Richelle Mead - Shadow Heir

I sighed, knowing some of what she said was true. I was so active that I’d really put on no weight that wasn’t essential for the pregnancy. And yeah, I knew I wasn’t that big yet, but standing here—especially next to Jasmine’s slim figure—I was again reminded of the hard truth: I was no longer the one in charge of my body.

“Your Majesty?”

A new voice drew me out of my self-pity, and I turned to see a middle-aged gentry woman standing beside me in a velvet gown. She swept me a low curtsy and then straightened up in one graceful motion. Her tawny hair was piled up into an impossibly high hairdo that could only be the result of magical assistance. Rubies glittered at her ears and throat.

“My name is Ilania. I am an ambassador of her royal majesty Varia, queen of the Yew Land. My most gracious and exalted lady sends her well wishes and congratulations on such a joyous occasion.”

I wasn’t familiar with Varia or the Yew Land, but Ilania’s presence didn’t really surprise me. Probably only about a third of the guests here were actually friends or family of the happy couple. The rest were those who, knowing of my regard for Shaya and Rurik, had come to get in good with me and make a show of diplomacy and friendship. Some supported Storm King’s prophecy; some didn’t. Regardless, most—unless they were specifically allied with Maiwenn—wanted to make sure they weren’t on my bad side.

“Thanks,” I said. “That’s nice of you. Both of you.” I groped for diplomatic small talk. “I hope you didn’t have to travel too far?”

Ilania made a dismissive gesture, showing what nonsense that was. “No journey would be too far to send my lady’s regard. In fact, she has entrusted me with this most precious gift as a sign of her friendship.”

Two servants in what must be Yew uniforms appeared, carrying a statue made of a marbleized green and white stone. The statue was a little shorter than me and depicted a unicorn balancing a fish on its nose and a butterfly on its horn. Odd choice.

“Um, thank you. I’m sure Shaya and Rurik will find a great place for this in their bedroom.”

“Oh, no.” Ilania chuckled. “This is for you, Your Majesty. And actually, we brought two—one for each of your lands. I also have one for King Dorian, whom I’m most excited to meet. Since we don’t travel here very often, we wanted to make sure to extend our friendship to as many as possible. Don’t worry,” she added. “Each of the statues is different. All are made of damarian jade, but we’d hardly give you all identical designs. That would be tacky.”

“Right,” I agreed, eyeing the unicorn and its friends.

“We wouldn’t want tacky.” Her servants seemed restless, so I directed them inside, with instructions to find a servant of mine who would take the statue—or rather, statues—off their hands. Both my castles actually had storerooms for gifts like this. I’d learned a long time ago that even if I had no intention of displaying or using some royal gift, it was always best to keep it around in case the giver ever paid a visit.

“I can’t wait to see what you offer in return,” added Ilania. “I’m sure it will be lovely.”

I blinked. “Er ... I’m sorry, what?”

She laughed merrily. “Surely you know about our land’s custom? We exchange gifts to emphasize our bonds of friendships. We’ll proudly display the offerings from your kingdoms, just as I know you’ll display ours.”

“Of course,” I said, making a mental note to tell the servants to dredge up some acceptable gifts. Keeping up with gentry etiquette boggled the mind. “We’ll make arrangements for you to take them when you leave.”

Ilania glanced around us conspiratorially and then stepped in closer to Jasmine and me. “My most gracious queen also has another gift for you—or rather, an offer.”

“Oh?” I asked carefully. The gentry loved wheeling and dealing, and I wasn’t surprised that a gift and offer of friendship would come with strings attached.

Ilania nodded. “My queen knows of your ... situation.” She gave my stomach a not-so-subtle look, just in case there was any question about what my “situation” was. “As the ruler of many kingdoms, Queen Varia has no interest in the prophecy or any stake in conquering other—”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “Did you say she rules other kingdoms? How many is she bound to?” Gaining control of a kingdom in the Otherworld was no small thing. A binding took place between the monarch and the land itself, one that required considerable strength on the ruler’s part. It was such a great feat, in fact, that no other monarch besides me had been able to pull it off in recent history. At least, that’s what I’d been told. Discovering someone who ruled an additional kingdom—multiple ones, allegedly—was huge.

“She isn’t bound to them, not exactly,” explained Ilania. “Rather, she rules them. Their own monarchs have agreed to become subject kingdoms to her. So, technically, those monarchs are bound to the land, but they happily acknowledge Varia as their high queen.”

I glanced over at Jasmine. She looked just as surprised as I felt. I’d never heard of anything like this, a kingdom willingly subjugating itself to another. The Yew Land and its neighbors were far away from my own, so it wasn’t entirely surprising that this hadn’t reached me before. Still, it was odd.

Ilania seemed to take our stunned silence for awe. “With so many allies around her, my queen’s territory is vast and safe. We know that you’re under constant threat here—even in your own kingdom.” She paused to allow a couple of soldiers to pass us, proving her point. “My queen would like to extend her hospitality to you and provide a haven in which you can safely have your children. And, in fact, if you so desired, they would be welcome to stay there afterward as long as you wished. My queen’s forces and power would ensure no harm befalls them, as would the distance from your enemies.”

It was true that my greatest adversaries were, unfortunately, also my close neighbors. I didn’t like the rest of her implications, though. Ilania was essentially saying that my own resources weren’t enough to keep me and the twins safe but that her overlord queen could.

“Why would she offer this?” I asked, again suspicious of any gentry kindness.

“My queen is also a mother and is appalled to see these constant attacks on you and the unborn. She finds them cowardly and wrong.” Ilania smiled sweetly. “And, as I was saying, my lady is well content with her own lands. She has no interest in the prophecy and its promise of conquering the human world. She is, however, interested in maintaining friendly relations with another woman possessed of power and command. It’s very dreary for her, having so few equals to talk to.”

“I can imagine,” I muttered. Around us, harried servants were trying to organize the assembled throng into some type of order. “Look, things are about to get started, so I have to take my place. Send my thanks back to your queen, but tell her I’m happy to stay where I’m at for now. We’ve done a pretty good job at keeping me safe so far.” Ohio adventures aside.

Ilania curtsied again. “As you wish, Your Majesty. My lady urged me to tell you, should that be your answer, that her offer will still stand if you change your mind.”

I reiterated my thanks and then hurried off with Jasmine toward the front of the crowd. “That was weird,” Jasmine remarked.

“The offer, not so much,” I said. “Everyone’s always maneuvering for position around here. But that stuff about other kingdoms? That’s weird.”

I had no time to ponder the Yew Land further because once things got going, they were going. As the presiding monarch here, I had a front-row spot. Dorian stood near me, both because of his rank and connection to the couple. They’d originally been in his service and had come to mine when I’d seized control of the Thorn Land. Other monarchs were arranged accordingly in a complex system of status that I didn’t entirely follow but which wedding planners had been agonizing over for weeks. Jasmine, as my relative but not a reigning monarch, was a couple rows away. Beside me, Dorian gave me one of his rogue smiles, and it was hard not to smile back. Whatever animosity existed between us, it was easy to put aside for this occasion, particularly since almost a week had passed since our fight over Ohio. Besides, if anyone was going to be able to give me answers about the Yew Land and its subjugated kingdoms, it would be Dorian.