Chapter Seventeen
I was dead by the time we reached the top of the staircase.
It felt as if heavy rocks were strapped to my legs and arms. Pebbles clotted my lungs and hindered my breathing.
But of course, Titus was in all his good health as he stood at the top.
Darned half-sylph prince and all his endurance.
I lumbered to the platform at the top of the staircase and put my hands on my knees. Before us was a floor-to-ceiling door made of the same amber as the tower entrance. It stood wide open, and in the midst of blue air from the stained glass windows, I could see Mayra standing in front of a throne. Hadrian hovered nearby her. Confused servants—satyrs, nymphs, and sprites—milled about with panicked expressions. I supposed that seeing one of your princesses abruptly come back without notice was upsetting.
Mayra's argumentative voice could be heard in high-pitched sentences. I sighed. Clearly she had forgotten her manners. Not that she had any to begin with.
Titus moved forward hesitantly. "I'm not sure we're even supposed to be here," he said, casting a glance at a passing nymph maid with light teal skin, who—upon seeing Titus—stared slack-jawed as she looked from him to me. Apparently, they could sense both our identities. Titus ran a hand through his hair as the nymph scurried away and nearly tripped herself in the process. "What will she say when she sees me? What if she doesn't care about me...at all?"
He had probably been worrying about this the entire trip. And I never even considered how he might be feeling about seeing his mother. "Since she told her own sister to look after you," I said, "I think it's pretty clear that she wants to see you. If she never cared, why send an Eremithian princess to guard her son?" I tried to smile at him comfortingly, but all I could think about was whether or not Astera did care about Titus. If she cared about him, why would she send him away to Aria?
He seemed to think about this for a moment. Then he relaxed and returned my smile—except his was actually a smile and not a grimace. "I suppose so," he said as he entered through the tall amber doors with me.
The chamber was circular and void of paintings. But the lack of decor didn't matter because the entire room was bathed in blue starlight. Azure stained glass covered the majority of the far wall behind the golden throne Astera sat upon. The domed ceiling was painted with figures of dancing fauns, galloping centaurs, and blushing nymphs. It was far different from Aria's castle, which only had paintings of destruction from the Rift Wars. It was nothing as peaceful as this.
"I even brought your blasted son here and this is how you thank me?"
Mayra was on a roll as she yelled at the woman on the throne. I recognized Astera from the painting in Aria's castle. Her dark brown hair flowed over her shoulders in waves, and her soft features reminded me strikingly of Titus. When her amber eyes set on the prince, she half-stood from her throne, her lips parted as if to say something. The sleeves and skirt of her emerald dress cascaded onto the glass flooring as she stood with barely retained grace.
Titus stopped at the foot of the dais to the throne. His countenance exuded anxiety as he knelt on one knee. "Hello, Mother."
Hearing those two words from his mouth made something constrict inside of me. For the past two months, I had only known Philippa De Luca to be his mother. What in Aria's name had caused Astera to give Titus up? He didn't deserve that.
The queen didn't say anything for a long time. Her delicate eyebrows drew together as if she were in pain. She clasped her long fingers together. "Hello, Titus." Though her words were spoken in a whisper, her voice carried a power that silenced the throne room. "It is...nice to see you."
I bit my lip, looking at Hadrian, whose gaze was set on the queen. He glanced back at me questioningly as the silence continued. I shrugged. I didn't know what to do.
Finally, Titus rose from his kneeling position. I couldn't read his face when he said, "Likewise."
And that was all that was said between mother and son.
It was the most awkward situation I had ever experienced. And I technically wasn't in the situation to start with.
"So, let's get down to business," Mayra said hurriedly. "We have three out of four Harbingers present here. We need to find the fourth one in order to fulfill the Elementals' wishes and bring peace to this world."
Astera nodded as she lowered herself back onto the throne with a grace unlike any woman I had seen before. She peered at Hadrian and me, but she seemed unsurprised at what Mayra said—maybe because, after I took a closer look, she was actually glancing at Titus from the corner of her eye. "I am aware of that," she said carefully, "but we do not have the resources to spare in order to look for the other Harbinger right now. I am sorry, sister, but—"
"What do you mean?" Mayra hissed. I realized it wasn't just Astera's voice that echoed in this cavernous room. It was every whisper, as if the room itself despised secrets. "What could be more important than destroying Therin and bringing peace to Etheia?"
