Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 137958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 690(@200wpm)___ 552(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 690(@200wpm)___ 552(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
He felt her jerk around to face him again. “What? Why?”
He looked down his nose at her.
“Our daughters will know their beauty. They will never be in doubt of it, Silence. Not a single, fucking breath of their lives.”
Those pink lips parted again, and she stared up at him in wonder.
Then she jerked back around and faced forward.
The sounds of the arena were getting closer.
Mars adjusted in his saddle and pulled her tighter to him, fitting her arse snug in his crotch.
His people were of the sand, the fire, the snake…
And of the horse.
They would expect their future queen to ride in, seated true in her own saddle beside their king.
But as they were right then was how his people would first see their future queen.
Held tight to her king, snug in his saddle, as the procession rode the edges of the field of the arena, before they dismounted and took their places on the podium.
And that was how they rode.
There was shouting.
Cheering.
The throwing of petals and coins.
And his future queen sat straight on his horse, held tight to him, her stature small, but her chin lifted, her shoulders squared, her baring regal.
She often waved at children.
And smiled at the elderly.
Mars had not put much thought into the prophecy and the need for his marriage to be arranged. He knew, if he didn’t desire her, due to this being a marriage of arrangement, and not one of the heart, he’d simply sire an heir on her and find what he desired elsewhere.
And if his people did not accept her, he’d set her away somewhere she’d be comfortable and carry on with his reign as he saw fit.
But by the time Mars dismounted and pulled Silence wearing that splendid gown off his horse, he suspected she had a kingdom close to eating out of her hand.
He knew this as this was happening with its king.
16
The Parade
Princess Elena
Nadirii Sisterhood Procession to the Coliseum, Fire City
FIRENZE
“Still not talking to me?”
I was not, thus I didn’t say anything.
“For the goddess’s sake, I took my first lover at fourteen,” Serena snapped. “Theodora should know the ways of things. It was good I did.”
“Let us not do this now,” I muttered. “There’s much to concentrate on and none of it is you being thoughtless…again.”
“You’re right. There is,” Serena agreed. “Much to concentrate on. For instance, how Cassius is going to take one look at you, know you’re nothing like his very beloved, very Airenzian, very obedient, very womanly, very dead wife, want not one thing to do with you and then decide for the rest of his days to close his eyes and picture her while thrusting inside you.”
I decided not to reply.
Regrettably, Serena was feeling chatty.
“Though it probably isn’t such a bad thing, as you’ll be closing your eyes, picturing True.”
I again remained silent as we rode behind our mother and her lieutenants through the deserted streets of Fire City (indeed, the only beings that seemed to be about were the ones who opened the fiery gates to allow us entry fifteen minutes before).
We were on our trajectory toward the enormous, lit arena we could already see and definitely hear.
“I wonder what True’s intended looks like,” Serena pondered, unfortunately verbally. “She’s Firenz. Their striking beauties are renown throughout all the realms. So I’m certain she’s a stunner.”
I drew breath into my nose and remembered the words Melisse often said to me about high roads and low roads and how you slept at the end of the day once you laid your head on your pillow, depending on which road you chose.
“And the Firenz are known to be more open sexually than even Nadirii. This means True’s probably already had her.”
At that, I started when a glimmer of coral shot between Julia and Agnes, who were riding in a line before us that included Melisse and Lucinda on the outsides.
It slammed into Serena’s face, precisely her mouth, and my eyes flew to the front of the procession where my mother rode.
She was twisted in her saddle, her arm still raised to cast.
Her face was lethal.
Serena made a grunt.
Well then.
It appeared Mum wasn’t feeling chit-chat down the line.
My gaze went to Melisse, who, along with all Mother’s lieutenants, was turned in her saddle to see the results of her queen’s craft.
Melisse caught my gaze, tipped her head to the side and the tips of her lips up, and then she returned to face forward.
Serena emitted another grunt.
“You must call orders, so I assume she’ll end your silence eventually,” I assured her good-naturedly, glancing sideways to see my sister looked murderous.
But she was silent.
That was all I needed in order to gather my magic within me and focus.
We proceeded, winding through the streets of a city that seemed to be made up of mostly squat buildings fashioned of rust-colored stone or the same colored clay. Night had fallen so the colors of awnings, the flowers in a profusion of pots, the paint on doors, the mosaics in archways, the rugs in courtyards were silvered and mostly colorless.