Reign the Earth (The Elementae #1)(53)

He was shaking me, his eyes boring into mine, and I couldn’t catch my breath. Rian had something to do with this? Rian had been in the islands, offering aid, but—

Calix pushed me away and shouted, “Water!” at one of the guards, who came trotting up with a skin. He handed it to Calix, who gave it to me. “Drink,” he growled. “Before you faint.”

I did as he commanded with trembling hands, and Calix stalked around me, restless and scowling.

“The elixir,” I breathed. “You used it before?”

He nodded.

“How did you get it?”

“The trivatis who made the prophecy. He found it in Sarocca and offered it as a way to protect me.”

And you killed him for it.

“I never intended to use it. I was bringing it to the islands—to Amandana—as a show of faith.”

“Who was Amandana?” I asked. I knew I had heard the name before, but I didn’t think he had said it—it felt like it was from a very distant memory.

“The daughter of the high priestess,” he grunted, and I felt the blood drain from my head.

Kata’s sister. Calix had been engaged to Kata’s sister—which was why he thought he’d seen Amandana the night of our wedding. But if she was Kata’s sister, that meant—

“She was an Elementa,” he said, nearly under his breath, just as I thought it. “Fire.”

I shook my head slowly as the pieces fell into place. His hatred for Elementae, it all came from a broken heart?

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “How could you possibly go from loving her to treating Elementae like that?” I asked.

Red flushed high in his face, and his gaze on me burned. “It is because of that. That is the reason for all of this. And don’t you dare speak to me again of this, or I swear to the Three-Faced God, I will make you regret it,” he snarled.

We stared at each other for long moments as his ugly threat settled between us, his breath ragged and unchecked, his eyes wild.

“Do you regret it?” I asked him, my throat working. “You said you can’t change what you did. Do you even want to? Because what I saw today—I think you would do it all over again if you could.” My voice got quieter and quieter as I spoke, and I risked a glance at his furious face before looking away from him.

“I refuse to regret,” he growled at me, his voice low and hard. “And it wasn’t enough. You saw what that sorceress did today. What she said to me! An Elementa will cause my death, and the Resistance is rounding them up like sheep. Both the Resistance and all sorcerers need to be cut down before they have the chance.”

I nodded slowly, and I knew why I had waited so long to confront him about what I knew. I could never learn to live with what he had done, or accept it.

“Shalia,” he growled, and I saw his hand reaching for me.

I ducked away from his touch. I couldn’t even look at him. I felt ill.

“Wife,” he snarled. “You will—”

“My king!” I heard, and I looked down the wide road to see a figure on a horse and several soldiers behind him. Even from this distance, I knew it was Galen, and Calix cursed as he stopped again.

Galen was upon us in moments, swinging down from his horse easily. “My king,” he said, bowing his head.

“Brother,” Calix grunted.

“Why would you leave the Tri City without my protection?” Galen asked, his eyes rushing over Calix, stained with blood, and the blood streaked on my arms and skirts.

“Do not think to question me, Commander,” Calix snapped, but his eyes cut to me and I felt pinned by his gaze. “Do your men not inform you? I assumed that, as you have not previously seemed wildly incompetent, you would be close behind, and I had urgent business to attend to.”

Galen looked to me, and I crossed my arms around myself, turning away from his gaze. “And your business—” Galen asked.

“Concluded,” Calix said sharply.

Galen dropped his head to Calix. “Yes, my king. Would you prefer to return to the Tri City now or in the morning?” he asked.

“The morning,” he said, taking the reins to the horse. “Escort my queen back to the Summer Palace, and we will have a meal.”

“No,” I said, and everyone looked at me. “I won’t go back there.”

“It is my palace. Where else do you suggest we go?” Calix sneered at me. Then his head moved, and he looked toward the tall tower looming up above the center of the city. “Fine. Galen, escort her to the Oculus.”

Galen’s eyes shifted toward the tower, like he barely dared to look at it. “You wish to take the queen to the Oculus?” he asked.

“Without further delay, Commander. I will join you shortly.” Calix mounted Galen’s horse and wheeled it around, going back toward the Summer Palace.

A soldier dismounted and offered Galen his horse, but he waved it off. “The queen prefers walking,” he said, and this sounded resigned. “Three of you follow the king; the rest fall back.”

Galen nodded to someone, and I turned, seeing Theron ten paces behind us. He nodded back to his commander.

Galen waited for me to start moving, and he clasped his hands behind his back and fell into step with me. I kept my eyes pinned to the ground, watching my feet shuffle quickly over the gray stone. Galen led us down the wide avenue, and when we turned between two white stone walls, he asked, “What happened?”