In my drowsy, half-awake state, I can see a ghost of Enzo walking alongside us, an illusion that disappears the instant I try to focus on him. Enzo is gone, returned to the Underworld where he belongs. When will Violetta join him? the whispers ask me. Or Magiano? When will you?
Finally, days later, Raffaele arrives surrounded by soldiers. They release me. My wrists feel strangely light without chains weighing them down. We walk side by side through the palace corridors without saying a word. Something seems different in the energy between us now . . . whether it’s a barrier lifted or a tension eased, I’m not sure. Make no mistake—we don’t trust each other, not by any stretch of the imagination. Perhaps Raffaele is playing with my emotions, as he often has. I certainly wouldn’t put it past him to do such a thing.
Of course he is, the whispers snap at me. Don’t be a fool. He will wait until your back is turned.
But, for once, I have an easy time ignoring the whispers. There is something about shared grief that simplifies things, that cuts through the discord. Even if Raffaele might be manipulating me, the change may be genuine. I remember what he had once told me.
Adelina, I loved him too.
And so had I.
I keep a fair distance between Raffaele and myself as we walk. He seems to do the same, and we don’t look at each other as we make our way down the long steps of the Tamouran palace’s main gates, where horses are waiting for us. From there, we ride underneath a cloudy sky that threatens more rain.
Several of my Kenettran ships have docked at the western bay of Alamour. There is a wide expanse of plains here, dotted with desert shrubs and low grasses, the sharp cut of rocks lining the horizon where the city begins. The rising sun paints a red haze across the landscape, making the sea’s foam turn red and orange. By the shore, the banners of my ships flutter in the wind. I feel the burden in my chest lighten at the sight, and the whispers stir happily. I’m no longer a prisoner. I am a queen again.
The procession slows as we draw close. Now I can see my own troops lined up along the shore, waiting for us. The white robes of the Inquisitors look orange and cream in this early light too—and in front of them waits Sergio, still adorned in the dark red armor of the Roses. At the sight of me, they straighten.
Not many paces away from my own troops are Tamouran soldiers, led by one of the three kings and flanked by Michel and Lucent. Then, I see Violetta. She is far from me, surrounded by a patrol of Tamouran soldiers. One of them, an enormous bearded man, carries her in his arms. She is awake this morning, and more alert than when I first saw her. Her eyes are trained on me.
I can’t turn away from her gaze. What is she thinking when she looks at me? A strange surge of relief rises in my chest, followed quickly by a slash of anger. I’d spent the better part of a year leading my troops into other territories, imagining what it would be like to find Violetta hiding amongst strangers. Now I’ve found her, and she stares warily at me. She has the ability to wrench away the Daggers’ powers, but she chooses not to. Dark markings travel along her neck, disappearing under her robes. The sight of them reminds me of what is happening to her, of why we are all standing here. It makes me shiver.
Violetta studies me. For an instant, I think she’s going to reach out to my powers and yank them away, as she once did. I feel a sudden wave of panic—but then she looks away. She doesn’t say a word.
I let out a small breath. She’s afraid of you, the whispers say, but I look away too.
Then I notice Magiano. He had been shrouded under a heavy robe, waiting with the Tamourans—but now he sees me and swings down from the horse he’d been sitting on. A smile breaks unbidden onto my face, and I turn my own horse instinctively in his direction. Beside me, Raffaele watches silently, no doubt sensing my emotions. But I don’t care. Magiano is here. Even from a distance, I can see the upturn of his lips, the familiar joy on his face.
Our processions finally meet. Raffaele nods at the Tamouran troops, and they allow Magiano to step forward right as I swing down from my own saddle. I keep my hands folded in front of me as he approaches. We stop short of touching each other. Magiano looks tired, like all of us, but otherwise well. His long braids are loose today and blowing in the breeze.
“Well, Your Majesty,” he says, the teasing lilt back in his voice. “It looks like they caught you.”
“And you,” I reply, unable to restrain my own smile.
Raffaele walks forward first, completely unprotected, and nods at Sergio. “Hello, Rainmaker,” he says.
Sergio gives him a cold look. “A pleasure to see you again, Messenger.”
Raffaele glances at us, then back at him. “The Tamourans have decided to release your queen. We have some things to discuss.”
That night, as our fleet remains docked, Raffaele joins Sergio, Magiano, Lucent, and me for a meeting in my royal quarters. “We are going to need to take this journey together,” Raffaele tells us. His expression is dark, but his voice stays serene and calm. “But we cannot do that if we don’t trust each other.” His face hardens again. “Trust will come slowly, for both sides. We give some; you give some.”
“And who goes on this journey?” Magiano says, leaning forward as if to protect me. Lucent responds to his gesture with one of her own, turning herself toward Raffaele.
“Every Elite in the world aligns with the gods in some way,” Raffaele replies, folding his hands behind him. Orange candlelight flickers against his robes. “The group of Elites who go with us must comprise all twelve of the gods. Missing even one alignment will not give us the combination of energy needed to reach beyond the mortal world—the touch of immortality could overwhelm us. It would be fatal.”
The gemstones. The way Raffaele tested each of us. The memory flashes back to me—how he circled me slowly, watching my energy light up nightstone and amber, diamond and roseite and veritium. What had he found with my sister? He must have tested her by now too. He’d also tested Sergio long ago, when he was still a member of the Daggers. Who will go with us?
Raffaele looks at me. His eyes, jewel toned and bright, honey gold and emerald green, seem to see straight through me. “I remember yours quite vividly, Adelina,” he says. “Fear and fury. Ambition. Passion. Wisdom. Five of the twelve.” He nods at me. “Your sister also aligns with fear.”
Fear. I am not at all surprised. Fear is indeed something Violetta and I have shared since we were children.
“In addition to that, she aligns with joy and empathy—with happiness and sensitivity.”
Joy. Sensitivity. I think of Violetta’s childish twirls, her ringing laughter, the way she used to carefully braid my hair. She is all of these things; I don’t doubt Raffaele for a second. My heart aches as I think of her. Violetta is resting now in her own quarters on the ship. She still hasn’t said a word to me.
“What are yours?” Sergio asks Raffaele, unable to keep his dislike out of his voice. “You’ve never mentioned them.”
Raffaele gives him a slight bow of his head. “Wisdom,” he replies. “And beauty.” Of course. Sergio grunts, unwilling to acknowledge Raffaele’s words as he continues. “Including Lucent’s alignment to time, we comprise nine of the twelve gods. Sergio, your alignments already overlap these, as do Michel’s. So we need to find others with the three remaining alignments, to death, war, and greed.” He pauses to look at Magiano. “I would like to give you the same test that I gave the Daggers.”