Reign the Earth (The Elementae #1)(80)

Danae was quiet for many long moments. “In the Trifectate, people like me are meant to be sacrificed to the Three-Faced God. Like the Elementae.”

I reached forward and took her hand. She squeezed mine tight.

“Is it throbbing?” she asked, looking at my cheek.

I nodded. “I can’t stay here, Danae.” Tears pushed up behind my eyes, and the pressure made the pain worse. “I can’t be here.”

She met my eyes, full of warning. “You can’t leave, Shalia.”

Pulling my hand from hers, I shook my head. “Please. I have to. I can’t stay here. Not right now. The tour—why can’t I just go to a city now and wave a bit or whatever it is he wishes me to do?”

“They’ll see the bruise, Shalia. As bad as things are, they’ll be worse if people know that Calix hit you.”

A shiver racked my body thinking of Kairos’s words. “Will you find Kairos? I don’t believe Calix that they’ll release him.”

“Yes. But, Shalia, you can’t—”

“The rebels,” I told her. “He can use me as part of his ridiculous reasoning to tear his people apart. Tell them I was injured by the rebels. But I will leave in the morning.”

She stood with a sigh. “Well, he’ll agree to that.”

“I don’t give a damn if he agrees,” I told her. She extended a hand to help me up, but I shook my head.

She held out her palm for a moment longer, and let it drop. “I know. But, Shalia, if you leave him, if you go to the desert, ‘cruel’ will not begin to describe the things he will do to your people.”

I shuddered. “Yes, I know.” She walked to the door, and I watched her. “Danae,” I said, and she stopped. “Thank you. For your help, and your honesty. I appreciate both more than you know.”

She met my gaze. “I trust you, Shalia. And that’s not a simple thing in this court.”

She left, and I stayed frozen.





Binding

I slept curled against the wall. When I woke to the first blush of dawn, I asked the ishru to pack things for me and opened the door. Zeph, Theron, and Kairos all stood there in the same clothes from the day before, looking haggard and tired.

“Great Skies,” Kai breathed, touching my chin and turning my face a little. I pushed away from him. I hadn’t looked at it yet—I didn’t want to look at it. Zeph and Theron looked mournful, and Zeph opened his mouth, but I held up a hand.

“You should have slept,” I told them. “We’re leaving as soon as we can.”

Zeph straightened. “Where?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Pick a city that my husband wanted me to tour—it doesn’t matter. As long as it isn’t here.”

“Your guard—”

“Take whatever men you need. I’m sure you can figure that out quickly.”

Zeph nodded, and when he turned, I saw Adria standing there, her face pale. “You’re leaving?” she said, and then a second later her eyes fell on my face. “My queen,” she said, her voice soft and urgent. “I heard—I know you didn’t get that bruise on our way home yesterday.”

My eyes widened. I hadn’t thought of her—the one person who would notice, and know. “Adria—” I started, but I had no idea what else to say.

Kairos took a step forward, standing between us, his hand on his scimitar’s hilt.

“I won’t tell,” she said quickly, looking between us. Her eyes met mine, deep with meaning, and she continued. “If you don’t want me to. It’s the sort of thing my father would be very interested in hearing, because of how it might build sentiment against your husband among the vestai. So I won’t tell—unless you want me to.”

I shook my head. That didn’t seem like a solution. “I don’t know what I want. But I’d prefer if you didn’t tell. You should go, Adria. I don’t think it would be for the best if Calix saw you now.”

She drew a deep breath and nodded.

“Shy,” Kairos said, and I turned to him as she walked away.

Tears filled my eyes as I looked him over. “You’re all right?” I asked. “They didn’t hurt you?”

“Not badly.”

I covered my mouth.

“Shy, I’m fine. You’re not,” he said. His voice dropped. “If we’re leaving, we should head north. To the desert.”

I shook my head. “First we leave. Then we’ll discuss what to do next.”

His mouth folded down, but he nodded. “Very well.”


The ishru packed in a flurry while I dressed, and from the small room where my clothes were, I heard voices raised. My heart tightened, and I finished dressing, winding a length of purple fabric around my head to make a hood—for as long as I could, I wanted to hide my face, and hide the marks that my husband had put there.

I opened the door to find my brother leaning casually in the doorframe, facing out, his arms crossed over his chest, standing between me and the rest of the room.

“Kai?” I whispered.

“The queen does not wish to—” Zeph was saying, but Calix tried to push past him and Theron.

“I will cut off your hands if you keep me from my wife,” Calix snarled.