Page 5

5

M aris turned to creating a routine she could follow easily in her new home. Yet, the first weeks in New Agenor were the hardest ones. Melvian tried to ease her symptoms but at the end of the day, it came down to the fact her body was reacting to being away from her only source of peace, Valda.

When she went outside, she couldn’t help but fear that she was being watched, that at any given moment Arwin’s soldiers would come. In fact, Maris was worried that it had been two weeks, and she hadn’t heard a thing from outside of New Agenor. She didn’t even know how Valda was doing. Then again, every night since she arrived at New Agenor, she tried her hardest to detach herself from the bond, to block it.

She could try to force herself not to think of her lover, but it was almost impossible to do so, and it was driving her absolutely insane. Everything reminded her of Valda…

The lakes, where she showed Valda how she could bend water to her will. The square, where they danced amongst her people, how Valda clumsily stumbled with her feet, struggling to dance with Maris, to make her happy and feel loved. House of Arago, where they shared their first meal with Eyphah, where Valda’s confidence shattered, unsure of how to eat something she didn’t know, and how she had helped her.

Then there was the bedroom…

Though it wasn’t House of Proteus, the layout was the same, and every morning when Maris woke up from her restless sleep, she imagined Valda walking out of the garderobe, looking down at her with adoration .

Each night, the feeling of the soft sheets against her skin awakened a sense of loneliness that could only be brushed away with the feeling of Valda’s skin on hers. With warm lips on her neck and chest, skillful hands holding her down, begging for submission. Maris wanted to be underneath her again, feel the tall and strong body ushering her into the height of pleasure. Some mornings she cried; some mornings she woke soaked in her own arousal.

If she didn’t block the bond’s relentless pull, she would lose herself. Yet, the bond was the only thing that assured her Valda was alive. She could feel the yearning, the tug on her very soul, and the muffled whispers that came with each thread of connection.

Come back.

Can I find you?

Are you well?

I miss you.

I miss you…

She wanted to give in, to allow herself to be swallowed up by the bond and surround herself with everything that was Valda. She wanted to open her eyes and see the other woman there, with that smile, that fucking smile. Perfect, warm and honest. Her smile.

But still she resisted.

Some nights, Maris was blessed with dreamless sleep, but there were others when the nightmares suffocated her, waking her in cold sweats and with tears streaming down her face.

The nightmares replayed the day her father left, mixed in with the night she found her mother’s body…

Her stomach turned within itself each time she woke up. The images still fresh in her head, the pain as if it was the same day those tragedies occurred. She didn’t tell anyone about her restless nights. There was no use in doing so. Melvian already knew about her parent’s tragedy, telling her about the nightmares would make her friend try to push her to go back to Valda as a way of alleviating everything.

But how could Maris even think about going back to her mate when she was the one that caused all the pain and suffering?

Telling Eyphah would only make the other woman’s hatred towards Valda grow, and Maris did not want to hear her .

It was better to keep busy. She read the book of Asclepius Melvian had given her. She had read it so many times she had memorized most of it. If Melvian wanted to give her a test, Maris could pass it with no problem.

Maris felt confident enough in doing some real healing.

Closing her book, Maris jumped from the couch and rubbed her chest. She couldn’t feel Valda which to her surprise saddened her. Although she was detaching from the other woman, she always felt at peace knowing that Valda was alive and well. Today, she couldn’t feel much except frustration.

She went out of House of Argo and waved at Cai.

“Again, at my door?”

The teenager smiled awkwardly. “It’s Eyphah’s orders. She always wants me near you.”

“And what if I don’t want you near me at all times, Cai?” Maris asked, stopping by Melvian’s cabin. “My orders hold more weight than Eyphah’s.”

Cai nodded aggressively before bowing. “Yes, of course, I- I am not saying otherwise…”

“But?” Maris tried to hide her amusement at Cai’s nervousness.

“Nothing.” Cai glued his gaze to the ground just as Melvian opened the door.

“Hello, Maris,” Melvian grinned. “Hi, Cai.”

