The Wicked House of Caroline

TWHoC: Chapter 78 - Only Priestesses Become Oracles



Laz tilted his head to the side and furrowed his brows, appearing uncertain about what she was saying. “If I recall, the last Great Oracle’s name was Patrika Heryan. Even Addah used to call her Rika in casual situations.”

Beks nodded. “Yes, she woke up and called herself Patrika Heryan. This is recorded in the collection of documents on the oracles that Sister Levina let me memorize. However, read this.”

She held up the small notebook open to the last written page. Laz read the contents aloud. “I was born on the 2nd Hesk of Holy Year 2,344, died on 3rd Dian of Holy Year 2,369, awoken as Fredrika Solken on the 1st Hesk of Holy Year 1,998.” He lifted his good hand and carefully moved the frail pages. The further back he went, the more confusion appeared on his face. He squinted and began to frown. “What is this gibberish?”

“You can’t read it either,” Beks replied.

Laz raised his eyes to look over the notebook. “If you can’t read it, why do you think I’d be able to do so?”

“Because my husbands are so smart.”

Laz cracked a small smile and leaned forward to plant a kiss on her lips. “I’m flattered, but we weren’t the ones Brother Laurence trusted to write government policy.”

Beks sighed and lowered the book. “The rest of the pages are like this. I can make out words and characters, but it’s all jumbled up. Like this sentence....” Beks was about to sit down on the edge of the bed, when she stopped herself with her knees bent. She frowned and stood up, crossing the room to the small settee closer to the door.

Laz chuckled. “You know, they might’ve also-”

“Don’t ruin this seat for me.” Beks gave him a stern glare and he raised his arms to concede. He followed her and sat on the settee beside her as she looked at the notebook on her lap. “These characters start off in Jasper, but then start to blend in with Langsher. She arrived...then something about a cane...something about a lecture.”

Laz followed her finger as she moved across the characters written on the page. “This character is ‘cane’ in Langsher, but aside from meaning a literal cane, it’s also slang for being beaten.”

Beks lifted her head to look at her husband. “Where did you hear that?”

“When we were in Langshe. It was mentioned as a punishment. The term came to be associated with the word because-”

“Punishments included corporal beatings with canes,” Beks concluded. She looked back at the entry and narrowed her eyes. “So, she arrived at a lecture and was beaten?”

Laz tapped on another character. “Late.”

“What?”

“I’ve been brushing up on my Esuser. Isn’t this the character for ‘late’?”

“Well...it’s the base character, but an extra stroke is missing....” Beks trailed off. “No, wait, it blended into the characters for ‘cane’.”

“That explains why she was beaten. She arrived at a lecture late.”

Beks stared at the book for a bit longer and then looked up at her husband. “I told you my husbands are smart.”

Laz chuckled and gave her a quick kiss once more. “Flattery won’t get me to help you decode this. I’m getting a headache just trying to figure out a single sentence. Lucian will help.”

“You don’t think he’ll be bored?”

“Yes. Spending countless hours with our beloved wife in close quarters. How terrible for him.” Laz rolled his eyes as Beks let out a small snort. “At any rate, there is a practical reason. Laz has a much better handle on Esuser, both modern and classic. He was formally schooled in liturgical Esuser, as well, so we shouldn’t ignore a valuable resource.”

Beks nodded. “If we can crack Besup, we can figure this out.”

Laz let out a hum of agreement. He looked back at the document and narrowed his eyes once more. “I’m sure there is a pattern to this. If it was the late Great Oracle who wrote this, she likely wrote it in code.”

“You think it’s a code?” Beks asked.

“It seems like a mixture of languages, so she may have picked and chosen different works to confuse the reader.” He paused and looked at her. “How did you find it?”

“I read that while she was staying here towards the end of her life, the late Great Oracle wrote quite a bit, but when she left, she didn’t seem to be carrying any books or notes she might have written. Notes regarding her return before she died also said that she only returned with what meager belongings she brought with her when she left the Great Temple. Her clothes, religious texts, and ceremonial accessories,” Beks replied. “So, either they burned her work before they left, or it was hidden.”

Laz raised a brow. “You make it sound as if there was so much, but you only found one book.”

