The Promised Queen (Forgotten Empires #3)- Jeffe Kennedy Page 0,121

in.”

“Oh?”

“Indeed. Now, let us teach You some tricks, Your Highness.” Ambrose folded his hands together. “You wanted to be able to observe, to project Your presence to Yekpehr. I advise against astral form. The other two did not expect You in that plane, so they were slow to react—and I believe neither is consciously aware that was You; those were automatic defenses—but a renewed visitation will pique their interest. You are very bright in this form, Euthalia, as is the Abiding Ring.”

I glanced at my hand, rather astonished to see the orchid as something entirely new and other. The petals extended with furls and flourishes into other realms and planes of existence. It seemed the very embodiment of life, radiating the purest essence of it. “Orchids can’t live on their own,” I whispered in wonderment, uncertain why that came to mind just then.

“Because they draw life symbiotically from others,” Ambrose replied.

“Conssentrating it,” Merle agreed. “A focuss.”

“Only You, a true daughter of Calanthe, could wield the ring in the way that will be necessary.”

“Can you teach Me how to use the ring?”

“Of course, Your Highness,” Ambrose said, inclining his head as Merle bowed. “You have but to ask.” He smiled, more of his genuine warmth and humor in it.

“Why now?” I asked. “And don’t give Me the fancy sidestepping that I didn’t ask the right questions before.”

“Without seeming to sidestep, Your Highness,” Ambrose replied very seriously, “You hadn’t fully embraced Your nature until recently, and so couldn’t understand what we’re going to show You.”

I supposed I had to grant the truth of that, as I’d been thinking to myself that very thing, that I hadn’t thought of myself as someone who could wield magic. Did I have to die to be born again? I supposed it didn’t matter. I had done both.

“And the timing is right,” I said, watching them both for reactions.

Merle inclined their head and Ambrose smiled ruefully spreading his hand. “We are at the true endgame, the moment we had foreseen.”

“But you couldn’t have known I would find My way to this place, to have this conversation.”

They shook their heads. “Indeed we had despaired,” Ambrose said, Merle nodding sadly. “We thought we had failed to point You in the correct direction.”

“Yet here You are.” Merle bowed.

“All right.” Recriminations could wait. “Teach Me what I need to know.”

21

The Last Resort easily outpaced the slower, shabbier fishing boat from Hertaq, so Percy took us on an oblique course to Yekpehr. We needed the rest of the team to reach and infiltrate the citadel first—but we also wanted to be nearby if they needed a quick extraction. That was one of the contingency plans we’d developed—and I had to admit it was a good idea—since Percy’s yacht was the only one with a fighting chance of outdistancing any of Anure’s fleet.

It went against my grain to be planning to fail that way—and then I’d reminded myself that my going all-in at Cradysica had nearly destroyed us. Still, part of me—the restless, pacing wolf—wanted only to move forward and kill. I didn’t much care for this mature, account-for-all-contingencies approach to conquest, but I supposed that’s why I had Lia.

Percy had fallen into thoughtful silence, speaking only when necessary, as we took turns through the night keeping watch and avoiding the legitimate shipping traffic—and keeping an eye out for Merle. He was to come warn us if the other groups encountered trouble. But the night passed peacefully enough—Percy located an anchorage well outside the busier shipping lanes—and the morning found us, if not rested, at least relieved to be taking action.

When Percy emerged from below, I did a double take, for a moment thinking I saw Lia. He paused, then struck a pose, nose and nails lifted in the air.

“Striking,” I offered, for lack of a better word, earning a glare for my weak praise. If nothing else, we’d blind Anure into insensibility—though I was at least smart enough not to say so.

“I’ve saved this outfit for a long time,” Percy informed me, looking down at himself and adjusting the fall of the skirts. “It’s based on the traditional garb of the Aekis royal family. I thought it would be a lovely way to tweak Anure’s nose.”

I studied the white fitted jacket, lavishly embellished with braid and diamond-bright buttons. The tight sleeves finished with belled cuffs embroidered with flowers that enveloped Percy’s hands, with the same design on the full skirts that ended at his knees, revealing ivory leather boots. “Smart,” I told