Page 124 of The Oracle of Dusk

Orithyia smiled.

“Because you wasted my time and insulted me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a monarch to speak with and a royal wedding to prepare for. You may return to the temple of Justice. I believe there are people waiting for you. Oh, and you’d best hope Flora doesn’t delay the wedding to keep you here indefinitely. You did vow to remain until wed. Rest assured, if you cause trouble for me, I will tell her the exact wording of your vow.”

Fuck.

Aurora collapsed in her bed, groaning as her face hit the pillow. The paladins had concluded their investigation and brought their case against Queen Flora to the royal court, whereupon a veritable army of guards and attendants admitted their guilt. To no one’s surprise, all testified that Flora had been unaware of their conduct. Their penance was to serve one day in seven praying at the temple of Justice for the next fifteen years. Flora agreed to pay a hefty fine for each person who had come forward with tales of mistreatment, and to allow her political prisoners to remain in the temple, but not leave the city. Aurora, of course, had been exempt from that rule, given she was not a political prisoner…yet.

Every day, the palace inundated her with gifts as Flora’s nobles sought her favour. It made her skin crawl. She’d repurposed nearly every gift to benefit the temples and sold the rest for coin. She’d just returned from her latest outing, the coin for an unwelcome gift of an emerald bracelet sitting on her unadorned bedside table. At least the jewellery could be sold. The flowers simply rotted, the clothes were impractical at best and suggestive at worst, and the delicacies were better used filling the bellies of those who sought succour at the temple of Passion.

She reached out and looked over the bust of Flora on the gold coin. Aurora and Hyllus would need it when they set out. Strange, to think that a year ago, finding a perfectly preserved gold coin from the first calamity period would have been the discovery of a lifetime. Now, it was simply weight in the bag she was packing. Aurora curled up into herself.

Since her display at court, she’d spent her days reliving her worst memories to prepare the paladins of the temples for what was coming, and cried herself to sleep. She had so many painful things to choose from, after all—Phaedra, Silvanus, her fate, and Theron. As if she’d needed more heartache.

Foolish as she’d been, she’d hoped to journey in Theron’s company. But now, he would be marrying Princess Epicasta, and the thought of having to watch him be her husband made her ill. And if her vision was anything to go by, she was about to have a front-row seat for the ceremony. Hopefully, Hyllus would get her good and drunk and whisk her away as soon as possible.

A knock sounded at her door.

“You have a visitor,” the paladin outside her door said.

“If they’re here with bribes, tell them to go away,” Aurora replied.

“I’ve come only as myself. Will that do?” a woman’s voice asked.

Were they sending women now that she’d rejected all the men? Merciful Triad, would they never relent? How many times did she have to tell them that she wasn’t going to agree to a marriage, a concubinage, a fling, a tryst or even one bloody kiss? Aurora grumbled as she got out of her bed and opened the door.

The woman before her stood in a gown the dark red colour of mourning, lifting her veil to reveal her face. A sliver of dread stole down her spine and ignited a spark of bitter anger in her heart. The woman from her vision—Princess Epicasta.

“You’re a difficult woman to speak to.”

“Maybe I prefer it that way.”

Epicasta tilted her head.

“Will you make an exception for me?”

“Will you give up trying if I don’t?”

“No.”

Aurora sighed and waved her in. Epicasta glanced inside the small room and seated herself on the only stool. The paladin looked to Aurora for guidance.

“It’s alright. You can close the door.”

The moment it was shut, Epicasta turned her grey eyes to Aurora.

“You’ll hear about it soon enough, but I wanted to inform you that Theron swore a sacred vow to wed in return for purification and the resolution of this most recent dispute between Aureum and Viridis.”

Her breath left her in a rush. She sat down on her bed as her legs gave out on her.

“Why did you come to tell me this?” she asked, voice hollow.

Had she come to taunt her? Assert her dominance? Warn her off?

“Because I want this marriage as much as I want my legs broken, that’s why. And because I need to know if your visions always come true.”

Aurora blinked at Epicasta in shock. But Theron was a handsome king whose kiss was as intoxicating as wine. True, their realms weren’t on the best of terms, but he was protective, worldly and shrewd. What more could a princess ask for?

“I…I don’t know. The last few have come true exactly as I envisioned them.”

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