“The Hall of Eloquence has been reused many times since the last Great Oracle left. Anything she left behind, if it didn’t appear to be of value, would likely have already been tossed out, if not disposed of. It can’t be left to clutter a guest manor for the next guest.”

Laz furrowed his brows. “One would think that if they found texts written by the last Great Oracle, those would be incredibly valuable.”

“I’ve overseen the audits of the royal warehouses and libraries, and haven’t read of anything that was kept belonging to the last Great Oracle,” Beks said. “So, I thought that if the pieces weren’t burned, perhaps they would be hidden in the manor. After all, there are plenty of places to hide them here, if one was careful.”

“Like putting this book amongst the book shelves?”

“Or the secret compartment hidden in the old bedframes.”

“The what?”

“It’s nothing. The point is that while I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary in the study downstairs, I did find this book here,” Beks replied. “Aside from the jumble of words, I don’t know if the one part of it that I can read is being serious. Holy Year 1,998 does match with the date the late Great Oracle awoke after being bedridden with an illness.”

“She was bedridden with an illness?”

“Yes, aside from the similarities of having another name, the Great Oracles only insisted on being called by another name after they woke up or recovered from a serious illness. Many times, they were unconscious.”

Laz frowned. “And this is a coincidence amongst the Great Oracles?”

Beks looked at him and raised a brow. “When it happens to pretty much all of them, I’d hardly call it just a coincidence.”

“All right, but how does that relate to the first sentence. She was born in the Holy Year 2,344. This year is only Holy Year 2,076. We’re looking at around two and a half centuries of difference. She must’ve been joking with you.”

Beks looked at the small notebook in her head. “The weight I feel from this book doesn’t seem like a joke.”

Laz kept an arm around his wife and let out a tired breath. “Then, perhaps she was authoring a story. Wouldn’t all her writing and then not bringing it with her be explained if she was writing a story or something that wouldn’t be approved of by the Temple?”

She frowned with a serious look. “You mean heresy?”

Laz paused for a moment. “I was thinking of something else inappropriate, but yes, that’s likely more damning. If she wrote something that was disapproved of by the Temple or Temple doctrine, then it makes sense that none of the writing she’d done here would be brought with her, where the Temple would scrutinize it.”

“That’s true....” It wasn’t unheard of for a member of the Temple to have some criticism of the Temple. Though it was all the same fate, there was a hierarchical structure that would inevitably lead to some conflict. There were plenty of people who had joined the Temple because of faith, but plenty more people who joined where faith was just a byproduct.

Even Lucian hadn’t joined the clergy of his own volition. He was sent there and essentially forced into it by his mother. Sister Levina joined because she was an orphan.

Laz looked at her as she sat beside him, contemplating the small book. She didn’t even know if it was written throughout the life of the last Great Oracle or towards the end of it.

However, Beks was certain she wrote it.

“You found it in a bedframe?” Laz asked. Beks nodded once. “How did you know it would be inside?”

“It’s a good hiding place. People often hide things under their pillow or in a compartment hidden beneath the floor, behind some books, or a hollowed-out object.”

“If you didn’t find it, this relic might have been there forever,” Laz told her.

Beks narrowed her eyes. “I would’ve found it.”

“You’re confident.”

“I know the history of the furniture and layout of this guest manor. If I searched, I would find it.” Beks lifted the book in her hand. “And I did.”

Satisfied with what she found, Beks didn’t continue her search. If there was more, as long as she didn’t order the Hall of Eloquence to be cleaned outside of dusting and airing it out every few weeks, anything else that might have been hidden would remain so. She could continue her search some other time, but now, she wanted to focus on decoding the notebook.

Beks kept it in the little drawstring back and tucked it into one of her pockets before leaving the Hall of Eloquence on the transport cart with Laz riding his horse beside her. When they reached the main entrance of the Gilded Palace, Chamberlain Wilton was waiting for them with a tired look on his face.

“Your Highnesses.” He bowed his head to them as Laz helped Beks off the cart. “Prince Luther refuses to eat until Her Highness goes to see him.”

Beks frowned.

Laz scowled. Before Beks could answer, he spoke up. “Then let him. We can keep him alive for the time being with life biha users. We have no shortage of them or of usable biha,” he replied in a sharp voice.

