in my hand or a thorn in my side.”
Halcyon was silent. But her chest was aching so vibrantly she worried that Selene’s words would eventually crack her in two.
“I surmise you know which one you have become to me, Halcyon of Isaura,” Selene whispered. “But it does not have to be like this. I acknowledge that you are a woman to be reckoned with, a woman who was created to challenge and champion. A woman who has been deceived by my brother. It angers me, to see what he has done to you.”
“And what has he done to me?” Halcyon countered. “Lord Straton has granted me grace. He has given me life when I deserved death.”
“This is grace to you, Daughter?”
“This work in the quarry does not intimidate me. I do deserve to be here, Lady Selene. With every crack I give to the quarry wall, I think of Xander and I strive to work off my sentence. But what I do not deserve is to be poisoned and mind-swept without my consent, to be treated less than because I am a woman among a horde of men.”
Selene was quiet, but her eyes betrayed her frustration. “It is difficult for me to understand you, Halcyon, when it was my brother who sentenced you here. Are you so faithful to him, then? Is there nothing I can say to you to usher you into the light, to bring you under my care and my protection?”
“That would be an insult, Lady Selene, to the memory of your own nephew Xander. Nor would I ever join the side of one who tortures and murders innocent priests.”
“Yes, all because my brother asked something terrible of you,” Selene was swift to add, brushing over Halcyon’s accusation. “I know Straton asked you and Xander to search for a relic. And since my brother is so lawful, I know he would never go after Nikomides’s Devouring Sword. He would chase after something missing, something that could break an enchantment, would he not?” She leaned forward, her chiton rustling with her fluid movement. The silver on her right thumb caught the light, gleaming in the shadows of her lap. “He is going to lose this battle, Halcyon. And I would hate to see you destroyed by it. Come join me and my forces. You and I would be unbeatable with Acantha’s All-Seeing Crown. Whatever relic you desire, I would find it and grant it to you. I would name you commander of the Bronze Legion, and you would be the sword in my hand. Together, we can raise Corisande higher than it has ever been before. We can return to the era of the gods, when the divines walked among us.”
Halcyon did not even have to contemplate the offer. “Anything I obtain is to be earned. Not stolen or undeserved. And lest you forget, Selene . . . I am common. My family has suffered beneath your heavy taxes and the hateful rhetoric you have spread among the Magical Court. I will never join forces with you.”
“One day,” Selene began calmly, “you will look back on this moment and regret your decision. One day, you will find yourself beholden to another with an amulet on your arm, and you will work the fields and clean the gutters of the streets. You will hate your former self when you realize you could have been one of us, ruling the kingdom. But instead you will labor the rest of your poor, insignificant life. Although perhaps you will not mind it so much, since you were born as a land steward. The lowest, the dirtiest of your Common Court.”
She stood and called for Macarius.
The young mage was swift to return. “Lady Selene?”
Her gaze remained on Halcyon, even as she spoke to him. “You will need to get creative in obtaining what I seek from this one. It is of the utmost importance that we obtain the crown before they do. Continue to poison her if you want, but do not kill her. Keep her imprisoned in her cell, out of sight. I want her alive when I take the throne. Use the memories you have gained from her to your advantage. If you succeed, I will name you my hand when our time comes.”
Selene smiled down at Halcyon. And finally, the dread poured into Halcyon’s heart, stunning her more that the poison ever had.
“Yes, of course, Lady Selene,” Macarius said. “Any suggestions?”
Selene walked to the door, but she lingered on the