“I am Evenon Feathermark,” he answered. “The king will know me.”
“Will he now?” Tierri sounded dubious but Rayne took a step forward. The name sounded familiar and she turned it over in her head, trying to remember where she had heard it.
“He will. I am one of his Assassins.”
Rayne nearly snapped her fingers in recognition. Imeyna had received the report from their contacts in Alas about a year ago now, when her father had sent two brothers across the Impassable Strait in another attempt to kill the escaped queen. Everyone had assumed them dead, but now here he was, standing in front of her. No assassin had ever returned before. Some of the greatest warriors in the land had gone in pursuit, and of them all, this boy was the only one to come back. And that meant that the circlet in his hand was—
“I must speak with the princess and the king,” Evenon said, trying to push past Tierri who pressed a hand to the boy's chest.
“Here is your princess,” Tierri said. “You can speak with her now.”
Rayne couldn't take her eyes off of the circlet—the crown, for surely that's what it was. The true crown of Hail, the one that Hail's queens had worn for countless generations.
“The other princess,” Evenon said derisively.
“There is no other princess.” Tierri's voice had dropped, taking on an almost gentle quality. He had picked up on something that Rayne hadn't.
“I am Princess Rayne Crowheart.” Rayne pushed past Tierri, glad for once that she had dressed for the occasion. It was easier to call herself a princess when she looked the part. “I believe that crown belongs to me.”
“It belongs to Princess Edlyn Crowheart,” Evenon insisted.
“The princess is dead.” Rayne's words rang out clear in the foyer. Everyone was silent for what felt like an interminable breath. Then Evenon fell to his knees, the crown dropping from his fingers to clatter against the floor.
“No,” he said. It wasn't a wail or a shout, but a whisper. His eyes were somewhere far away, in a land across the sea, perhaps, or in an earlier time, when a different Crowheart girl had been meant to receive this gift.
Rayne wanted to go to him, but it wasn't her place. She had already said goodbye to Edlyn. Instead, she beckoned to two guards. “Take him to my father.” The men hauled Evenon to his feet.
Before Rayne could follow, Tierri bent to pick up the circlet and handed it to her. It was a delicate thing, different strands of gold and silver woven around each other like branches. They both stared at it until she finally reached up and took it from him. His fingers lingered on the metal and she wondered what it meant for him to give it to her, this symbol of power that had belonged to his family for years. But that was in the past. And she was the future of this country, whether he was with her or not.
“I have to go,” she said. Evenon and his guard escorts were nearly out of sight. She wanted to be there when her father saw him, to hear his tale and find out how this had come to be. The last obstacle, the last person that could stand in her way, gone. Wido and the threat of the Knights seemed insignificant now that all of Hail would have no choice but to support her and her family. They had no one to fall back on now, especially not if Tierri were gone. She pushed down the pang in her chest, imagined closing her feelings behind lock and key.
“I know. So do I.”
She raised the half of the slaver's band that she still held. “This is yours.”
Tierri was already backing away from her. “Keep it,” he said, “and remember.”
She almost protested, told him that she didn't want to remember, but thought better of it and tucked it into the pocket of her gown. Tierri gave her a sad smile before turning away, and she did the same, going in the opposite direction. When she heard the doors creak open behind her, she didn't turn around, and by the time they had closed, she was already out of sight.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Rayne
When Rayne found out that queens of Hail were crowned in the waves of the Impassable Strait, she would have it no other way.
“It's a ceremony called the Submersion,” her mother had told her. “It's the same in Mer. Countries that live by the sea need a ruler that is born in the sea.”
Her father had protested. “You are Duskan,” he had said. “We like things dry.”
Rayne had shaken her head and stood her ground. “The people of Hail need a ruler they can trust. What better way to earn their trust than by respecting their traditions? When I complete the Submersion, I will be Hailian.”
It was the crown that had given her the final push she needed. It had made it real—this was her country, and she would do whatever it took. Tierri had told her once that they would do it together, but he had lied. He was gone, Edlyn was gone, Danyll was gone. It was entirely up to her.
The tide was high that evening, and the narrow beach was crowded with spectators, nobles and merchants alike. Even children had been scrubbed and subdued for the occasion, standing with their solemn-faced parents. Her father stood knee-deep in the water, his black britches rolled up but still damp, with the almoner at his side. Rayne stepped off of the last step and directly into the waves, wading out to meet him.
He took her hands in his big, clammy ones and squeezed. The waves were rough, crashing into them as if trying to spit them back out onto the shore. What they needed was a wielder to control them, but with Tierri and Danyll gone, there was no one left with the power that they possessed.
The priest began to speak, his voice carrying over the rushing sounds of the water to the shore. He praised Enos and the Crowheart family. He spoke of the time known as the Casuin Conquest, when her ancestor, Casuin Crowheart, had settled and explored these lands and owned everything from north to south, from the Impassable Strait to the Silver Hills. He spoke of the War of the Five Families that had divided the Crowheart Empire and then praised her father for his attempts to reunite the countries once again. He called for unity and peace, and the people looked on, unimpressed. Rayne flushed but ignored them, turning to her father when the almoner stopped talking.
“It is a lucky thing you were not there that night,” her father said. “I'll admit, when Danyll told me you were unwell, I was upset. I would have liked you there by my side. But it was your absence that saved you.” It was a convenient lie and one that had worked in her favor. Innis had not known about Rayne's betrayal or her imprisonment, and because of Danyll's lie, had believed Rayne to be locked up safe with Edlyn. It explained her presence during the attack and her grief at not being able to save her sister.