Beks raised her hand to rub her husband’s arm to calm him. She looked towards Chamberlain Wilton. “Tell him that I am busy undoing all of the travesty that his court created. I will see him when I have time.”

Chamberlain Wilton nodded once and bowed his head. “Yes, Your Highness.” He turned and left.

Laz frowned and looked at Beks with displeasure. “You’re too kind to him.”

“I will feel guilty if I beat him when he’s already weak,” Beks replied. “Let him be at least somewhat healthy first.” She pulled her husband up the stairs. “Then, I won’t need to hold back when the time comes.”

Laz appeared somewhat satisfied and held Beks’ arm as they returned to Beks’ villa. While Laz and Lucian’s villa had remained well kept during the time they were away under the late Queen and Laurence, the last year under Luther’s rule, it was allowed to be ignored and needed to be cleaned before use.

The twins decided to live with Beks in a clean and ready villa. Even after their villa had been cleaned and any repairs made, they continued to live with their wife.

Beks’ things in the Old Tower were a bit ransacked, and anything of value had been hidden before she announced to the kingdom that she was ending her engagement with Luther and subsequently imprisoned and exiled. It didn’t matter if any books, documents, or notes were destroyed, she had told Laurence when he expressed his frustration at the loss of her things, because it was all in her head anyway.

“I’ll go ask for someone to bring us a meal,” Laz told her as he saw her to her study. “I’ll be back soon.”

He kissed her cheek and walked out, leaving Beks to sit at her new desk. Before she tried to crack the code of the notebook she’d found, she closed her eyes and reviewed what she had read of the last Great Oracle.

In addition to the more intimate notes on the last Great Oracle’s life, there was also records of Fredrika Solken. Like the other oracles Beks read about, she was an orphan.

Fredrika had been found washed up from a shipwreck along the coasts of one of the southern coastal principalities. She was five at the time and had been wearing fine clothes. It seemed she had been from Freysha from the language she was speaking when she was found. It was assumed that she had been with her family sailing to Sevoy when a storm hit.

Unfortunately, it seemed that she had no surviving family. She’d remained at a local Temple-run orphanage for two years with nuns hoping that someone would come to claim her. After two years of waiting, she was deemed an orphan. At seven years old, Fredrika Solken had learned the local pidgin, in which Jasper was used, and Esuser, which was taught at the Temple.

Her quick advancement learning the language caught the attention of the Mother Superior of the orphanage, who then recommended her to the Great Temple to further her studies and join the Temple.

Everything seemed pretty standard. Standard Temple education for a prospective young priestess. Standard volunteer service.

Then at fifteen, Fredrika caught a chill while clearing the snow from one of the main plazas at the Great Temple Complex. The snowstorm the night before had been sudden and the clothes for winter had not yet been prepared, so Fredrika became vulnerable to the chill. She had a fever, became delirious, and then slept for two days.

On the third day, Fredrika woke up. That was when she insisted that her name was Patrika Heryan and spoke her first prophecy.

Beks opened her eyes. The last Great Oracle followed the typical timeline and actions of previous oracles. She felt legitimate.

The new oracle, Iris Elpidah, did not follow the same path as previous oracles. Beks couldn’t help but wonder why the Temple didn’t question this. After all, there was such a clear process that happened with each previous oracle. If Iris woke up one day and began spouting prophecies, but didn’t go through the same process, Beks would’ve thought it strange.

Then again, oracles were held in high esteem and valued by the Temple. They were not only representative of the Temple’s divine powers, but they wielded influence in other countries that was beneficial to the Temple.

Therefore, anyone who could give enough correct prophecies was an oracle. Iris Elpidah did so.

Beks drew her lips inward.

“Beks, are you all right?” Lucian stepped through the open doorway of her study, and she looked up.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Is something wrong?”

“You didn’t come to Luther’s and Chamberlain Wilton said you were busy. Normally, if someone was ill, you’d come at once if there was a change,” Lucian said as he crossed the room. “Do you not want to see him?”

Beks took a deep breath. “Did you see that nightmare of a pile of paperwork in my office that requires attention?” she asked. “Does he have any idea of the financial damage done?”

Lucian rounded her desk and knelt down beside her seat. “I’m not complaining that you don’t want to see him. He doesn’t deserve your attention.”

