The Warrior Queen by Emily R. King, now you can read online.
PROLOGUE
Thirteen Years Ago . . .
The rani rushed into the nursery. Dim lamplight revealed baskets of blocks and toys. All the nursemaids had gone to rest, and the single child under their care was put to bed. The rani hurried down a corridor and paused at the ajar door. Inside, the draperies were drawn over towering windows. A single lamp burned low on the bedside table beside the painted portrait of her and her husband. She had looked so happy then.
She pushed inside. Her sari sailed above the floor, the rug muffling her steps. Her son was tucked into bed, blankets up to his tiny chin. His gaze fastened onto hers, and he brightened.
“Mother, you came.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner. I had duties.” The rani hid a smudge of blood on her blouse. Her wrists ached from the beating she had delivered minutes ago. She loathed her responsibilities, but the lesser ranked ranis must learn to obey. “Shall I tell you a story?”
“My favorite?”
“Of course.” The tale was her favorite as well.
She knelt at her son’s bedside and stroked his head. The mural over his headboard depicted a world beneath theirs, a warrior, and a god. The rani began her recitation of the child’s tale they knew by heart.
“Inanna was a cherished young woman, beloved by everyone in her village. Some said she had the loyalty of an elephant and the bravery of a tiger. Men tried to woo her, but Inanna ignored them. She was waiting for one man—the same soul she had loved in all of her lifetimes, right from the beginning when Anu plucked the stars from the heavens and named them mortals.”
“What was the man’s name?” asked the boy.
“We don’t know, but it’s said that the moment they saw each other, the ground shook and the skies sang. The whole world rejoiced that Inanna and her beloved had reunited.”
“Was it the same for you and Father?”
“Just so, dear one.”
Had the boy been older, he would have detected sorrow in her whisper. He clutched his covers, anticipating the progression of the tale.
“The night before their wedding, a chameleon demon took the form of Inanna and entered her beloved’s bedchamber. The demon’s likeness to her tricked the man. Trusting the demon was Inanna, he went off with her into the night.” The boy pulled the blanket up to his nose. “The next morning, Inanna donned her wedding robes and set off to marry her love. She waited at the altar all day, but he never came. Jilted, she locked herself away and could not find the strength to change from her bridal attire.”
The boy yawned, his eyelids sinking.
“Many nights later, Inanna woke to find her intended at her bedside. He could not step out of the dark, nor could she light a lamp without him fading into nothing. He had traveled by shadow to tell her he was trapped in the Void.”
“I wouldn’t like it there.” The boy stretched out another yawn. “I like it here, with you.”
“I like you here with me too,” replied his mother.