Cai greeted Melvian as Maris walked towards her best friend. Just as she was about to close the door, she stuck her head out and stared at Cai. “You are going to stay there, right?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Maris rolled her eyes. “Cai, go play. That’s an order.”

“I can’t, Your Highness, please forgive me.”

“I can’t believe I am already dealing with insubordination. Can you believe this, Melvian?” Maris asked, turning towards inside the house.

“Pretty much,” Melvian chuckled, waving her hand at Cai and closing the door. “But don’t feel too bad. I mean, look at Valda. She had an entire coup.”

Maris’s upper lip twitched as she pulled a chair from the dining table and sat down.

“Too soon, right?”

“Yep.”

“Yeah, I shouldn’t have said that.” Melvian tutted and patted her hands on her waist before giving Maris a rueful smile. “So, I know you have been studying.”

“I have,” Maris said proudly. “Ask me anything.”

“Can you recite the entire Asclepius worshiper pledge by memory? ”

Pouting her lips playfully, Maris closed her eyes and effortlessly recited the pledge.

As an Asclepius worshiper, I promise I will, to the best of my ability, serve humanity—caring for the sick, promoting good health, and alleviating pain and suffering. I shall never intentionally do or administer anything to the overall harm of those who seek my help. I will let the grace of Asclepius, his sons, and daughters course through me, bringing forth the needed knowledge to assess and ease the suffering of the sick and injured.

In the morning hours before going to Melvian, Maris would read the oath repeatedly, repeating each word in her head as if it would somehow lead her to believe she was making the right choice. The oath at the beginning of the book, which was written in gold, burned in the back of her head all the while. It was hard to imagine if she could follow those words.

Could she help the enemy if they came asking for help? If they were injured? Would she have the heart to let them die, or would she follow the way of the worshipers and heal them? She still wasn’t sure, and if she were honest with herself, she would only decide when the moment allowed her to do so.

“Wow, well done.” Melvian’s little condescending praise struck a nerve, but Maris let it go as soon as she noticed her friend’s smirk.

“I’ve been working hard.”

“There is no doubt about it!” Melvian chuckled. “Hopefully, if you keep it up, you might get the blessing,” Melvian said, grabbing a bag from the table. Instead of placing the strap over her shoulder, she closed her eyes and scoffed. “I really need you to be blessed.”

Maris frowned. “You said it yourself… Hopefully. ”

“I know what I said,” Melvian whispered, absentmindedly fidgeting with a decorative button from the bag. “Listen, Maris, I need to know you are doing everything you can to be blessed.”

Maris blinked, surprised by the sudden shift of emotions. “Melvian, I can assure you—”

“I know you are going through a lot of things, and I get it, believe me! But… Gods, Maris, I either teach you enough to be blessed or maybe…” Melvian rubbed her swollen stomach. “I can teach him… or her! I am still not sure if the baby will be a boy or a girl, it’s been really hard to determine and—”

“Hey! Hey! Melvian!” Maris shook her head and jolted to grab Melvian’s hands. “It’s fine, alright? You are fine, I am fine, the baby is fine. You are worrying too much.” Maris tilted her head, trying to lock eyes with Melvian. “ You are anxious.”

“I miss Isen, yes, but I keep telling myself that the real purpose of this separation is because a blessed worshiper will come from this. It will either be you or the baby, and I swear I will not rest until I meet a blessed worshipper.”

“And you will. I am trying my best.”

“Promise?”

Maris smiled and nodded. “Promise! And you know what?”

“What?”

“I promise eventually, we will have an Asclepius temple.”

“Pssh! Maris, please!”

“No, listen. Imagine a place where anyone interested can come in and learn. What’s so bad about that?”

“We carry our temple within us,” Melvian said, pressing a hand to Maris’s chest. “We carry our oath. We don’t need a physical temple.”

“Call it a school then,” Maris said, a smile spreading across her lips before she arched her brow. “Think about it.”

“I guess I will but not now.” Releasing a heavy sigh, Melvian finally settled the bag’s strap on her shoulder and jerked her head towards the door. “I think it is time for us to practice hands on, don’t you think?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Maris huffed, opening the door for her, only to find Cai sitting on the porch and throwing a rock to the ground.

