Page 53 of A Sanctuary from Shadow
Twitching, Ace gaped at my betrayal.
“Relax, Ace,” Uncle Neel said. “The heir to the throne has always been a son because that’s just how it always worked out. Technically, all the royal charter states about succession is the heir must be the ruler’s firstborn.”
Vi’s features screwed. “No other king has had a female firstborn?”
Uncle Neel shrugged. “The Goddess never made it so, but we’ve had some mighty powerful queens in our history. The Dagda chose the most powerful, who we call the Morrigan, as one of his last wives. She led a war for him against the Fomorians—a race of fae Dananns don’t get along with.” His mouth twisted. “You should remember them from Sunday circle lessons.”
Indeed, I did. Who could forget such awful stories of carnage? That I’d thought were mere allegories.
“Anyway, we won because of the Morrigan,” Uncle Neel extolled.
Had she had the warrior’s skin as well? I really didn’t want to be the only woman in history to have it.
“What made her so powerful?” Vi questioned.
“She was what we call a triple goddess,” Uncle Neel answered. “A term we use for females blessed with multiple principal powers. Most fae only manifest one, two if they’re lucky. The Morrigan was the most multi-faceted triple goddess our people have ever seen. There were two others before her—Danu Herself, and Brigid, the Dagda’s daughter. Every time one is born, she’s more powerful than the last.”
Aunt Aylie waved in dismissal. “You’ll all receive a thorough history lesson in the near future.”
“Sounds like we could’ve done without thosehumanworld history classes,” Ace snarked under his breath.
Aunt Aylie’s gaze narrowed at him. “Right now, the present is more important. Amy, your father, the king, took his final breath last night, so that makes you the queen.”
All eyes locked on me. My mouth dried out. A pit formed in my stomach. “I can’t be a queen!” I squeaked. “I don’t know how!”
“You’ll learn,” Aunt Aylie retorted. “And you’ll have a more than knowledgeable king to guide you.”
Mouths opened on both sides of me.
Surely, I’d heard wrong. “Huh?”
Uncle Neel and Briar shared a pointed look as Aunt Aylie rose from her place on the couch armrest and clicked her tongue. “Viola, Acer—go fetch yourselves breakfast while we talk to Amy.” She then ushered my shell-shocked siblings from the room.
“Why can’t they stay?” I wanted them nearby. They were like lamp posts, and I was lost in a fog.
No response came, and when I turned back around, Briar sat beside me. He took my hand, his fingers warm and dexterous as they entwined with mine. His gaze brimmed with both compassion and duty. Suddenly, I realized who my king was.
“Oh, my Goddess,” I muttered into a hand. Briar murmured something soft, rubbing my back.
“I don’t know what you’re upset about,” Aunt Aylie chafed, rounding back toward me. “There are plenty of fae ladies who’d be thanking Danu on their hands and knees for a betrothal with Briar Hawthorne.” Her pinch stung my shoulder. “Now, sit up and face your future husband.”
“Ow!” I whined, jerking up.
Briar only adjusted his hold on me.
Rubbing my shoulder, I stared down my relatives. “So,that’swhy you’ve put so much effort into getting Briar and I together. To satisfy some agreement you made.”
Neither expressed guilt at being caught in their manipulations. Which dissatisfied me to the point of outrage.
“We didn’t make the agreement,” Uncle Neel replied. “That was your parents’ doing. Before you were born, they promised you to Briar. Your mother knew you’d be a girl.”
“Whywould they do that?” I whined. Wasn’t it Daddy who’d taken one look at me and declared Briar wasn’t the one? Why would he say that if he knew he’d already offered my hand in marriage to the man?
Damn, I wish he were here, so I could ask him.
The thought triggered instant sorrow. My eyes misted.
“Because they trusted me,” Briar answered my spoken question for Uncle Neel, who’d had a heated rejoinder on the tip of his tongue. “I was your mother’s closest friend. When she married your father, I joined her at Evereostre, became a member of the Old Order and a royal guard. They knew I’d protect and honor you.”
