The Deepest Blue(108)

“All right. I’m ready. Let’s do this,” she said to Roe.

“Lady Garnah, if you would be so kind . . .” Roe said, gesturing to the door.

Garnah flashed them a smile. “I’m never kind. It’s one of my best features. But yes, I will tell the poor lambs it’s time for their slaughter.” Humming to herself, she crossed the throne room . . . or what was left of the throne room.

There was very little that remained of the once-shimmering palace. Nearly all the towers had been reduced to rubble, and only the most sturdy of the interior still stood. A few rooms had been cleared out to serve as the queen’s chambers, and they’d converted one of them into the ad hoc throne room.

The queens had called for representatives from each of the ruling Families, and indeed it was tradition for them to meet with the new queen after a coronation—a tradition that Lanei had eschewed. They’d also attend the funeral for the prior queen and lead memorials for the dead from their islands.

This time, though, there had been rumors that the queen would not be friendly to the Families, based on a “misunderstanding” over . . . And here the rumors were garbled. Neither Roe nor Mayara had dispelled or clarified those rumors. Yet.

This had been based on Garnah’s advice. Let them worry. And ask the Silent Ones to ensure they all attended the traditional meet-the-new-queen ceremony.

As the Families shuffled into the throne room, Mayara concentrated on looking regal. She watched the Silent Ones file in behind them, creating a semicircle that blocked the exit, and she wondered if one of them was Elorna.

Lord Maarte entered third, his formal jacket more tattered than it had been, though his hair was still in neat braids. She tried not to betray her shock that he’d survived. I might have known. Rats always find a way to flee disasters. He smiled back at her surprise, and she marveled at his self-confidence to smile at her, when he’d been responsible for the imprisonment of the new queen standing beside her.

All of them were responsible.

Jointly the Families had terrorized the queens of Belene for years. Tradition, they’d called it. Some traditions needed to change.

She wondered if Roe would be able to do it. I don’t know if I could. Luckily, she didn’t have to. She only had to stand there and support her friend.

Stepping forward, Lord Maarte bowed. “Your Majesties, on behalf of the ruling Families—”

Roe cut him off. “On behalf of the country, you stand accused of treason.”

“Excuse me? I have but served Belene—”

“You oversaw the kidnapping and imprisonment of myself and my grandparents for the purposes of blackmailing the late Queen Asana into doing your bidding. You knew of and did not prevent the murder of my father, to ensure my mother’s compliance. And you are responsible for the attempted murder of my mother, as witnessed before her death.”

Lord Maarte had beads of sweat on his forehead. “Your Majesty, as you well know, the late queen was stabbed by a rogue spirit sister, who has already stood trial and been punished.”

Mayara had heard the news—Palia had been judged and given to the spirits. She and Roe had mourned her in private, and then Roe had sent a letter to Palia’s daughter, with funds from the royal treasury to pay for her to complete her studies.

Someone else is going to have to mourn Lord Maarte, she thought.

“Palia was punished,” Roe agreed. “And now it is your turn.”

“But you need the Families—”

“I don’t,” Roe said. “Or more accurately, I don’t need you. I do need governors for the islands, but I don’t need puppet masters who seek to control the queen through threats.” She addressed the other lords and ladies, who were cowering together. “Let Lord Maarte’s fate serve as an example. From here on, things are going to change.”

Lord Maarte drew himself upright. “And what is to be my fate? If you wish to begin your reign with the murder of the man who has watched over you as if he were your father—”

“It is not murder,” Roe interrupted. “It is justice.”

She nodded once to Lady Garnah.

Retrieving a bowl from a tray, Garnah carried it to Lord Maarte.

“I had our chefs prepare you soup,” Roe said. “It is the same recipe you fed my mother. If you are innocent, eat the soup and live. If you are not . . . then all will bear witness to your admission of guilt.”

He studied the soup.

He looked at Queen Roe.

He did not eat.

“I have done what I have done for the good of Belene, and I regret none of it.”

“So be it,” Roe said.

Mayara wanted to squeeze her eyes shut. But she forced herself to sit straight, like a queen, like Roe, with her hands clasped on her lap.

Lord Maarte drew himself up, as if he were posing for a portrait. “I merely acted on behalf of the Families, taking on the difficult tasks that had to be done. Yes, it was I who imprisoned you. Yes, it was I who had your father executed. But it was for the good of all islanders and for the future of Belene, as determined by all the ruling Families. You cannot punish all the ruling Families—the islands need us. And you cannot punish me when we are all to blame!” The other Families gasped at his words, but he ignored them. Wrapped in his confidence and arrogance, he waited, clearly expecting Roe to make a speech in which she recognized his nobility and pardoned him.