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Finally, Mehl came to a halt between the thrones. The tip of his boot tapped against the stone, but from her vantage point, Ria couldn’t tell if there was anything special about the dais. All of the floor, dais included, had been exquisitely designed, with smooth stone shot through with the occasional sunburst in a slightly darker shade of gray. It was so subtle that she’d never noticed the details amongst the milling courtiers.

Toren kept his hand at her lower back as they joined Mehl, who still studied the floor. The warmth of Toren’s fingers brought some comfort amidst the uncertainty, but her knees trembled as she stepped up onto the dais.This spot is too sacred for the likes of me,her doubt tried to insist.

She shoved the insidious whisper down. Right now, there was far more to worry about than her doubt.

* * *

As soon asToren glanced down at the sunburst inlaid in the floor of the dais between the two thrones, it hit him—the oathing ceremonies. This was where he would stand for those, but the locationitselfwasn’t important. It was the link. The laws and magic that governed Llyalia might technically be fixed to the land, yet at the same time, they weren’t. A High King or High Queen of Eyamiri blood could disconnect that energy from the land and hold it inside themselves in the event their people needed to flee.

The deepest of the oathing ceremonies required the participant to shed their blood atop the Bloodstone Crown, the kingdom’s oldest artifact—now only used for coronations and oaths. The gold circlet held a red jewel said to be created from the first king’s blood. Many thought that part to be a myth, but Toren knew otherwise. During each ceremony he’d performed, he’d joined with the power of that stone to accept the oath, and it resonated with the same energy as both the kingdom’s magic and his family’s blood.

But the crown, though powerful, was mostly a symbol. With his connection to Llyalia, Toren could spill his own blood for the other person to drip theirs upon, and if he willed it, the result would be the same. Which meant it didn’t matter where he and his spouses stood at all. Wherever they were, if he linked the three of them into the kingdom’s magic, they should in theory be able to alter it.

It wouldn’t be easy. Although he’d used many spells connected to Llyalia, like the official seal he placed on contracts and missives, he’d never attempted to change one of the underpinning laws before. Though he supposed that part would be up to Ria with her alteration magic, if she could figure out how. Against her lower back, his fingers tingled pleasantly from the contact, but it was also a reminder of what he could lose.

Gods, it was almost too much to ask, especially since he was only the power source.

“Any ideas?” Mehl asked, shaking Toren from his thoughts.

He shoved the fear to the back of his mind. If they wanted to end their current threat, it had to be done. None of them would be safe until Ryenil’s paths to power were removed.

“I believe I’ve figured out how to link us in, provided the two of you don’t mind shedding a few drops of blood,” Toren said. “It should be similar to an oathing ceremony, but without the pain involved.”

Ria shifted away from him slightly. “Pain?”

“The deeper the oath, the more wrenching it is for body, mind, and spirit. Most do not undergo the full ceremony, though. Macoe did so to become captain, so for him, it is soul deep. If he betrays Llyalia or the Eyamiri, he will cease to exist.”

The choked sound Ria released had him rubbing her low back in comforting circles. “Then what in the world will I have to suffer to officially become queen?”

“Nothing,” Toren assured her. “That is a joining made before the gods and is thus weighed and measured by them. You’ll become one of the Eyamiri that oaths are givento.”

She didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t press the issue—of marriage, at least. “What about for this? I’m not worried about the blood so much. Pain, though…”

“I can make no promises, but I don’t believe it will hurt us. In fact, I will cease the link if there’s a hint that it will.” His gaze flicked down to her belly, then back up. “You must tell me if you feel ill in any way. We’ll stop, and I’ll call in Mery.”

Mehl frowned at him over Ria’s shoulder. “She hasn’t made her oath.”

Although Toren would have preferred that Mery had, the more stringent ceremony would require her to rest for a day or two afterward. But everything inside him said they needed to act today. Now. Until they flushed every possible spy from the palace, they were all at risk. If the law wasn’t altered and another assassination attempt succeeded, then Ryenil could still find a way to take over. That threat had to be ended no matter what.

“We’ll just have to trust Macoe’s judgment,” Toren said.

He lowered his arm from Ria’s waist, but she grabbed his wrist before he could move to the center of the dais. “Wait,” she said, fear tainting her tone. “Aren’t we going to talk about what we’re doing first? How am I altering things?”

“I don’t know.” Toren grabbed one of the knives from Mehl’s belt. “I need to see the shape of the law while we’re connected into the fullness of it. I’m not sure if it would be easier to erase the inheritance challenge entirely or to change the way it’s done. But we’ll be able to speak mentally during the process. If you’re still willing?”

Ria shivered at the question, but she nodded. As she lifted the side of her skirt to grab the dagger strapped to her thigh, Toren turned to Mehl. One side of his husband’s mouth lifted as he unsheathed his other knife. If he had misgivings, they weren’t obvious.

“Shall we begin?” Toren asked, waiting for them to tip their heads in agreement.

Then he drew the blade across his forearm and let the blood plop red onto the center of the dull gray sunburst.

Chapter65

Resonance

With the knife pressed against her forearm, Ria met Toren’s eyes. She had to ask, no matter how much her throat tightened with dread. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if she couldn’t do this, but she would never forgive herself if her silence brought disaster.

“Do you truly think the connection won’t hurt our child?” Ria swallowed hard. “If this is similar to the oathing ceremony, I fear what this linking might do.”