But Astera just shook her head. "That is important, but Eremith comes before all things. I am its queen, and the city is in danger at present."
"In danger from what?" Hadrian's voice jolted me out of my skin. How could he speak so casually to the queen? He needed to add "Your Majesty" at the end of his sentence. He reminded me of Clarice—but worse! I never thought something like that could exist.
But Astera didn't seem to mind as her somber gaze slid to Hadrian. "The humans are threatening war on my people."
Mayra's eyes widened. "Eremith? How foolish can they be?"
"It's the Norian king," Astera explained. "There are constant border issues between the Eremithians and Norians. They will not listen to reason, so I assume they will only adhere to force. I don't know how else to approach it. That is why a council meeting will be held today."
"Today?" Mayra stepped back, her mouth agape as she stared at her sister. "Dhiren told me nothing of that!"
I detected a faint smile on Astera's lips—and something about it, about the hidden way in which she did it, reminded me of Titus. "That is because you would not have come otherwise."
"You're right! I wouldn't have." The sylph swirled, her scarlet cloak flowing behind her as she stormed past me. "Lannie, explain what we're doing with this Harbinger crap. I'm leaving."
Without another word, Mayra left Hadrian, Titus, and me standing in the Sylph Queen's throne room. I wished more than ever to be able to disintegrate into a pile of dirt.
Astera's expression was as dead as a rock—yet she still remained breathtakingly beautiful (how that was possible, I had no idea). "Lannie Brackenbury... I have heard much about you from my sister," she said. "It seems you have something to explain to me."
Why did everyone know my name? "Yes, I, er, do..." I hesitated for five long seconds. Her amber eyes bored into me, and my legs suddenly became wobbly. Desperately, I looked at Hadrian to communicate the message that I was downright terrified of this woman.
With an exasperated sigh and roll of his eyes, Hadrian took control of the situation. "I can answer that, Your Majesty." He stepped forward and told Astera everything about our goal to convince King Abelard to abolish slavery, but that we required her assistance in order to do it. Eremith needed to propose a treaty to avert the war about to happen—and to rid slavery itself.
Hadrian explained it in a way that I couldn't even dream of, and I could only marvel at his eloquent way of speaking. He was so diplomatic and...perfect as a Harbinger. Why was I chosen to be one in the first place? Fate hadn't chosen me, that was for sure. It was simply a stroke of bad luck.
Astera mulled over his words for a long while, tapping her chin as she gazed at a spot on the glass flooring. "What exactly do you propose to do when you are granted an audience with the king?"
Hadrian faltered—and I, of course, didn't know what to say—so Titus spoke up, "His son, Prince Lucan Faretra, is with us. He has agreed to convince his father on these matters. He also," Titus added, with a glance in my direction that made me raise an eyebrow, "said that King Abelard has been waiting for the Harbingers to come. I think we have sufficient proof to convince him. All we need is your assistance. With the Harbingers and royalty of Nor, Aria, and Eremith combined, King Abelard will surely accept our proposal of a treaty—or at least consider it."
That same contemplative look came over the queen's face. Her finely arched eyebrows turned inward in thought. She pinched her lip and rubbed her finger on the arm of the throne.
"Father couldn't do it," Titus said, making me gawk at him with his straightforward hey-Mother-I'm-saying-this-to-get-a-reaction-from-you statement, "but I think we can. With your help," he repeated.
Astera's gaze locked on Titus. Something sparked in her expression, but she said nothing.
I gulped. Titus obviously tripped a trigger that wasn't supposed to be touched. From the look in his eyes, he meant to do it, too—most likely to test the queen, to see if she cared. And she did care.
This family had some serious issues to work out between them.
"We will decide what to do at the council meeting this evening," Astera said, her tone crisp. "You will all be present to put forth your case. What they will decide, I do not know."
As Titus relaxed, I could only groan inwardly.
This was great.
When it came down to it, the entire balance of the world rested in the hands of a council of magical creatures.
What could be better?
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A/N: Astera is finally introduced! What do you guys think of her? She's not as crazy as her sister - quite the opposite, actually. I wonder if that's a good thing!
Dedicated to @Copperleaf135 for supporting my works! :)