He adjusted her chair, so she faced him and then leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her waist as he rested his head on her lap.

“I’m not going to go back to him, Lucian.”

“My rationality says that, but I still have my fears,” Lucian replied as he closed his eyes. “I don’t want to share you.”

“Well, that’s a shame, as she has two husbands.” Laz let out a small chuckle as he arrived. Lucian grumbled and buried his face in her lap. “I asked them to bring your meal here, too. Did that pathetic excuse of a prince make you leave, or did you escape?”

“I escaped when Chamberlain Wilton arrived. Luther kept asking why his father was beheaded and didn’t seem to want to listen to the truth that Brother Laurence tried to tell him,” Lucian replied as he finally pulled away from Beks. “Luther wanted to talk to Beks and started having trouble breathing through his cries. Laurence has assigned Chamberlain Wilton to watch over him in case he does anything ridiculous.”

Beks huffed. “I’m surprised he did, considering his wife is missing.”

“About that,” Lucian said as he leaned against the side of Beks’ desk. “He doesn’t remember falling. He doesn’t even know how he ended up as he was. He seemed to have lost consciousness and fallen.” Lucian let out a heavy breath and frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Brother Laurence let it slip that you were the one who saved him.”

Beks tilted her head back and let out another heavy sigh. “I stopped him from falling because he needed to face punishment, but now I’m worried that he thinks I stopped him from falling for another reason.”

“He did,” Lucian replied. “That was why he is so insistent on seeing you.”

Beks shook her head. “I don’t want to see him.”

“Brother Laurence reiterated that if Luther is to meet you, it will be on your terms, and he will not force you. If Luther threatens us with his health, then Brother Laurence said it’s his choice whether or not to see his wife again,” Lucian told her. He let out a slight click of his tongue and looked towards Laz. “Brother is quite fed up with him.”

Laz snorted. “Aren’t we all?”

A knock came from the door and one of the Wild Dogs who was guarding their villa stood just outside the doorway.

“Your Highness, His Majesty King Laurence requests your presence at lunch,” he said. “And the Fourth Prince will not be present.”

That was acceptable. Beks nodded and stood up. She took each husband by the hand and pulled them forward.

“Will our in-laws attend?” Lucian asked.

Beks shook her head. “No, they’ve gone to the Port of Black Sands. They left this morning and will be back in a few days. A few biha users are returning and some people from Aceria are arriving. Mommy and the others will escort them back.”

“The Grand Duke is coming?” Laz asked.

“We’ve been working on absorbing Aceria as part of the Gurani Territory and it’s best he’s here,” Beks told them. “Also, Sister Levina is coming along with some of the children. I have questions on the education of prospective priestesses that she may be able to answer.”

“What do you need to know,” Lucian told her. “Perhaps I can answer them.”

Beks shook her head. “There are no male oracles.”

“Why should that matter?”

“I suspect the knowledge that oracles have started with what they learned as prospective priestesses,” Beks replied as she narrowed her eyes. “The Temple has strict roles for men and women, boys and girls, so some things may have been taught to one group that weren’t taught with another.”

“For example...?”

“Tell me, how much history did you learn?”

Lucian appeared a bit taken aback by this. “History? Of the Temple?”

“The Temple, the countries on the continent, any relations between them....”

He furrowed his brows and thought for a moment. “We mainly studied liturgical history, starting from the Temple’s founding, when the Great Basin was settled...I can recall some points where the Temple negotiated with other kingdoms.”

“Where there any points of conflict studied?” Beks asked. Lucian squinted and looked ahead of them.

“Not that I can recall.”

“Sister Levina studied a lot, including when she was living at the Great Temple in secret,” Beks told them.

“Did you find something that might relate to the history of the Great Temple?” Lucian asked.

“I’m trying to come up with a motive,” Beks replied. She tugged on his arm and kissed his cheek. “When I have a better understanding, I’ll let you know.”

They walked towards the dining hall. Laurence was already there, seated at the head of the table and rubbing his head.

“What did he say that gave you a headache this time?” Laz asked as they entered. Laurence lowered his hand and lifted his eyes, giving his younger brother a helpless shake of his head.

