Page 81 of A Queen’s Game (Aithyr Uprising #1)

Chapter Fifty-Three

Marietta

A fter the King’s taunting in the garden, Keyain asked Marietta to stay in the suite until Amryth came back from an assignment. When they had returned to the suite that afternoon, he was so shaken, so furious, that calming him down was a struggle.

Keyain had cursed Wyltam, saying he was out of line and beyond inappropriate.

Of course, from his vantage point, it would have appeared incongruous; but Marietta knew the truth, that she intended for situations like that to occur.

King Wyltam’s timing of the entire day was impeccable.

The kiss on her hand, the placing of her hair behind her ear, caused Keyain to release his jealousy in a way she hadn’t seen in years.

Marietta could see how it worked into Valeriya’s plan as well, pinning the two men against each other.

The thought made her smile, that she finally crafted a way to give herself control in this court.

Not only did she help the Queen, but she also found a way to further their plan by her own means.

The divide in Keyain and the King’s friendship had widened already.

What irked her, though, was King Wyltam’s confession.

The King loved Keyain, and she planted herself at the center of their drama.

Of all the ways she imagined their relationship deteriorating, she hadn’t considered love or lack thereof.

Perhaps because Keyain never talked of his love life prior to Marietta, though it wasn’t all too surprising that he’d been with a man.

Most in Enomenos are attracted to more than one gender.

Yet a question had burned at the back of her mind, one she almost asked Keyain when they returned to the suite. Did Keyain ever love the King back, or was the King bitter when Keyain never returned his feelings?

Regardless, Marietta would stick to the plan despite what trouble it could bring her.

That included handling Keyain’s burning fit of jealousy that day after the gardens.

Even holding his hand hadn’t worked. It took a kiss.

Not on the lips, thank gods, but on his cheek while Marietta caressed his face.

Only then did he stop and breathe. Nauseating work, but it could have been worse.

The week alone in the suite had included her pretending to find his court gossip entertaining and lying about not being bored.

She read the book from the library within an afternoon.

The sexier scenes Elyse referred to were, well, tame.

When Keyain saw what she was reading, he acted affronted.

Marietta had to remind him that they had much wilder nights than what was in the book back in the day.

The idea that the content was scandalous made her laugh.

If only Elyse could read the books she had left in Olkia.

Other than that, her week dragged on, each day making her antsier than the last. The morning Amryth returned, she wasted no time in getting out of the suite.

They strolled an unfamiliar section of the castle, where marble statues lined the hallway.

A coiled serpent sat on a pedestal with its head raised, a pair of horns curling back from its face, its tongue flickering.

She stopped to inspect the details, failing to remember the creature’s name from her father’s feyrie tales.

“Are you still not going to share what your task was?” Marietta asked.

“Gods damned fool’s errand is what,” Amryth grumbled. “I offered to help with the search of the missing pilinos, and Keyain took that as I’m open for whatever tasks he needs.”

“What did he have you do?” she asked again, raising her brows.

“Nothing worth sharing,” she said, waving her off, her leather armor shifting smoothly with the motion. “I checked in with Deania at the temple last night. She knew half of the missing pilinos, and so far, the ones whose bodies have been recovered were all her friends.”

“Deities above, that’s tragic.” Marietta clutched a hand to her chest. “Is she alright?”

“She says she is, but I know she isn’t.” Amryth paused, crossing her arms to lean against the pillar. “What I find more concerning is that she’s hiding information. The murderers almost abducted another friend of hers during the height of the disappearances. They never reported it to the guard.”

“Can you blame them?” Marietta said with a tight smile. “It’s not as if they’re treated well.”

“Though that’s true, Keyain is putting all his resources towards this.

” She paused, toying with one of her braids.

“The reason they didn’t come forward was because of what they saw.

Two male elves cornered them, but the details were confusing.

In the dark, they could only see the most glaring features, which were described as one having a set of gray, feathery wings sprouting from his back.

The other male had two horns circling the sides of his head from his temple. ”

Marietta furrowed her brows. “Costumes, maybe?”

“But why costumes? Why wear such distinct features that also make it difficult to move?” Amryth shook her head. “It makes little sense, and her friend knew that, hence why they didn’t go to the guard.”

