Stormcaster (Shattered Realms #3)(91)

“Your mother allowed that?” Celestine raised an eyebrow.

“She wasn’t happy, but she allowed it.”

“My mother was very protective of me,” Celestine said. “She loved me very much.”

What’s that about? Lyss thought crossly. My mother loved me more than yours?

“It’s hard to send a child to war,” Lyss said, thinking of Cam, who’d died defending her in the streets of Southbridge.

“How old are you now?”

“Nearly sixteen.” Lyss realized with a start that her birthday—her name day—must be close, if it wasn’t already over. Not the way she’d intended to spend it.

“You’ve moved up quickly, then, if you’re already a captain.” There was a question hidden in that.

“Unfortunately, every marching season, the war demands a blood price. We often have vacancies that need filling.” Lyss paused. “How old are you?”

“I am twenty,” the empress said.

“You’ve moved up quickly, then, too.”

“I am my mother’s firstborn daughter,” Celestine said. “So, I rise when my mother falls.”

A shiver went through Lyss and the flesh pebbled on her arms as a cloud passed over the sun. Her nurse, Magret, used to say that this meant the wolves were walking over the graves of the queens.

“Are you well, Captain?” The empress was studying her, frowning.

“I am well,” Lyss said, fanning herself. “This climate takes some getting used to.” More than anything, she wanted to escape this awkward conversation. So she changed the subject.

“Captain Samara said that Breon is your brother,” Lyss said. “But—if he’s your brother, why didn’t he know about it?”

“He once knew, but he doesn’t remember,” Celestine said vaguely. “I am the eldest of nine children. When I was only thirteen, my brothers and sisters were stolen away by enemies of the empire.”

“Enemies?” Lyss hoped the empress would clarify, but that didn’t happen.

“My mother would not allow me to go and look for them, because she feared for my safety. After she died, I began the search again, but by then, the trail was cold.”

Something wasn’t adding up. To Lyss, it sounded rehearsed, like a story the empress told herself and others, but didn’t quite believe.

“So . . . enemies of the Nazari stole them, but kept them prisoner? They didn’t kill them outright?”

“Clearly not,” Celestine said impatiently, “since some of them are still alive.”

Something was nagging at Lyss, a familiar scent that came and went. Then she spotted the smoldering pipe on a table next to Breon’s seat.

Furious, Lyss scooped it up and flung it over the wall into the sea.

Celestine watched the arc of it until it splashed into the water. “Well, now. That’s a waste of some very fine leaf.”

“You gave him leaf? Why would you do a thing like that?”

“The secret keeper is mixed with it. It soothes the pain of losing his music,” Celestine said. “I want him to be happy.”

“That won’t make him happy,” Lyss said, “not in the long run. He’d just managed to get clear of it, and now—”

“Captain Gray, I did not invite you here to lecture me,” the empress snapped, flame flickering over her skin. “You are offering opinions on matters you cannot possibly understand. You know nothing about us, nothing about our customs. My brother is charming, and handsome, and no doubt highly capable between the sheets, but you must let go of any hopes of a future with a blooded Nazari prince.”

Lyss, speechless, stared at the empress as thoughts tumbled through her head. She thinks I . . . She thinks we . . .

“Your Eminence, I—”

“Enough!” The empress’s eyes darkened to almost black. “If you cannot do that, this conversation is over and I will find you another role to play.”

Lyss’s cheeks burned. The threat in those words couldn’t be plainer. Unless she wanted to join the bloodsworn, she’d have to remember who held the power. Unless it was already too late.

“I . . . ah . . . yes. I see how impossible that is.” Lyss took a deep breath, released it. “I apologize, Empress. I was out of line.”

Celestine shook back her silver hair, the fire in her eyes still burning hot. “You think I am ruthless. I am as ruthless as I need to be to survive in this world. Those who are not of royal blood do not realize what a burden it is to rule, the difficult decisions that must be made.”

Hanalea’s blood! It seemed that everything the empress said hit too close to home. Maybe Celestine knew the truth about her birthright and was merely toying with her.

“Yes, Your Eminence,” Lyss said, eyes downcast, shoulders rounded against sorcery.

“Are you this bold when you speak to your queen?”

“Sometimes,” Lyss said. She cleared her throat. “Not usually.”

“In the future, I expect you to offer me the same courtesy and respect.”

“Yes, Your Eminence,” Lyss murmured.

“Good.” With that, the storm passed and the sun came out. Celestine gestured for her to sit.

Lyss eased back into her chair, heart still pounding, legs rubbery with relief, as if she’d just experienced a near miss on the battlefield.