“Well, being yelled out of his room as a murderer who hates him is a start,” Laurence replied. He looked at Beks and gave her a nod. “And you are under no obligation or order to see Luther.”

“I know,” Beks replied as Lucian pulled out her seat. Laz sat on Laurence’s left while Lucian sat on the right with Beks. “I knew from the start that he wouldn’t be able to accept that his father had taken part in our attempted assassinations. The Third Consort we are familiar with is far from the father he knows.”

“I don’t know how to explain it to him without explaining every small part his father had,” Laurence told them. With the three seated, the servants stepped forward and placed plates in front of them.

Under their watch, a thin silver needle was inserted into each pile of food, through the meat, and skewered a vegetable, then checked for any reaction. The current kitchen staff were handpicked by Laz from their army. Where they lacked in delicacy and presentation, they at least made up for in taste and trust.

Still, checking for poison was customary and no one thought it strange.

Once the food was checked, Laurence picked up his utensils, thereby signaling the others to eat.

“Perhaps you should explain every small part the Third Consort had to Luther,” Laz said. “He should know why his father was beheaded.”

Laurence took a deep breath. “Having a hand in my assassination should be enough of a reason for him to understand why his father was beheaded. I am the king and he tried to have me killed so his son could ascend the throne.” Laurence glared at his food as he moved elegantly to eat.

“You said that the night you slipped, nothing seemed strange. The floor wasn’t particularly more slippery than usual. I’d checked the bathing room myself and nothing was amiss. Despite Iris Elpidah predicting you’d die with a body of water, it seems like it was an accident,” Beks told him.

“If the Inheritor believes with all the knowledge, she possesses that it was an accident, it must be so,” Laurence said with a slight smile. “You’re thorough with your investigation and if something was amiss, then you would’ve had a feeling.”

Beks raised a brow and looked at him. “As if I wasn’t under enough pressure.” Laurence laughed and continued to eat.

“The only thing that was amiss was that the clerics sent to heal me weren’t doing their job,” Laurence told them.

“The Third Consort arranged for the clerics,” Beks said. “I believe he arranged for them with Iris Elpidah.”

“Who is Iris Elpidah again?” Laz asked.

“The new oracle,” Beks replied. “And technically, your sister-in-law.” Laz made a disgusted face and Lucian chuckled. “There was also assassination attempts on me and my family. Iris Elpidah lacked the influence to switch out all the escort guards to paladins. She needed an insider with such power, and following the paper trail, it leads back to the Third Consort.”

“It was fairly easy to investigate, but at the time, Beks was out of power. She couldn’t have done much, even if she reported it to Luther herself,” Laurence said. His eyes narrowed and he almost sneered, which was unlike him. “Like son like mother, I suppose.”

Laz snorted once more and the air in the room seemed to grow colder.

Lucian looked up from his meal and furrowed his brows. “Like son like mother? Luther is hardly like Mother.”

Laz took in a sharp breath and Laurence froze. Beks lifted her head and looked at Lucian. She hadn’t told him yet. It seemed that Laurence hadn’t either.

Lucian looked around the table, appearing to notice the awkwardness of his family and began to frown. Beks swallowed hard. “We...we had some information revealed recently,” she said with some hesitation as she lowered her head.

Lucian’s eyes crinkled up. “What kind of information?”

“It is regarding the death of my Father and Addah.” Laurence closed his eyes, his shoulders falling just a bit as his hands holding his utensils rested on either side of the dish. Laz kept his eyes fixed on his plate as Beks looked up and towards her husband on her right.

Sensing as if something was very wrong, Lucian lowered his own utensils and looked around at his brothers and Beks. “What is it?”

“We had requested an investigation of what happened, and we received more than enough evidence to convict a man,” Laurence said.

Lucian drew his head back, looking a bit surprised. “Already? It was so long ago, I thought it would be more difficult.”

“It was years ago, but so was it when the investigation took place,” Laurence told him. “We didn’t need to launch our own, nor do we have the time or resources to do so right now, but the information was ready.”

“Then, what did you find out? He had a hand in it, didn’t he?”

“He did. What we received were mainly payment records in ledgers, confessions from people involved, and a few eyewitnesses to the dealings that took place leading up to the deaths of the late King and Uncle Timur,” Beks told him.

