Page 45 of Of Skulls Of Shackles

A great while indeed for a queen.

ChapterEleven

Hellebores could only help me so much

Hellebores stroked me frantically. Five of them.Tap, tapwent Princess Change’s chisel out in the courtyard. She had ramped up her hunt for a dried bouquet.Thwack, thwackarose the damp orchestra of daylight activities between Princess Bring and Gangrel.Clang, clangbanged Picket, out at the wall. He surely struck metal, not brick. If there was leftover space in my mind, I might have wondered what he was working on, but this dusk, even the dark murmurs and mutterings of my humans swelled in my mind.

There was a constant whispering in the walls of my queendom too.

But most of all.

Most of all.

King Raise stopped lamenting his princess to ask, “Can you hear that whispering in the walls?”

I forced my mouth to form words. “Yes, I hear it.”

“She… not… away,”hushed the feminine voice in the walls.

I tilted my head, but the whispering cut off after. My lips curved.Ah, my suspicions were correct.

“What is it? Is that usual?” he asked.

I did not answer. I suspected a new monster had come to grace my queendom, and this monster must be protected in its infancy. She was no concern of a king’s.

I wished Raise’s marital issues were less of my concern, too, but since these mediations delayed war with him, I would continue playing my part of counselor.

Thethwackof Princess Bring and Gangrel increased in pace. The rhythm grew erratic before halting altogether. Only theclangof Picket and thetapof Princess Change remained. The humans had retired into their thatched homes to have dinner.

I dared to ask the Raises, “What if you discovered that another monster had forced this misery upon you?”

The Raises turned their blank faces to me. What a wonderful symmetry between inside and out because I gleaned that they felt rather blank after my question.

“I will expand the thought,” I told them. “Howwas your union warped?”

“Because we dared to love,” sobbed Princess Raise, then wailed.

Before she could pick up emotional pace, I shot in. “What if love did not warp your union?”

Her wail ended abruptly.

“Then I would slay the creature responsible one thousand times, then one thousand times again,” boomed King Raise.

Princess Change had not spoken of any ruin forced upon the Raises’ union, but she might have missed that out on purpose. The line in the original poem of kings—the one aboutfraying seamskept niggling at my mind. In the chant of fifty mothers, they had mentioned thatunions are seams.Unions meant more than I had anticipated. Had I fulfilled my purpose already by uncovering King Change’s sinister ruin on monsters, or was a grander ancient scheme afoot?

I would not pass on my knowledge of King Change’s depraved ploys to the Raises. But insanity might claim me despite the best efforts of hellebores if the tragic carousel of these conversations did not change direction for two minutes.

King Raise spoke again. “Only ancients have the power to affect matters between princess and king.”

He surprised me with his connection. “What could you assume of ancients’ involvement if theydidwarp your union, sir?”

“They are punishing us for our love,” cried the princess.

Her husband’s exhale shook. “I must agree.”

I am glad they agreed on something, though I disagreed with them. “Here is what I see.”

Princess Raise snapped her head up, and I received her blank warning and threat. If I was not careful in how I meddled, she would betray my kingly obsession.

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