Amryth pushed off the pillar, leading Marietta further down the hall. A massive statue pulled her attention. The bottom was that of a horse, from the torso up was human. “It sounds like something from a feyrie tale,” she said, nodding to the sculpture. “Like a centaur or satyr.”

Amryth scoffed. “Right, as if the statues were coming alive and attacking pilinos specifically.”

Marietta laughed, taking her arm to skip down the hall, happy to distract Amryth from the dour topic. “If you could be any creature from a feyrie tale, what would you be?” She stopped, twirling out the pale pink of her dress to face Amryth, the dual slits in her skirt reaching to her hips.

“What kind of question is that?”

Marietta shrugged, twirling again. “A fun one. I think you’d be a gorgon.”

“Seriously? Because of my hair?” She almost looked offended.

“No, because your gaze can turn anyone into stone.” Marietta laughed, getting Amryth to crack a smile. “Your unimpressed stare turns me to stone—and you like me. I can’t imagine what it looks like when you don’t like someone.”

Amryth smirked. “Let’s hope you don’t find out.”

“What do you think I’d be?”

“A satyr,” she answered without missing a beat. “Because you’re impulsive as all hells.”

“And I like to dance.” She twirled again, finding herself at the end of the hall where it opened up to a new room. Marietta stood, mouth agape.

“Welcome to the Glass Garden,” Amryth said, stepping past her. “I knew you’d like it.”

The enclosed garden had statues of satyrs and delicate water nymphs, carved frolicking in the waters, water spouting from the tips of their fingers.

A massive rock outcropping from the wall centered the fountain.

At its front was a cave inhabited by a beautiful female creature with a haunted expression, its mouth gaping as if she screamed.

The angles of the face were too sharp to be human, elven, or anything in between.

Water spouted out the eyes and mouth, down her naked body.

The glass ceiling high above let in the afternoon light. Crystal orbs floated above the fountain in the sun’s rays and created rainbows in the mist. Colors danced across every surface from the refracted light.

Around the exterior were trees and flowers planted in containers with thick vines coiled up the stone walls and columns.

The perfume from the blooms blended with soil and wet permeated the air.

The fountain’s babbling water aided Marietta’s sense of peace.

“How have I not seen this?” she asked. “It’s unbelievable. ”

“It’s one of the most beautiful spots in the palace.” Marietta jumped at the deep voice from just over her shoulder.

“Gods,” Marietta said, clutching her chest where the fabric dipped low. “King Wyltam, you scared me.” She offered a quick curtsy. At her side, Amryth dropped to a knee, her right hand fisted over her heart.

“Apologies, Lady Marietta,” he said, his expression showing nothing of an apology. “I didn’t intend to sneak up on you.” He looked past Marietta. “Amryth, you are dismissed. I wish to speak to Marietta alone.”

Amryth glanced at Marietta for a second with her nose flared. Gods, she didn’t want to leave, especially after hearing what happened with her previous outing with the King; yet, she was dutiful, nodding her head once before she stood and went back down the hall.

“I’ve always loved this room,” the King murmured, looking up at the female creature at its center.

“That’s surprising, King Wyltam,” Marietta said with a dip of her head. “You don’t strike me as someone who appreciates art.”

A laugh loosened his icy demeanor, the sound like rolling thunder. “And what makes you say that?”

Marietta despised the King and what he stood for, yet she felt compelled to stare.

With his skin pallor and black eyes and hair, he was drab; most would overlook the beauty in him.

But Marietta saw how he contrasted with the world around him, like the way dark storm clouds could make a rainbow brighter.

In all her travels, she had met no one quite like him.

Fascination and anger fought in her gut.

Anger for what he represented, regardless if he did not hate pilinos himself, or for allegedly not slaughtering the people of Olkia, because his inaction was just as incriminating.

Her fascination was the inability to grasp him as a person, as if he existed behind shifting smoke, letting brief glimpses show through.

Curiosity drove her to keep looking for those glimpses.

“Art seems frivolous,” she whispered, taking in his features. “And you don’t strike me as a frivolous person, Your Grace.”