Page 17 of Tanglewood Magic (The Three Sisters 2)
“Three days, Tavyss. Either you announce to the Council of Elders that you claim your right to the throne, or we come for Medea and the whelp.”
Rhys was pressed against the door now, drenched in sweat from the mounting heat, Circe at his side. The door suddenly gave, and they spilled out into the hall. And then Tavyss and Medea were beside them. They rushed back to the carriage and fled toward Darnuith.
“Is it true?” Rhys asked once they were safely beyond the gates of the Obsidian Palace. “What she said about Paragonian law?”
Tavyss frowned. “Yes. I’d forgotten the old law, but the scroll she showed me was authentic. Seeing it triggered lessons from my youth. What she said is true. The pregnancy changes everything. I can abdicate the throne, but our child cannot. Medea is carrying the heir to Paragon. Eleanor’s spies have confirmed the pregnancy, and she’s shared both my identity and the existence of the baby with the Council of Elders. Paragon will not let this go. If I don’t comply, they will attack Darnuith. They will do anything in their power to seize Medea and keep her in their custody until the heir is born.”
“Fuck.” Medea punched the seat, her eyes brimming with tears. “That evil, manipulative worm!”
Rhys’s heart pounded in his chest. He was a healer, not a warrior. He knew nothing of politics, but at the moment, he hated Eleanor more than he’d ever hated anyone. Nothing about it made sense to him. Old law or not, why would Eleanor want a reluctant co-regent? Why had she arranged to have Medea poisoned if the heir was so important to her and her people? It wasn’t the right time to ask these questions, so he simply asked, “What will you do?”
“There’s only one thing shecando,” Circe said. Rhys turned his head to look at her and didn’t recognize the woman he saw. Her eyes had filled with shadows, and her lips pulled back from her teeth in a sneer. “You need to use the book, Medea. You have unlimited power hanging around your neck. Show that bitch what happens when you mess with a Tanglewood sister.”
* * *
Ever since she’dcome to Darnuith from the Garden of the Hesperides, Circe had wondered at how the witches here worshiped the Fates. The entire concept of the deities was that they controlled each person’s future. With the right sacrifices and offerings, a witch could sway the gods to his or her side. She supposed it was terribly bad luck that she considered all the traditions around the Fates to be complete hooey. The events of her life had proven to her that if the Fates existed, they cared not about slaughtered lambs or offerings of fresh fruit. Based on her experience, the Fates loved chaos. They thrived on pain.
And what of Paragon’s Goddess of the Mountain? Did the will of the Fates trump the will of Paragon’s goddess? Who would win a war of the gods? For that matter, the goddess Circe was her namesake. The blood of the goddess ran in her veins and her sisters’. Didn’t that give them the right and the power to challenge the law of any god?
Circe scoffed. “All I heard today was that according to some old law, the Goddess of the Mountain wants Tavyss and his child to rule Paragon. Well, the Fates chose Medea for the throne of Darnuith. I don’t see any way to appease them both. That means you are justified, Medea. Use the book.”
Rhys frowned. “Medeacouldrenounce her throne. There is no law against it in Darnuith. The ritual of the Sacred Lots would happen again, and a new queen would be chosen.”
Circe gasped. “That’s vilt fodder! It’s blackmail.”
“Maybe there’s another way,” Tavyss said. He rested his elbows on his knees and threaded his fingers at the knuckles.
Her sister got that look she did when she didn’t like what was coming. Her lips pressed together, and her eyes tightened at the corners. “What way is that?”
“I can take back the throne and change the law.”
The carriage turned eerily quiet. All eyes locked on Tavyss.
“If I become king, I will have the power to propose changes to the old law. Once I’m on the throne, I will make it so that Eleanor can lead Paragon unilaterally. Then I will return to Darnuith and to your side to serve as your consort.”
Rhys stiffened, his eyes drifting to the window. “What happens when the baby is born?”
Tavyss’s expression grew dark. “If I am no longer regent, then my son is no longer heir. I will make sure of it.”
“If the Council of Elders passes such a change,” Circe added skeptically. Hate surged in her veins like acid. She was furious on her sister’s behalf. What had happened today was nothing short of cruel.
“It’s the most peaceful solution,” Tavyss said.
“Fuck peace,” Circe snapped. “Use the book and make the old law go up in flames. You have the power of the gods around your neck. Flatten Paragon to the ground if you have to. Use it.”
Beside her, Rhys stared speechless in her direction. He didn’t know. He didn’t understand what they could do.
Medea met her gaze and held it. Her eyes burned with fierce blue fire. Eleanor underestimated them. The bond between her and her sister thrummed, and Circe had no doubt that somewhere in Darnuith, Isis could feel it too. She reached across the space and took her sister’s hand.
Nothing more was said. Nothing more needed to be.
ChapterNine
“Come in. I’ll fix you something to eat,” Circe opened the door wider for Rhys when they arrived at her cottage. He still looked overwhelmed by what had happened in Paragon. He stood in the doorway, staring at her as the carriage pulled away. “Isis is still out. Probably hunting with Brody. Their hunting party sometimes spends the night on the ice ridge. The elderbeasts are easier to take down at daybreak.”
She should have been starving considering they hadn’t had a single bite to eat or drink in Paragon, but her stomach was too busy tying itself in knots for hunger to set in. She was relieved when he followed her inside. The thought of being alone right now made her shudder.
“You’re in luck. I had a delivery from the market just yesterday. I’ll fix us something.”
