Page 7 of War Queen
“No truer words have ever been spoken,” the woman told her.
The morning was starting to warm, and Norah welcomed it.
“I’m glad that you invited me on your walk this morning,” Salara-Mae said. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to raise with you.”
Oh. Her stomach started to tumble. No doubt there was something that needed correction, or it was perhaps again about a child. Salara-Mae hadn’t broached the topic in a few months. Norah had thought she’d given up, but now that seemed foolish. Salara-Mae wasn’t a woman who gave up easily. Would a child even matter anymore? Now that Norah was without a kingdom and Kharav was on the brink of rebellion, perhaps it was better she wasn’t with child. All the easier when she and Mikael had to fight for their thrones, and possibly their lives. Or run. She wrinkled her nose. Mikael would never run. And she would never leave him to face it alone. It would be a fight, and if Mikael didn’t make it through, she wouldn’t either.
“Salara.” Salara-Mae’s voice brought her back to the present, and she turned to see the woman had stopped a few paces back, where Norah had simply continued on.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said quickly.
“What were you thinking about?”
What had she been thinking about? “Oh, um… not being with child and hopefully not dying.” She grimaced as she said the words. Sometimes her mind failed her. As she saw Salara-Mae’s face, she knew this was clearly one of those times.
“I’d rather not follow that thought process,” Salara-Mae said slowly.
Norah nodded, heat beginning to flush her cheeks.
Salara-Mae stepped to her side once again. “I don’t always understand you.”
Not unexpected. “Well…” Norah tilted her head slightly to the side. “In fairness, I don’t always understand myself.”
“But I have come to respect you.”
Norah stopped. Nowthatwas unexpected.
“I used to think Kharav was the only kingdom with great warriors. But you, North Queen, have rivaled them all.” She looked down at her hand as she pulled a ring from the center finger on her left hand. “My mother gave me this ring. It was given to her by her mother before, and her mother before. It’s a ring passed down generations, from a line of strong women. I had planned to give it to my own daughter one day. Fate took that opportunity from me.”
A wave of sadness ran through her. Mikael’s sister had passed from an illness. Norah had never met her, but Mikael had told her that his sister was a lot like him, and Norah knew she would have loved her.
“But fate has given me a new opportunity,” Salara-Mae said. “Another daughter.”
Norah locked eyes with her in surprise.
“You’re a strong woman, a strong salara, and I want you to have this ring.” She took Norah’s hand and pushed the ring over her center finger. Then she reached up and clasped Norah’s cheek, her eyes glistening. Norah’s own emotion choked back any words that may have been in her throat. She glanced down at her hand, stretching her fingers out and admiring the smooth-cut black stone set deep in silver. Norah had never been one for jewelry, but this meant something. And that made it even more beautiful. All she could do was nod.
Salara-Mae let out a long breath. “Now I think I’d like to go sit and read awhile,” she said, as if the short emotional exchange had completely drained her.
“Of course,” Norah said.
The king’s mother turned to leave, but Norah caught her.
“Salara-Mae, thank you. This means a lot to me.”
The woman nodded. “Me too.” Then she turned and walked back toward the castle.
Norah watched her go before heading to the strip of garden between the parallel windowed halls leading to the library. Breathing in the late-summer air, she closed her eyes as the sun kissed her face. Hope stirred within her. This was what she needed—light, warmth, healing.
Shewasa strong queen, she told herself. She wasn’t perfect, but she forgave herself for that. And she wasn’t without a kingdom, as she’d felt only moments ago. It had been temporarily taken from her, and she would take it back and see those she loved were safe.
Norah reached into the pocket of her gown and clutched the folded parchment inside—a letter she’d written but battled whether to send.
A letter to Phillip.
She turned on her heel and strode inside. She needed to find Adrian. As she stepped through the doors, she almost collided with a woman coming from the hall of the Circle’s chamber. The Circle was Kharav’s council.
“Forgive me, Salara,” the woman said.
