Page 19 of Of Stars and Lightning
To steady herself, she studied the tangible things around her. To her left was a small washroom with a wooden tub she had spent nearly two months’ worth of tips to purchase, and a delicately carved armoire, the decorative indentations courtesy of her mother. In front of her were her personal bookshelves, littered with romance novels she swapped regularly with Mina. She also kept all the notes and parchments Leo had handed down to her in small boxes there.
She placed her palm on her chest to calm her breaths, flinching when she felt the cold metal chain resting there.
That encounter on the docks had been almost as bizarre as being told magic was real. Sol had thrown the necklace on without much interest after, but now, as she zipped the pendant back and forth on the chain, she thought perhaps she should have at least had a mage bless it.
The fragrant smell of carrots, onion, and garlic from the front yard greeted her beyond the closed door, and she sighed at the promise of stew waiting. She showered and got dressed quickly, throwing on a casual pair of khaki trousers and a black blouse before walking to stand in front of her closed bedroom door.
With a heavy sigh and a knot in her throat, she pushed it open.
Lora leaned over a steaming pot of stew in the kitchen, the morning sunlight streaming through the window beside her. Jars of herbs were open and out of order, proof she had truly tried to craft Sol’s favorite food to perfection.
Her aunt gave her a small smile and pushed a bowl forward.
Sol tried her hardest to seem angry still, despite all of it subsiding after seeing Lora’s regretful expression.
Lora said, “I’m sorry for not telling you, Sol. Truce?”
After a beat of silence, Sol sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Just— no more secrets, right?”
Lora shook her head. “Whatever you don’t know, I don’t either, dove.”
They each ate two bowls of stew and a whole loaf of bread, the sounds of the awakening town lively beyond the walls of the cottage.
Their cottage was small but comfortable compared to their previous one. When Irene was alive, the three of them had lived by the Old Square in a two-story home made of stone and wood. The house had been enormous for Sol as a child, but it only became bigger after the murder tainted it.
Lora and Sol had moved to the outskirts of town, sealing their old life and home with a heavy metal lock they removed only for monthly maintenance.
Sol ate quickly, adrenaline and anticipation making her nauseous. After thirty minutes of forced bites, they made their way back to the Hound Inn.
They hadn’t spoken about it. Of Sol’s impending departure. Its promise hung thick between them during their walk. So thick, in fact, that Sol decided to finally address it as they neared the town's main streets.
“I’m still not going with them,” she declared. “No matter how much stew you bribe me with.”
Lora chuckled. “That obvious, huh?”
“I don’t know them, Aunt Lora. I can’t leave everything behind and trust some strangers.”
“They’re strangers to you, I suppose. But your mother and I were very close to their parents. I knew Nina and Casimir as children as well. Briefly, but they haven't changed.”
Sol peered sideways at her to urge her on, but she didn’t have to. Her aunt continued, "Nina Amana is the daughter of Clarisse Amana. She was your mother’s primary handmaiden. Clarisse was a talented Earth Caller, much like her daughter is now. One of the few servants with magic, too. Her family was condemned to servitude for past treasons.
“But your mother loved Clarisse, and Clarisse loved her. So Irene formally swore her into her court as her Royal Hand.” Lora smiled at the memory. “They were quite the duo when I met themin Rimemere.”
“So, where is Clarisse?” Perhaps she would have stories of Irene. Stories about her time as Queen, something to help Sol connect this new identity with who her mother was to her. Who better than a close friend?
They neared the Hound now, the other shops around bristling awake.
Lora pursed her lips, sadness coating her features. “She— she sacrificed herself. When Irene left Rimemere, it was chaos. She and I waited for Clarisse and Axel, your uncle, at the gates. We were all meant to flee together.” Sol stopped at the beginning of the cobblestone path directly in front of the inn, her aunt doing the same as she faced her. “Only Irene and I made it.”
Sol’s heart shattered, even though she hadn’t personally known them. She looked toward the Hound, where within it was the daughter of the woman who had saved her mother’s life. "Why? Why did my mother leave?"
Her aunt shrugged. "She never told us. Only that it was life or death, and we three were the only ones able to separate from the civil war within the castle."
Sol exhaled. "Who would even question her? Wasn’t she the Queen?”
“By that time, she was undergoing trial. Her reign was taken by Semmena.”
“And that is?”