“Cai!” Maris rolled her eyes and rubbed her temples. “Please.”

“But, Your High—”

“That’s an order!”

Melvian took a step back while Cai opened his mouth to say something, but Maris shut him up with a quick hand gesture.

“Go.”

Cai’s head hung low as he jumped off the porch and walked away towards the square.

“A little harsh on the kid, don’t you think?”

“No. I am not harsh. I am actually being nice. He is what, sixteen? He should be running around playing, hitting on girls, or boys or whatever. Be a teenager. I know how horrible it was to work as a teen instead of living it up.”

“True, but you don’t have to be so rough with him. You don’t need to scream like Val—”

“Melvian, I need you to stop mentioning Valda. I don’t… I do n’t want to—”

“I am sorry.”

Melvian’s eyes seemed to pierce through Maris. The coldness in her tone made her take a step back. Her lower lip quivered. It was hard enough to be away from her mate, but to have her best friend mad almost made her bawl right there and then.

“I— You keep saying you are sorry, and I don’t think you actually mean to apologize.”

Melvian’s gaze dropped to the ground, then to her bag. “There is a pregnant teacher a couple of cabins down. Coral is her name. She told me she wanted me to have a look at her when we arrived, and I want you to come with me. You can learn a thing or two while we are there.”

Maris bit the inside of her cheek, closed her eyes and nodded begrudgingly. She knew what Melvian was doing. Changing the subject was something Maris did all the time; it was only fair that someone would do it to her. “Lead the way…”

Pouting her lips and shaking her head, Melvian walked between broken cabins. Maris followed, swallowing hard and trying to come up with a topic of conversation that would somehow get the awkward silence to dissipate. Before she could reach out to her friend, frantic, fast-paced steps sounded behind her.

As Maris turned, Cai’s wide-open eyes locked with hers. Her stomach dropped as she realized just what he was about to say.

“General Arwin is here. I need to get you and Miss Melvian to safety!” His clammy hands grabbed onto her elbow just as he grabbed onto Melvian’s bag and dropped it somewhere between the houses.

“Where are you taking us?” Melvian gasped, struggling to keep up with Cai as he raced toward the lakes.

Maris followed, her heart pounding wildly in her chest and her head spinning with dread. If Arwin was here, then Eris must be close too, probably disguised as the fake Sealian.

“They’re at the entrance, heading to the plaza. Eyphah is with them,” Cai panted.

“Eyphah?”

“She said she’d handle them, but she begged me to get you both to the lakes.”

The lakes seemed like the safest place to hide. Maris could dive to the bottom and wait it out until the danger passed... but what about Melvian?

As they plunged deeper into the dense woods of New Agenor, Cai suddenly halted at the edge of the largest, most remote lake. He stared down at the water, his face tense, before turning to Maris .

“Please, hide, Your Highness,” he urged, his brow furrowed with anxiety.

“But what about me?” Melvian cried, pointing frantically at the water and then at herself. “Hello? Skylian! No powers, can’t swim!”

Maris clenched her teeth, frustration bubbling up inside her. She hurried to the water’s edge, her hands gliding over the surface, calming the ripples. She gathered a large sphere of water, pulling it from the lake and hurling it at Melvian’s face.

The sphere burst upon impact, then formed itself again, forming a massive air bubble around Melvian’s head.

With another swift motion, a thick ribbon of water coiled around Melvian and yanked her into the lake’s depths.

“I’ll find you when they’re gone!” Cai called, just as Maris sank with Melvian into the shadowy deep.

Maris felt Cai’s heavy footsteps fade away from the lake. She turned just in time to see Melvian glancing up at the surface, then back at her, wide-eyed. Melvian pointed at the water bubble encasing her head, her expression a mix of confusion and fear.

Telling Melvian that the bubble was a desperate, last-minute idea—and that she wasn’t sure it would hold—didn’t seem wise. Maris forced a shrug, swimming closer to Melvian, and wrapped her arms around her. She squeezed her tightly, careful not to burst the bubble.

