Five Dark Fates (Three Dark Crowns #4) - Kendare Blake Page 0,40
is a lucky thing they were even kept. For who preserves the thoughts of a king-consort?”
Katharine reads on. What follows in the pages is a largely rambling account of a man wracked with guilt, and quite possibly in his cups. It is a confession of sorts. Written to Queen Illiann as if she was not there and had been gone for many years.
“Why would the death of an elemental queen stop the mist?” Katharine asks.
“Because according to Henry Redville, the death of an elemental queen was what formed it in the first place.” Genevieve gestures to the pages. “Read on.”
Katharine’s eyes move feverishly across the scrawling hand of the king-consort. It is a muddled composition, so full of apologies that Katharine wants to slap him, though he is long, long dead. “‘Please forgive Daphne, who has continued to love you as her sister,’” Katharine reads aloud. “‘Please forgive me, who was not strong enough to repel the Selkan attack. Your death upon the cliffs that night haunts us both, and we have often been unable to enjoy our happiness, as it came at the loss of you. Sometimes I wonder if this is truly what you would have wanted, but they insisted that the line of queens must go on, and Daphne was still a queen . . .’” Katharine stops. “What is he speaking of? Her death? The Blue Queen reigned in peace after the creation of the mist for another forty years!”
“Did she? Not according to that. No, Queen Illiann was killed, by who he does not say, and after her body created the mist, this . . . Daphne . . . was put on the throne to rule in her place.”
“But the Blue Queen’s sisters were all to have been put to death, days after birth. Could this Daphne have really been a queen?”
“Enough of a queen to fool the populace for another forty years. Enough of a queen to bear the sacred triplets.” Genevieve looks at the yellowed papers. “I cannot say for sure—there is no record of a triplet born under the name Daphne—but I think she is actually the other elemental born: Roxane. It would have been the only way for their deception to work.”
“Queen Illiann replaced by another queen.” A Queen Crowned replaced so easily.
Genevieve stands and takes the pages back, folding them and returning them to her pocket. “I have done as you asked. Become your eyes and ears. So now we know why Mirabella truly fled the rebellion. Because they planned to kill her to put an end to the mist.”
Katharine looks at her. “And now you would have me do the same. When I have given her my word she would be safe.”
“Her safety or the safety of the island,” Genevieve says, weighing them on her hands.
“She has already secured the safety of the island. She fought the mist and won.”
“She fought the mist, yes, but she did not win. Not for good. It will return. We should kill her now, and put an end to one threat at least.”
“No.” Katharine shakes her head. “Not yet.”
“Why not?”
“I do not know. I only sense that I need her.” For what? Not even she can say for sure. To help her rid herself of the dead queens? But how? She cannot allow the dead queens to set one foot inside her powerful sister.
“Katharine, you are being unreasonable.”
“I cannot bear the triplets, have you forgotten that?” Katharine snaps. And once it is past her lips, it is like she has known all along. “I need another queen. A trusted one. One who loves me enough to bear them for me in secret!”
Genevieve’s mouth drops open. Then it closes, and she nods. She even seems impressed.
“If you can secure that kind of loyalty, you would be an Arron queen indeed. Very well. We will wait and see.” She turns to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“Back to the Volroy. To be your eyes and ears.” She pauses at the door and looks at Pietyr one more time. “You have lost Natalia, and Pietyr is asleep. You have few people left whom you trust, and few who remain to give you advice. But I will give you a caution now, so that later I will not feel that I failed in my duty. Do not be quick to trust Mirabella. No matter how she might help or what she might say.” She steps out into the hall. “A queen should never trust a queen.”