Page 33 of House of the Raven
Her eyes widen, then she seems to choke on words she’s unable to spill out. She looks sick for a moment. I go around the table and seize her hands in mine.
“Amira, I’m here.”
She shrinks from my touch, then bursts out laughing. “You really are naïve.” She shakes her head, looking disappointed. “All that intelligence invested in foolish curiosity and daydreaming. What a waste of a good life.”
My heart aches at the well-delivered jab. No one knows me better than Amira, except Jago, and she knows where to strike for major effect. As sisters, we’ve had plenty of fights, and her sharp tongue has left me crying many times, but this attack is vicious, striking to the very root of who I am.
“If this is really you,” I say, “how did you hide your treachery so well?”
“Treachery? Don’t be ridiculous! Maybe you didn’t notice, but I was tired of being under Father’s thumb.Don’t speak, Amira. You are here to listen and learn. No, Amira, I don’t need your opinion right now. You don’t understand the extent of the problem to begin to craft a solution. Talk to your sister, Amira. Make her see reason.He was worse than Cuervo, constantly spouting the same things over and over. I just happen to have the courage to take matters into my own hands.”
I shake my head, horrified by her words. They all ring true, which makes me doubt the idea that she’s under anyone’s influence but her own. I want so badly to believe she didn’t plan all of this, but what if I’m wrong?
“Enough of this.” She waves a hand in the air. “This is what’s going to happen, whether you like it or not. You will travel to Aldalous with a small escort. Emerito will be part of the party. He will ensure you conduct yourself properly once you arrive. Others will ensure you don’t try to do anything stupid on the way there.”
My first instinct is to yell and assure her that there is no way in all the hells she will force me into a marriage I don’t want, but I manage to hold my anger back. I can tell there would be no point in arguing. She holds all the power here, and I hold none, so I try a different approach.
“You can’t do this. I have to be here for Father’s funeral.” Another painful ritual where I won’t be allowed to shed a tear.
The day Mother was laid to rest, I stood next to Father and Amira without crying. I acted exactly the way a Plumanegra princess should act. I honored her with my composure, ensuring the ceremony was regaland perfect. Nothing less than she deserved. I reserved my tears for the solitude of my bedchamber.
Still, I have to honor my father.
“There will be no funeral. He’s already been buried.”
“What?! You can’t do that.”
“I have.”
“How will you explain that to everyone?”
“I don’t have to explain myself. I am the queen. You are leaving tomorrow.”
It takes a huge effort to compose myself, but I straighten, lift my chin, and ask, “Why do I have to do this? Why did you change your mind?” Does she not care about the necklace anymore?
“Don Justo Medrano is a very wealthy man, who commands a good number of troops, men loyal only to him. His villa is located near the Strait of Jabaltariq, where threat of invasion has increased in the past year.”
Is this true? Or is she making it up? Father never mentioned it. Of course, he rarely talked to me about such matters.
“What father didn’t tell you,” Amira continues, “is that he was selling you to the highest bidder. He wanted you to think that he was looking out for your best interest when in truth he was only looking out for Castella’s future. But I won’t lie to you. At least, you can expect honesty from me. So here is the truth, Don Justo Medrano is from a less than—how shall I call it?—desirablebackground. He may be wealthy, but his riches do not come from honorable sources. His men are ruthless mercenaries, uncouth individuals who would do anything for gold. In that respect, they are not unlike their master. In short, by marrying a Plumanegra princess, Don Justo Medrano hopes to gain respect and social standing. If you don’t agree, he has threatened to join forces with Los Moros.”
“It sounds as if he would be better off marrying a Plumanegra queen,” I offer with bitterness.
“Don’t be silly. As queen, I will not lower myself or my throne. On the contrary, I shall make an effort to keep our royal blood pure.” She pauses, then proceeds to finish the answer to my question. “If you don’t marry him, he threatens to ally himself with our Moros enemies, which, as you can imagine, could be disastrous for our empire.”
I don’t know what to say. Amira watches me closely as the information sinks in.
“Now, do you see how you were nothing but a child in Father’s eyes? He always tried to make everything seem like a silly game or adventure for you to undertake. He didn’t think you were capable of handling the truth. But I’m not here to spare your feelings. I don’t have time for that. I also don’t have time for your childish rebellions, so go to your bedchamber, pack, and be ready to leave tomorrow at first light. Now, be gone.”
Once more, her words cut me deeply. I bite my tongue and manage to keep back the tears that burn in the back of my eyes.
You were nothing but a child in Father’s eyes.
Even as I try to deny her words, I see the truth behind them. He kept the Jabaltariq threat from me. He lied about why he wanted me to marry Don Justo, and he didn’t share secrets with me that he shared with Amira.
After all her rancorous words, I don’t know how I manage to speak firmly, but I’m glad I do.
“Before I do, share something with me,” I say, considering that since she seems willing to reveal all the painful truths that were once withheld, she might be inclined to divulge more. “Yesterday, I overheard a conversation between you and Father about a particular secret…”
