Page 24 of The Malice of Moons and Mages (The Broken Bonds of Magic #1)

Twenty-Four

Selen e

W here is he?” Selene asked into the mirror. Though Xiang couldn’t hear her, he was usually good at anticipating her demands. She rested a possessive hand on Bolin’s shoulder, leaning slightly forward to meet the general’s eyes.

Xiang and his people followed Lua’s trail through the western countryside toward the mountain passes. If he made it to the Silence monastery in time for the eclipses, they’d hold a coronation, whether or not the entirety of the Mage Council was present. Master Fallue, the Council leader, was Lua’s greatest asset and Selene regretted not getting rid of him and his anchor, Emaline, before.

She’d send word to Sharine to make plans. The Song mage leader could accomplish things without overt detection. Hope for the best but set up preemptive plans for a worst-case scenario. Sharine wanted control of the council, and Selene could give her that. If Fallue attempted the coronation, he and the others had vulnerabilities she’d take advantage of. They’d soon learn that fighting her would only lead to their destruction .

Xiang’s image faded. Bolin slumped, his longing pulled on her. The general would reach out again when she wasn’t around. Accepting that intentional exclusion always stung. She placed a small kiss on Bolin’s brow before leaving him alone. He was smart enough to never say he didn’t want her there. Sending Xiang on this mission had been Bolin’s idea. If he was regretting it, there was nothing to be done about it. Plus, Xiang had two experienced mages with him, and Lua was weak.

It was unfortunate the third mage had been too compromised to assist. Selene would have to deal with the nine star appropriately. Verina had left her team wanting three separate times while selfishly pursuing attempts at having a child. She’d even delayed testing for advancement since a tenth star would prevent any future pregnancies. Xiang and the others were vulnerable because of her absence.

Selene ignored the bows of passing soldiers as she moved toward the south wing with two guards flanking her. Servants scuttled from her path like nervous crabs, darting into the shadows of alternate passages.

She paused outside Amala’s rooms. What was left of her mother lay in a ceremonial coffin inside. Moon tradition demanded a burning at sea, but Amala always wanted to be scattered in the Shei-nam mountains. After Lua was captured and the Rajav’s death was announced, Selene would handle the death rites in whatever way she deemed appropriate.

She knocked on the carved door three rooms down. She didn’t need to. The Rajav had unfettered access to every inch of the castle. But she remembered when Li-Hun never granted her the privacy she craved. It was difficult enough being a young girl in these walls, Selene saw no reason to make it worse for Dain’s daughter.

Grethin, the elderly servant assigned to the girl, opened the door and backed away, giving a wide berth for Selene to enter. The room had been decorated with soft purples and blues, Maya’s favorite colors according to Dain.

The girl sat cross-legged on the rug before the fireplace, her hair plaited in two braids that hung down her back. At nine years old, she was too young to know reverence or proper respect and too inexperienced to show the fear everyone else did. It was refreshingly bold. Perhaps that was why Selene hadn’t killed her yet. Maya glanced up to Selene from the scroll she read but didn’t stand until Kanata yanked her to her feet. The tutor bowed deeply and forced the girl’s head down beside her.

“Apologies, Oja. The girl should know better,” Kanata said, keeping her head down.

Selene smiled as Maya peeked up at her. “What are you reading, Maya?”

She pulled away from the tutor’s hands. “ The Tales of Yueliang .”

“That was a favorite of mine when I was your age. Have you gotten to the part with the dragons?”

A shy smile spread across her face. “I’m just starting it.”

Selene addressed Kanata. “Has she read The Love of Raia ?” The woman shook her head. “Just as well. Give her The Trials of Song and Silence next.”

“Yes, Oja,” Kanata said.

“Do you like it here, Maya?”

“I want to go home.” A neediness crept into Maya’s tone.

“Hm. I’m sure you do. But you must stay here with us for a while,” Selene said. She debated keeping her parent’s deaths from the girl. No need to torture her before Selene decided her fate. “You can have anything you want to read or eat. Do you like your room?”

The girl nodded. “It’s pretty. Only . . .”

“What is it?”

“I’m worried about Oaklai and Oani. They’ll be scared.”

“Who are Oaklai and Oani?”

“My ferrets. I’ve had them since they were babies.” Her hazel eyes were wide and imploring.

Kanata continued to study the rug. Only Grethin met Selene’s gaze with a look of confusion. The Rajav had forbidden animals in the castle—nothing to get attached to that might suddenly die.

But Selene was the one in control; those old rules needn’t apply anymore. “Were they at your house?”

The girl nodded.

Selene turned to Grethin. “Have someone retrieve them and brought here with anything they need.”

“Yes, Oja.” Grethin bowed before backing out of the room .

Maya’s smile was genuine. It touched something in Selene she didn’t expect. “What do you want to be when you’re older, Maya?”

The girl’s chest puffed out. She stood straighter. “A soldier like my father.”

Though Selene stood at a distance, her magic ached for the girl’s brilliant energy. Gloves might not protect Maya from an unintentional siphon if she moved closer. “Your father wasn’t just a soldier, Maya. He was anchored to one of the strongest mages in generations.”

Her eyes widened. “He is?”

Selene’s lips thinned into a taut line. There was no point in disguising the truth anymore, and the malicious part of her wanted to know what Maya would look like when she suffered. “He was, dear. I’m afraid not anymore.”

Confusion swam across the girl’s face. She looked from Selene to Kanata. “Wh-what do you mean?”

“Maya,” Selene tried to make her voice soothing, but the girl stepped back. “Your father died in service to our tribes.”

“Died?” Tears welled in her eyes. Her lower lip trembled. “How?”

At Selene’s nod, Kanata knelt beside the girl and wrapped fleshy arms around her.

“His mage killed him.”