As Maris held her, an unsettling déjà vu washed over her. She had been here before, not in this exact place, but in this same twisted scenario. She remembered hiding with her mother, concealed in the secret space.

Maris was tired of hiding. How many times had she hidden, waiting for someone else to fight her battles? How long until she finally did something?

Maris clenched her jaw. She refused to be a perpetual fugitive. She knew damn well it was only a matter of time before a larger force of Skylian soldiers stormed in. Skylians weren’t stupid. Stubborn, maybe, but never stupid.

And Arwin was far from stupid. Even if he didn’t find her today, he knew Eyphah would never willingly allow New Agenor to become another city for the Sky Kingdom. Every Sealian longed for independence, to return to the Sea Kingdom, to rule themselves.

Gods, she prayed Eyphah could find the right words to satisfy Arwin, to make him leave without a trace of suspicion. If he didn’t… who knew what horrors he might unleash on every Sealian in the settlement?

Maris closed her eyes tightly .

If she made it out of this alive, she would start the training with Eyphah right away. When Arwin comes back, she would face him head on…

After what seemed like an eternity, Melvian patted Maris’s arm and pointed to the surface. Maris tilted her head, looking up at the calm surface of the lake. The rays from the sun filtered in through the trees. Squinting, Maris focused on the quietness. She didn’t feel footsteps, and it worried her. It had been a long time since Cai left. As much as she wanted to surface and investigate, the thought of putting Melvian in danger kept her rooted. Her friend seemed calmer than she was, idly touching the water-like strings that held her in place. But Maris’s worry was growing, gnawing at her insides with each passing second.

Maris signaled Melvian to stay put, casting one last glance up at the surface. She kept the lake calm as she swam up slowly, focusing intently on the vibrations in the water. If anyone was approaching, she would feel it, just as she had sensed Cai’s footsteps earlier. But there was nothing—only an unsettling silence.

Maris cautiously lifted her head, just enough for her eyes to scan the surroundings. She neither heard a commotion from the settlement nor the sound of horses. Everything was eerily still. She swam to the lake’s edge, and just as she was about to climb out, a hand grabbed the back of her tunic and yanked her from the water.

Her stomach dropped, her entire body tensing as she hit the ground. She spun around just in time to see Eyphah kneeling beside her. The other woman clamped a hand over her mouth. “Don’t make a sound!” she hissed, her eyes darting to the lake. “Get Melvian out. Now.”

Maris nodded, plunging her hand into the lake. Moments later, Melvian emerged, the surrounding sphere head dissolving as she was gently placed beside Maris.

“Where’s Arwin?” Maris whispered.

“The bastard left. I told him exactly what he wanted to hear,” Eyphah muttered, her face twisting in disgust.

“He’ll come back.”

“He will. And he brought her with him... that bitch,” Eyphah growled, her voice filled with contempt. “She did her little magic trick, that symbol glowing on her forehead. We all had to bow...” Eyphah said before she spat on the ground. “Swearing loyalty to her…” She inhaled deeply. “Gods, Maris, I hope you are proud of me because I almost hurled.”

Maris stared at her, trying to find just a hint of a lie in her words, but there was none. Eyphah fucking listened to her and followed instructions. She kept them safe .

Grabbing Eyphah’s tunic, Maris pulled her into a hug. “Thank you,” Maris whispered, clutching at the back of Eyphah’s blouse. “Thank you, thank you, you kept us safe,” she said before pulling away and noticing the other woman’s stunned face.

“I follow my queen’s instructions.” Eyphah said before lowering her gaze and her red face to the ground. “My real queen’s instructions.”

“Where’s Cai?” Melvian asked, wringing out her soaked clothes. Maris waved her hand, using her powers to pull the moisture from Melvian’s clothing.

“Keeping watch,” Eyphah answered. “He’s doing a good job.”

Maris scoffed. He was doing a good job, and she’d been too hard on him. He was just trying to protect her. But it should be the other way around— she should be the one protecting everyone. She was the heiress, the rightful queen...

“Eyphah?”

“Yes?”

“Can we start my training tomorrow?”