Lucian’s surprised expression began to fade to displeasure. “Then, if there was that much proof at the time, why hadn’t the Third Consort been arrested and imprisoned, if not killed?” he asked with distaste.

Laurence took a deep breath and tried to measure his words. “Someone stepped in to have evidence be buried and rumors quelled so as to save the Third Consort.”

Lucian’s frown darkened. He opened his mouth, as if to ask who was at fault, but just before he could speak, his eyes went wide, and his brows shot up. Denial and disbelief filled his face as he looked at Laurence, then towards his brother across from him, who avoided his eyes, and then back to Laurence.

His two older brothers didn’t seem to want to meet his incredulous look.

“Why?” His voice spoke in a breathy whisper.

“She has always had guilt towards the Third Consort,” Laurence replied, staring at the food on the table in almost a daze. “Especially when she chose to marry your father as her second husband instead of the Third Consort, whom she’d always professed to love.”

Lucian’s eyes crinkled up and his lips tightened into a line. “You’re saying that for her guilt and love, she was willing to let our fathers’ murderer not only live, but to go unpunished and even get exactly what he wanted?”

He looked around the table, and finally at Beks, who slowly nodded her head. “My sources told me that they were given an order to quell any rumors that might’ve linked the Third Consort to their deaths, and to cover up any information that may have led to them. Very few people were entrusted. They were made to take blood oaths not to reveal what they knew.”

Lucian put his utensils down and leaned back against his chair, as if unsure what to say or think. His eyes began to redden as he seemed to see his mother in a new light.

Laurence looked at him with painful eyes. “Lucian....” He trailed off, unsure of what to say.

“I had hoped that she wasn’t so brainlessly in love with that bastard that she wouldn’t compromise the rest of her family, but it seems my prayers were not answered,” Lucian said with a small, bitter laugh. “No wonder Laz and I were sent away so soon after Addah’s death. That bastard couldn’t wait to get rid of us.”

Beks bit her lower lip, as across from Lucian, Laz clenched his jaw. “One son was sent to the military to die. The other was sent to the Temple to waste away,” Laz said.

Lucian let out an incredulous breath. “It wasn’t simply to waste away,” Lucian said, his face reddening at the thought. “It was to ensure that I couldn’t have children. She knew what would happen if I became a priest.”

Beks grit her teeth. Most monarchs would want to have their bloodline passed on, but the late Queen pressured Lucian to join the Temple and become a priest. This wasn’t something that was hidden. The late Queen had actively spoken of Lucian as a future priest when he was still studying. It was fully expected that he would become one.

“Did our mother hate us?” Laz lifted his head hesitantly, as if unsure if he wanted to hear the answer to his question.

“No,” Beks replied. “But she wanted to please the Third Consort. You were the children of the two men who were chosen before him.”

“Then, perhaps she didn’t hate us, but she didn’t love us either,” Laz told her. His voice was laced with hurt and anger.

“Laz could’ve been killed, and I can’t have children,” Lucian said in a choked voice. “In fact, Laz was almost killed multiple times. And I....”

Beks could only understand a bit of how he felt. Though they were apart for more than half his life, Lucian did honor his mother and did whatever she told him to do. The late Queen was a pragmatic woman, but there was nothing pragmatic about finding a way to end the two bloodlines of the second and third in line to the throne.

As she searched her mind for the words to say, Laurence spoke up.

“You can still have children,” Laurence told Lucian.

Lucian shook his head, brushing off his brother’s attempts to console him. “Brother, I’ve already taken the Water of the Covenant.”

Laurence shook his head. “No, you haven’t.”

There was a firmness in his voice and it drew their attention to him. At that moment, he was like a king speaking to his subjects.

Lucian’s brows knit together once more. “What do you mean?”

Laurence looked back at his food, his expression almost satisfied. “I’m sure it was blessed, but it wasn’t Water of the Covenant.” Three pairs of eyes looked at him, silently urging him to say more. “Water of the Covenant is blessed water with a poison that will render any man infertile.” Laurence cut into his chicken. “I had arranged for your water to be switched with regular water. The poison was never mixed with the water, and thus, you are not infertile.”

