Page 95

“Welcome to Copia.” She pushed the doors open wide.

Breath lodged behind my aching ribs.

What lay before me was something out of a fairy tale. Far below, rolling hills of green painted with swathes of lavender and pink covered the landscape. Nestled between the hills were dozens of multitiered homes with glistening roofs. In the distance, a frothing river journeyed across the countryside. Atthe head of it, a waterfall gurgled. Mist danced along its banks, giving everything a mystical quality.

I peered down at Runa.

Warm sunlight cast her exotic features in an ethereal light. As she gazed out upon the land, her expression was soft, serene. A gentle smile played at the edges of her full lips.

To my surprise, I found my arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close while we shared the view together.

She waited for my reaction. Before I registered the act, my fingers caressed her cheek. “Breathtaking,” I admitted, peering into her fathomless violet eyes.

Her face reddened, her expression shuttering, and she withdrew from my touch. “Come. Let’s get you dressed. There’s someone here who wants to meet you.”

Her withdrawal left me chilled. “Who might that be?”

“Queen Elowen.”

After a humiliating struggle, where Runa helped me dress due to my weakened state, I wore new clothing crafted of exquisite fabric. Heavy gold embroidery embellished the jacket’s lapels and cuffs. The cut of the garment was made for a king.

Soon after, we exited the room and were escorted by a pair of guards dressed in dark robes, stopping before a set of ornate doors. The heavy oak doors swung inward with a groan, revealing a vast throne room. My second since my arrival in this foreign world.

For once, I failed to contain my reaction. My jaw dropped.

At the top of a raised dais was yet another tree, much like the one in Idris’s castle.

Unlike Carcerem's sacred arbor, with its single trunk, this tree was a complex structure of hundreds of thinner branches, interwoven to form a wide, sturdy base. Above that, thousands of smaller limbs formed a lush canopy full of metallic emerald leaves. Carved into the foot of the tree’s base was a wide seat of tiny woven branches braided to form an intricate throne.

On that throne sat a resplendent queen. Her robes and gown were a rich forest green. Her thick silver hair was braided into elegant loops. On her head was a crown of golden branches inset with gleaming emeralds. While far from aged, there was a sense of wisdom about her not found in those of their youth.

“Ah, Victor Custodis and his charming sorceress. Come forward,” Queen Elowen commanded.

Runa sputtered a cough when the queen called her mine, and my lips curled.

Our guards led us to the foot of the dais where the queen peered down her nose at us. Her shrewd eyes scanned every inch of my person. “You appear much improved.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” I offered a courtly bow. “You have my deepest gratitude for coming to the aid of both myself and my allies.”

“Yes, well.” She sniffed. “I believed it was past time someone took you in hand since you were failing so miserably on your own.”

I stiffened at her tone. “Please forgive my ignorance, but I do not understand.” Was I tasked with some job other than surviving in this ridiculous land?

“Of course you don’t. That mortal world you lived in has twisted you into something even I hardly recognize.” The queen fluttered a dismissive hand. “The moment you arrived, I felt a disturbance. I’d hoped, at last, the balance would be restored. Needless to say, I was disappointed to discover you were a competitor in that barbaric game.”

“As was I, Your Majesty.”

“Your performance was embarrassing, to say the least. That one of the divine should scurry about like a powerless rodent in Idris’s maze was a dark stain upon us all. It wasn’t until the dragon broke your enchantment that I began to understand the reason for your dismal showing.”

Again, she spoke in riddles. “I was unaware of any enchantment.”

“Apparently, your true nature was concealed sometime during your childhood. Since your arrival here, that enchantment has been weakening. It was the dragon’s fire that finally broke it, allowing your true self to emerge. Your divine self.”

The explosion of power, my glowing flesh. It wasn’t a dream.

However, her insistence that I was divine was surely a fantasy and too farfetched to be believed. “If I am truly divine, then how did this come to pass?”

The queen scoffed. “No sovereign should sink so low as to explain procreation to a simpleton.”