Page 62 of Of Skulls Of Shackles

“Is there an order?”

“Yet unclear. I feel a certain plucking when I consider Raise.”

“How will you go about the conquering of him? I imagine King Change was weakened after a recent ruining?”

I dipped my head. “I do not believe a direct attack would produce a victor.”

“But you have gone about small actions that would see your success.”

King See was gazing over my queendom when I looked up at him where he sat beside me.

“You know of the warping of their union,” I said.

“I do.”

I smiled at him. “I greatly enjoy your connection.”

An answering smile ghosted his lips. “You did not always, magnificent queen.”

I had to laugh at that. His connection had pestered me more than endeared me to him, that was true enough. “Do you fathom more of their warped union than I?”

“I wager not. Just that it is warped as all unions are warped.”

I inspected his face, so serious and a little detached. All-seeing.Mostlyseeing. Burdened. Accepting. Waiting. “All unions are warped.”

He humbled. “Connection looms over you, I sense.”

I sighed. “Yes, I cannot quite figure out a section of a chant delivered to me by ancestral mothers.”

“I know the feeling, in different terms.”

What a wonderful and unexpected discovery to know that hedidunderstand my feelings and experiences. “I value your immortal empathy, sir.”

“You did not always.”

I snorted somewhat and was reminded of Princess Raise.

But he spoke truth again. “I would have called that immortal lack of empathy.” He referred to the time he had demanded to know my purpose a mere week into my queendom.

“I suppose that I do fathom how to conquer King Raise.” I stood, and See stayed put.

But he said, “Love weakens those foolish enough to feel it.”

I still wished to believe that love would make me stronger than ever. That there was a way. Yet I had felt a greater force—not warm as such butpowerful—in small times of appreciation and respect and shared experience with See. “That might be. That might not. In the Raises’ union, love is certainly a weakness. Such love is easily broken.”

His face was carved from stone when See looked at me. He did not ask if I intended to break love apart.

He did not offer to come either because he already understood what it was to be king—to rule one kingdom, and share in the ruling of the world. Ruling anything was a solitary and lonely venture at times.

Perhaps my seeing king did have an inkling of what it might be like for a queen—the only queen, and the only ruler of the world.

Yet an inkling was all King See would ever have of what I was. Only I would understand the whole.

Of what it meant to conquer kings.

A queen must wear the strongest and heaviest shackles of all.

ChapterFourteen

---