“Is that possible?” Lucian sat up straight and looked at his eldest brother with wide eyes.

“Yes.”

“How?” Lucian asked, as if too afraid to believe it to be the truth.

Laurence raised his eyes towards him. “I paid some people to assist me,” he replied. He met Lucian’s dumbfounded eyes. “And no, the late Queen didn’t know. I didn’t tell her. She didn’t even know I knew when your ceremony was.”

Lucian’s eyes dilated. They began to grow moist as relief filled Lucian’s face. “Brother....” He swallowed hard. “Are you certain?”

“I’ve had someone I trust check on your health.”

“Who?”

Laurence looked at Beks. “The Duchess of Caroline. She can detect abnormalities using her water biha. She confirmed what I had suspected about my own concerns.”

Lucian drew his head back. “When would she have time?”

“On the island,” Beks said. “Remember when Mommy had you show her where the laundry pools were and you said that you could call someone else to do it, but she insisted? I saw you wading in the laundry pool with her. I initially thought she was tricking you into washing clothes, but it seems she had an ulterior motive. As long as Mommy touches water, she can command her biha through it.”

Lucian stared at her. “That’s...that’s amazing.”

“What’s more amazing is that now, we will both be able to give Beks children,” Laz said, his eyes equally red, as if part of him had also been restored after hearing the news. “Congratulations, Lucian.”

Lucian let out a small laugh and nodded. “Thank you.”

Beks put her hand over his and gave him a squeeze. Lucian wove his fingers through hers and lifted her hand, kissing the back of it.

Laurence smiled at them and looked at Laz and then at Lucian and Beks.

“Work hard, you three,” he said as he grinned as he reached for his wine glass and then gave them a little toast. “My child will want a playmate.”

╔═════════════════ ∘◦ ♔ ◦∘ ═════════════════╗

Beks leaned against the arched stone doorway, looking at the figure seated on the floor, behind the iron bars that separated the catacomb corridor from the chamber, where the stone sarcophagus of the late Queen lay between the sarcophagi of her first and second husbands.

Originally, there was a spot reserved for the sarcophagus of the Third Consort at the head of the Queen’s. The stone platform was already there, as had been prepared after the King Consort passed.

However, after Laurence learned that his own mother had let the man who arranged his father’s death live without consequence for over two decades, he decided not to honor his late mother’s wishes.

“Hasn’t everyone honored her wishes for long enough?” Laurence had said with some vindictive bitterness when they watched the unadorned, rustic coffin made of wood be carried from the same cold room where his imposter had been brought, and across the moat. “At the expense of my father and Addah, nearly at the expense of your life, your family’s lives, and mine. This bastard doesn’t deserve a royal burial, let alone any sort of honor. He is a liar, a thief, and a murderer.”

Luther could only watch from the west tower as his father’s body and head were cremated on a stone slab across the moat, where his father had been beheaded. Laurence wouldn’t let him come, concerned that Luther would lose his mind once more and try to jump into the fire.

Chamberlain Wilton and four Wild Dogs remained with Luther in the west tower when they had watched the cremation.

As for the ashes, Laurence allowed them to be sent to the Hessing Estate, which was under house arrest while being investigated for corruption. The Hessings were already set to lose their noble title, and Beks was waiting for their wealth to be confiscated. The treasury really needed the money.

For Laurence to allow the ashes to be returned for entombment at the Hessing Estate was as much as he would do for Luther’s sake. Laz had told them that the late Queen should be satisfied that they didn’t desecrate his body and throw him to the animals.

Lucian hadn’t said anything regarding the way the Third Consort’s body was taken care of, but every night since he found out his mother had covered up for the Third Consort’s part in their father’s death, he’d come to the late Queen’s tomb to stare at it in silence.

Beks and Laz didn’t disturb him. They took turns waiting by the entrance of the catacombs and then held on to Lucian when he came out, inevitably with red eyes.

“Do you think she’s angry?” Lucian asked without looking back at her. Beks didn’t answer immediately. Lucian took a deep breath. He turned his head to look towards her. “Is it terrible that I don’t care if she is?”

“No,” Beks told him. “She should’ve known this would be a possibility when she allowed him to get away with it.”

