A Queen of Gilded Horns (A River of Royal Blood #2) - Amanda Joy Page 0,97

Self-soothing is how we first test out our gift.” She shifted the infant to her opposite hip, and wouldn’t meet my eyes as she continued. “But I’m afraid Otho will take after his father.”

Otho.

She gestured to the table behind her. “Please sit. We don’t want to make my other boys wait too long. And . . .” Her voice trailed off for a moment, eyes going unfocused, before her gaze settled on me again, her lips twisting into a wry smile. “Aketo worries I will mishandle this.”

“Mishandle what?” Isa asked.

Daischa sighed, a tinge of regret in her tone. “I apologize for being so abrupt, but I find frankness and honesty is the best approach in delicate matters. You may or may not know that your father was my lover for the last four years. I must assume, from the look on Eva’s face, she’s already guessed that Otho is your brother.”

There was a long pause. Isa’s face betrayed nothing of her emotion. There were no trembling lips, no shining eyes. Only words just above a whisper and the beginnings of a pivot that would see her running out the door: “Lei isn’t—wasn’t my father. Not truly.”

Daischa reached out to catch Isa’s arm. “Princess Isadore, please. Lei told me stories of both of you. Your place is here with your sister and brother.”

As soon as Daischa’s hand left Otho’s forehead, he woke, head peeking out from behind his mother’s arm. He couldn’t have been more than a year old, but his eyes were bright and steady as they found my face. Beautiful, perfect brown eyes.

Tears slid down my cheeks as it all fell into place.

My father’s eyes. I thought I would never see them again.

Chapter 24

Eva

A few hours later, it was nearly midnight and I still sat at Daischa’s table, unable to eat even one more bite of food, watching Aketo bounce Otho on his knee. The little white nubs of his horns peeked out from a cloud of springy coils as Aketo tickled his cloven feet.

With a small shock, I realized the dimples flashing with Otho’s every smile were just like mine.

Our brother. The words felt strange. Did it change anything between Aketo and me? Should it?

Daischa had welcomed Lirra into her kitchen and together they whipped up several dishes. Roasted pheasant over golden rice, grilled fish from a lake in the mountains, a peppery stew that left my brow damp with sweat, and more. Given the scarcity of food and supplies in the Enclosure, Anali insisted Daischa accept much of the rations we’d gotten from General Mateen.

When the rest had come inside, I still hadn’t recovered from my shock. Daischa had handed Otho off to Aketo and set in front of me a steaming mug of tea, and “a little something extra” to take the edge off. I was grateful to have something to do with my hands.

Otho wailed at first sight of Aketo, then cooed and gargled, and hadn’t tolerated anyone else holding him since, yanking at his gold earrings and pawing at his face. I’d never seen Aketo laugh so hard. Joy radiated off everyone in Daischa’s family and it wasn’t just me who squirmed in the face of it.

Isa gulped down her tea so quickly she had to have scalded her throat, and she watched Otho furtively, expression shifting between wonder and anguish. I wanted to say something to her, but I had no notion of what would help.

I was still supposed to be angry with her, but I couldn’t hold on to the feeling while watching Otho’s wide-eyed wonderment. I wanted to tell her that we could forget every terrible thing between us, but then I remembered that she still hadn’t told me who revealed Papa’s secret. She still couldn’t or wouldn’t condemn Mother.

Aketo, noticing my attention, looked up, his smile slipping for a moment. He frowned and climbed to his feet and slid into the seat next to me.

“Otho,” Aketo murmured, “have you met Eva?”

The child followed his brother’s gaze. Unsure of what exactly to do—how did one communicate with an infant?—I waved a hand. Otho’s gaze immediately locked onto my gold signet ring.

His chubby fingers reached for it, and I slipped it off, handing it over to him. He immediately put it right to his lips.

“Uh-oh,” Aketo cooed, hooking a finger into Otho’s mouth to extricate the jewelry. “She needs that.”

Otho threw his head back and let out a cry of outrage, but quickly settled when Aketo gave him a wooden spoon. “Do