she felt, but they were the best she could do.

Kiira and Rylla glanced at each other, a shared look between sisters, before turning back to Mariah with a curious gleam in their eyes.

“Did you know,” Kiira started, “that Kreah has no queen or king?”

Mariah furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

A smile brightened Kiira’s smooth, ebony skin. “I mean, Kreah is not ruled by a monarch. There is no single person who holds all the power. Instead, we are governed by a Council of Elders who make decisions for the nation amongst themselves. There is a High Counsellor, but they simply preside over the Council; they do not rule. The Elders are chosen by each ksetra , or region, and serve for their whole lives or until their ksetra decides they are no longer able.

“The second—and third, and fourth, and fifth—children of each family are permitted to roam the world. Encouraged to. To see other lands, to learn other cultures, to share the livelihood of Kreah with others. Many journey and eventually return to their homeland. But some choose to stay and are free to choose a loyalty beyond that of the Elders or their ksetra .

“Many have settled in Leuxrith, in Idrix, in Vatha. Some even made homes in the Kizar Islands, and even more have sailed beyond the Mirrored Sea for whatever lies beyond. But … none have settled in Onita.”

“Because Onita’s borders have always been closed,” Mariah murmured, her mind whirling.

Kiira nodded. “Yes. For so long, Onita kept its borders shut. While there were some who snuck across, no one was formally allowed to visit, and even trading ships had to stay far from port and unload by ferry. But with your Porofirat , suddenly Queen Ryenne opened the borders. To allow delegations from the other countries to attend, to see Onita for the first time in thousands of years. Onita has certainly progressed, technologically.” Kiira glanced around the room, at the allume chandelier above, the modern kitchen, the panels of lunestair on the walls. “But in other ways … Onita has fallen behind. Lost its way.”

Mariah couldn’t disagree. She merely nodded, her lips pressing into a firm line as Kiira continued.

“Lost its way … until you.”

Mariah straightened. Ciana did, too, and Delaynie folded her hands in her lap. An instinct prickled at the back of Mariah’s neck.

“You pushed back against some of Onita’s antiquated ways. That despite all their power, they were still so lost, so weak. We saw it in you, that very first day in the stables. And we saw it again at the Porofirat . When Ryenne invited us to stay—something that has never happened to a Kreah citizen, not in modern memory—we knew we had to remain close. We’d made a choice but needed to wait until we were needed before making it known.”

Something in Mariah’s blood stirred, her magic waking in her veins. It reached the tips of her fingers as she said, “What choice did you make?”

“My sister told you that we, as fourth and fifth daughters, are free to choose a leader to follow,” Rylla said, this time with a wide smile. “Someone who deserves our undying loyalty, the leader of a nation we wish to call home.”

Everything in the room stilled. Mariah didn’t even dare a breath.

“You are not our queen by birth, Mariah,” Kiira said, her voice soft and low. “But you are the queen we choose. If you’ll have us.”

As one, the Kreah sisters stood from the couch. They wore Onitan clothing—familiar black leggings and soft wool sweaters—but Kiira still had gold jewelry woven into her braids, and Rylla’s silver necklace and bangles tinkled as she moved. Together, they sank to their knees on the plush rug, heads bowing and hands clenching into fists over their hearts.

Mariah’s heart raced, magic flowing unimpeded into the air around her. Ciana, her amber eyes wide, hurriedly stood and moved to sit beside Delaynie, whose blue gaze was warm and bright with emotion.

Mariah grounded her toes into the rug as she stood. She cleared her throat, finding the right words.

“Stand, Kiira and Rylla, daughters of Kreah, beloved of Rulene, Goddess of the Day Sky.”

They rose together. Two sets of eyes—one brown, one hazel—leveled expectantly at Mariah.

She hadn’t felt much like a queen since her return. Had felt too cowering, too meek. Too quiet and damaged.

But with those Kreah warrior shifters watching her the way they did, with the words of the Goddess fresh on her mind from the previous night, how it had felt to cleanse the magic of that awful, tainted darkness …

Something in Mariah remembered the taste of power.

“You are both always welcome in my country. May this forever be a home to you.” Mariah paused, just a breath. “I have a question for you, as well.”

The Kreah sisters stayed silent. Waiting.

“You risked your lives for me. As Kreah, you know far more about the continent than I ever will. Because of that …” Mariah drew in a breath. “I would like to ask you both if you’d like to join my court. As ladies, to serve by my side. To counsel me in my rule for the rest of your time on this earth.”

Behind her, Ciana sobbed. Delaynie whispered a shush . A smile twitched on Mariah’s lips.

Slowly, smiles spread across Kiira and Rylla’s faces. Kiira stepped forward first.

“It would be our absolute honor, Your Majesty.”

With laughing sobs and sounds of delight, the five women surrounded each other, enjoying a friendship they each never knew they would find and were too stunned to believe they’d been blessed with.

On the balcony railing, a golden eagle watched, sharp aureate eyes watching the shared moment before lifting from her perch and disappearing into the sky above.