Reign the Earth (The Elementae #1)(35)

His eyes, lush and vibrant green, met mine. I hadn’t realized his eyes were just as green as Calix’s—maybe more so. They were brighter, somehow, such a strange contrast to his carved-rock face.

Galen didn’t seem to register my curiosity; he turned away from me and gestured two men forward. They didn’t look like the rest; one was thinner, smaller, with a shifty look to him that reminded me of the way that Kairos slid around things, and the other was utterly massive. They wore the same black uniform, but theirs were looser, less fitted. The taller one came to me first. His hair was blond and longer than the rest of his fellows, tied back by a leather string. Two swords hung on his hips, and he had a long, broad weapon strapped to his back that looked as deadly as it did heavy, with a wicked, notched curve like a scimitar, but different.

He knelt to me. “My queen.”

“This is Zeph,” Galen said, gesturing to the large man.

He stayed kneeling, and the second came forward. He was shorter, and he wore a leather breastplate over his uniform that was lined with small knives, and a sword on his back like Zeph.

“This is Theron. These two will be your personal guards. These are men I have trained myself, and I would trust them with my life,” Galen said. “Which is the only way I will trust them with yours.”

I glanced at Galen at such words, but he didn’t look at me. “Please don’t kneel to me,” I told them. “I don’t like it.”

They shared a glance but stood. “We’ll be with you night and day, my queen,” Zeph promised me. “We do not take today’s insult to your person lightly.”

I nodded to him. “Thank you.”

“They will lead the others,” Galen explained to me. “They will be in shifts around you as needed. Some will guard your rooms, whether you’re there or not. Others will support Zeph and Theron as needed on the move. Let me introduce you.”

He introduced each man in turn, and I did my best to remember their names. They didn’t know me, but they all had come, ready to defend me. It was reminiscent of my brothers back home, and I found comfort in the thought.

I felt my power, as if suddenly my heart stretched all the way to my fingertips, and farther still, as if there were a million fine threads that my fingers were stroking against. And in that moment, I was totally aware—of the stone beneath our feet, of the grains of fine sand moving over them, of the steel and silver of the armor and weapons of the men before me.

Breathing to control my power, I looked for my brother. Kairos watched it all in silent consideration. He was changing, my funny brother, and I wasn’t sure I liked it—certainly not if the change was because of me.

The men were dismissed, and I felt the gears shifting into place as Zeph and Theron gave orders, sliding twenty feet apart with me in the middle. Just like that, I felt a protective barrier between me and the world, and I could breathe easier.

“Dinner’s soon,” Galen said, coming to me again.

“Even after today’s events?” I asked.

“The court loves nothing more than to gather and spread gossip,” he said. “I’m sure it will be a great comfort after such a day.”

“Shy,” Kairos called. His sly gaze moved between Galen and me, and I felt heat in my face, like his eyes saw something that wasn’t there. I hurried over to him, and Kairos followed me back to my chambers without comment, Zeph and Theron a few steps behind him. When I went into my bedroom, Kairos stood at the door, watching me thoughtfully.

“Are you all right, Shy?” he asked softly.

I squeezed his hand. “Yes. Thank you, Kai.”

He kissed my cheek. He left with a sigh on his lips, and Zeph stood at the door while Theron gestured down the hallway. “We’ll be right outside your door, my queen.”

“Thank you,” I told them.





That Is Power

When the sky grew dark, Zeph knocked at the door. “The ishru would like to attend to you, my queen,” he said.

“They can come in,” I told him. “And thank you for asking.”

Zeph’s mouth twitched as he opened the door. “You shouldn’t get in the habit of thanking your servants,” he said.

I smiled. “You shouldn’t get in the habit of correcting your queen.”

He chuckled as he allowed the women in, and they quickly set about attending to me, changing my clothes and brushing my hair to prepare me for dinner. When I was ready to leave, Zeph led me through the halls of the Tri Castles.

The second floor was a huge room with white stone and tall windows. Glittering red fabric draped down the walls to pool on the floor. There were ten steps that led to a higher level against the back wall of the room, with space enough for a single table with four seats all along the back edge, so that those seated would look out over the place.

In the center of the lower part of the room, there was a large pit of fire with an iron shelf around it. Several pots were on the shelf, ostensibly being kept warm for the meal.

Something struck the stone with a resounding crack, and then the noise came again. I jumped.

“The queen!” shouted a voice, and I looked up to the raised level to see the small man in the long black coat striking a staff on the stone.

The rest of the people in the room—a host of nobility in a riot of bright colors and exposed skin—turned and looked at where I stood in the doorway. There was a moment when I didn’t move, didn’t breathe, staring back at them all in panic.