Page 18 of Of Stars and Lightning (Sun and Shadows #1)

“We shall focus on the task at hand. Banter on your own time.” He resumed his casual tone and stood, striding over to the man behind him. He leaned close, whispering something to which the man gave a curt nod.

King Semmena turned back to Sol, his face calm and once again pleasant. “I assume they have told you what you are here for. And introduced themselves.” Sol nodded.

“Well, let me tell you again, with some added details.” As the king spoke, the man behind him emerged toward the table holding a silver chalice.

“The four people around you are children of Queen Irene’s trusted circle and Court,” the King started.

“They are appointed to her successor, then their children to their successor, and so on. I’ve kept Gina and Samara, though.

” He gave her a small, forced smile. “I do hope you don’t mind. ”

The armored man set the chalice down in front of the King, then extended an arm toward Sol.

“The reason you are here now, Sol, is because you have claimed to be the late Queen’s daughter, therefore Heiress to the throne of our glorious kingdom.”

Sol didn’t move. Nina gestured to the King, then to the man with his arm extended.

Alix too, gave her a small smile and jerked his head to motion her their way.

There was no way Sol was nearing those people.

The ridiculous table between them was barely enough distance.

Sol met Sawyer’s gaze to her left, then Cas's.

And although Sawyer made a move to near her first, Cas put a hand on her shoulder and extended his hand past her and Alix to Sol.

That hand, she took.

She might not trust the people around her, but she sure felt more protected with them than alone.

Cas led her along the side of the table, his hand warm and tender around her own.

They walked in full view of Samara, who, to Sol’s delight, seethed with anger.

They stopped in front of the armored man, who slipped past Gina and Samara to meet them by the edge of the table.

His hand was still extended. Cas raised their joined hands and gently slid hers into the man’s grasp.

The man’s grip was smaller and colder, but firm.

Still, Cas only stepped a few steps behind her instead of returning to his spot.

Gina smirked. “Xanthos and their Yarrows.”

Sol did her best to keep composed as the armored man hovered their hands over the chalice.

“Gaven here is my personal guard. He is going to do what’s called a Lineage Trace.” The King held up his right hand, a thin red band shining on his ring finger.

“This here”—he wiggled his finger, signaling to the ring—“is a Wielder ring. It contains a small blade we use to draw blood when offerings are needed.”

The armored man—Gaven—picked up his free hand, where he also wore a Wielder ring. The slice was quick. Sol didn’t even feel the sting until after her blood began to drip rhythmically into the chalice. Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

She averted her eyes.

After a few painfully long seconds, Gaven pulled a square cloth from the side of his armor and wrapped her hand before releasing it.

She cradled it to her chest and took a healthy step back.

She felt the nerves resume, their relentless tug a dull ache in her chest as Gaven swirled her blood in the chalice.

If she didn’t pass this test, would she be allowed to return home?

Would all this just become a nightmare as she resumed her life?

And if she did pass… It’s in your hands now… Sol wanted the day to be over.

“This silver chalice is an original Yarrow artifact.” King Semmena leaned back in his chair, his expression bored, as if he was explaining trivial things to a bothersome child.

“In theory, if Yarrow blood comes into contact with it.”—he looked at his daughter—“true Yarrow blood, the one belonging to a marked one, then the gods will take the offering.”

“And if it’s not the blood they want, it simply remains there,” the older man next to the King finished, startling Sol with his sudden speech. She had forgotten he was there.

They all watched the cup in silence. Only the soft hum of the torches filled the space.

“Well, seems like you’re not—” As soon as the words spilled from Samara’s red-stained lips, the chalice shook.

Gaven took a step back from the table, and everyone else seemed to blanch while the King’s jaw twitched. Smoke swirled from inside the chalice, twirling up and away. The haze turned ruby red as tiny particles and droplets of blood circled into the atmosphere until it all vanished.

The torches extinguished. One by one, they went out, then the chandelier above them rattled. The air itself seemed to chill, to hang, and to still.

Nina gasped softly, and even the brown-robed elder gestured a silent prayer. “Sol.” Sol flinched.

“Soool.”

Again she flinched, the sound of her name surrounding her entirely. She looked at the King and his Court, their pallid faces fixed on the chalice.

“Soool.”

She looked back at Nina and the others. They had their eyes fixed on her.

A hand on her shoulder made her nearly jump out of her skin, but Cas leaned near and said, “The gods will call you. Now that they know who you are, they’re going to prompt your Awakening. They’re going to ask for your name.”

“Sol, Sol, Sol of the Yarrow clan, tell us your complete name.” A multitude of tones and voices pierced her skull. They were old and young, male and female, and the most awful sound she had ever heard. She clutched her temples.

“Tell us your name, your full name, beloved.”

She shook her head, and Cas lightly squeezed her shoulder.

“Samara, fix that.” Sol barely heard King Semmena through the chorus in her mind. The woman groaned but gracefully walked to her.

As Samara closed the distance between them, she shut her lilac eyes and hovered her ivory hand over Sol’s forehead. She chanted in a tongue Sol didn’t understand, whispering sounds over and over until the voices halted.

Sol willed her breaths to even out, her heart to remain in her chest. After a few seconds of swollen silence, she relaxed.

“The gods are quite stingy,” the King said. “Once you give them a taste, they only want more.”

A headache bloomed behind her eyes, and the cut on her hand began to throb.

Both her palms had slashes now, one from her aunt and the other from this day that might have been the beginning of her life sentence.

She could feel her Court’s attention on her, as one by one, the torches revived and the atmosphere seemed to settle once again.

Sol exhaled a shaky breath.

“Well.” King Semmena stood, eyes meeting Sol’s. “Welcome home, Crown Princess Yarrow.