A Queen of Gilded Horns (A River of Royal Blood #2) - Amanda Joy Page 0,56
me as I began walking, haltingly at first, but gaining strength with each step. I felt stiff and . . . strange, but the only pain was in my sore knees.
I pushed open the door and was glad to see my cousins had seen fit to give us privacy. They were nowhere to be found.
“Let’s go,” I called. “All three of you, please.”
That please seemed to snap them of their spell. Anali took my arm, while Aketo walked on my other side. Falun’s cinnamon eyebrows were drawn together in worry as he walked beside Isadore.
“What is this? Do many khimaer shapeshift?”
“No, not many. Not anymore,” Anali explained. “Do you know how our Queens were chosen?”
“Baccha told me the elders chose from daughters of the noble families.”
“Yes, that is true,” Anali continued, “but not all daughters were considered for the throne. Before the Great War, only those who carried the seed of Khimaerani’s power—the ability to shapeshift—became our Princesses.”
Baccha had also shared the story of Khimaerani, the first khimaer and Goddess, born on the banks of the Red River, and her lover, Safiron, the first fey. She was the only deity sacred to khimaer—known simply as the Mother—and in Baccha’s tale, her body had been ever shifting and changing.
“Three or four girls,” Anali continued, “were born in a generation, and that chosen few competed for the throne in trials to prove their wisdom, magickal prowess, and skill in combat. The oldest and most respected khimaer, the Elderi, oversaw the trials and chose the Queen they thought most suited to rule Myre. And when that Queen was crowned, her ability to shift grew stronger as the other Princesses’ gifts waned. But in the years since the Great War, shapeshifters have become rare because most of our noble families died.”
“My mother didn’t inherit the gift, though my grandmama can still change her face and coloring,” Aketo added, scratching at his beard. “It’s a sacred ability, Eva. Chosen by the Mother herself. Few khimaer would accept a woman who could not shift as Queen. In the past, each Queen was carved into the Ivory Throne in her favored form.”
I gasped. I’d traced those women with my chubby fingers as a child. “Do you think my father planned this?”
“He might’ve hoped, Eva, but no magick is guaranteed. But he must have realized when you were born and decided to bind your power.”
I stopped and pulled my arm from Anali. I massaged my temples, reminding myself to breathe slowly, but my heartbeat drummed in my ears. “I don’t want this.”
“What?” Anali asked.
“A sacred ability?” I said, repeating Aketo’s description. Couldn’t they see that this was another burden? “Blood and marrow magick, and now this? I don’t want it, Anali.”
On the opposite side of the corridor, Isa scoffed and muttered something.
“What was that?” I said, rounding on her.
“Nothing, just marveling at your wondrous power like the rest of them,” my sister said drily.
“I didn’t ask for this, Isa.” My hands tightened to fists.
“I know,” she said. “That’s what makes this so nauseating. You have power. More than most of us can ever dream of, and you want to cry about it?”
I stepped toward her, but Anali held up a hand. “Eva, Princess Isadore, please. We have much to discuss. Whether or not you want this power, it is yours now, Eva. And you can decide what to do with it.” She folded her arms and leaned against the wall. “You can return to Ternain now if you want. Adopt a human guise and even the word of your sister won’t be enough to convince the Court you are khimaer.”
She meant return to hiding. I glanced at Isa, hoping to gauge her reaction to the idea, but her face was as smooth as glass. If she was expecting me to give up my hope of peace between us, she would be disappointed.
“No.” I didn’t look away from Isa. “I don’t want to hide anymore. I won’t lie about who I am.”
Anali’s narrowed eyes swung from me to Isa and back again. “Well then, we must decide what’s next. It has been four days, and nearly three weeks on the Plain. We’re at risk here, with nowhere to hide.”
I drew a steadying breath. “I’ve a mind to go farther north, to Sher n’Cai.”
Anali frowned. “The Enclosure? I suppose it’s a fine place to hide—the Queen won’t think to search for us in a cage—but it’s crawling with soldiers who might recognize anyone in the guard.”