Lucian looked back at the three inside the burial chamber. “I know Addah didn’t marry her because he was in love her, but he did respect her and care for her. They supported her through her most turbulent period, saved her life multiple times, and brought benefits from their respective countries to Kadmus.” Lucian narrowed his eyes. “What did that bastard do for her?”

Beks left her spot by the entrance and quietly made her way towards him. She bent down and dusted off the ground before sitting beside Lucian and leaning against him.

“Perhaps only he could give her the love she desired,” Beks said. “The King Consort married her for political reasons. Uncle Timur was also married for political reasons. There is no excuse for what she did, but it seems that she wanted to spare the only man she thought loved her as a woman.”

Lucian narrowed his eyes. “I can’t forgive that.”

“Neither can I.” Beks agreed as she took his hand and wove her fingers through his. She looked at the sarcophagus on the left-hand side of the late Queen. For a moment, she remembered the handsome middle-aged man who used to read her stories and throw her into the air with a warm laugh. In a place where she had no father, he was as close as she got to one. And he was ripped from her small arms, too. She shut her eyes tight as she found the tears filling her eyes. In shaken Langsher, she whimpered. “Uncle Timur, we have avenged you.”

Lucian looked at her, his eyes also growing wet as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

Another warm body sat on her other side and another pair of strong arms wrapped around the both of them. “You should call him Addah now,” Laz said.

Beks shook against them. “Addah,” she choked out. She opened her crying eyes and looked at the inscription in Langsher engraved on the foot of his sarcophagus. Father, husband, general, Prince of the Langshe Empire. “We have avenged you.”

She finally couldn’t seem to contain her sorrow and wailed a cry that filled the length of the catacombs.

On either side of her, her husbands held her tight. It was an almost surreal living mirror to the placement of the sarcophagi inside the burial chamber. Maybe there was a time when the late Queen was also in such a position, comforted during a loss or recovering after an attack.

“You should tell Addah that you will take care of her his precious Beks.” Another man’s voice spoke up from behind them. Laurence’s eyes were red as he looked at the trio seated on the ground. His Langsher was a bit poor, but they understood him.

“Addah knows,” Laz said, giving Laurence a teary smile. “We came here as soon as we could.”

“The first words out of Laz’s mouth was ‘Addah, we married Beks’,” Lucian said with a slight laugh.

Laurence smiled at them and nodded. “Good,” he replied. He walked towards them and stood just behind where they sat. He bowed his head towards those entombed within. “Father, Addah, Your Majesty.” After his short greeting, he looked at the three. “All right, get up. The Carolines returned with Eleanor and the others. Lloyd just came to inform me that they’ve entered the main city gate and will be here soon.” The trio pulled themselves up and Laurence looked them up and down. “Clean yourselves up first.”

“Yes, Brother,” Laz and Lucian chorused as Beks nodded.

They followed him out and servants were called to prepare some damp towels to wipe their faces.

By the time the entourage from the Port of Black Sands reached the main gates of the royal grounds, all four of them stood just before the steps outside the Gilded Palace. The sun had set, but the weather was still warm and attendants with lanterns lit the area.

“What we need are light pearls,” Lucian said as he stood in place.

“How do we go about getting those?” Laz asked. “I’m so used to the light pearls at the island that manually lighting a flame has become inconvenient.”

“Gurani spoiled you two,” Laurence said with a slight grin.

“So, Brother doesn’t want any light pearls?” Lucian asked.

“I didn’t say that.”

The four of them chuckled. “The Grand Duke says that he heard that light pearls were harvested from biha rich pearls growing in biha rich places, usually around warm or hot waters, particularly by geothermal sources. In fact, he theorizes that different pearls from different types of oysters can create pearls for different purposes; light pearls, urapearls, this.” She lifted her hand to show them her dark pearl ring. “This was from a pearl around a volcanic island.”

“Well, we’ll count on you to develop that industry,” Laurence told her.

Three carriages and a very large, covered wagon came through the gate and were driven towards the front of the Gilded Palace. They lined up in front, and the first door that swung open came with a tired sigh.

“Finally! My butt hurts from sitting from so long!” Wrath jumped out of the carriage with Sunny behind her. “Sister, I’m hungry.”

A hand pushed her head down in a bow as Thad came after her. “Greet His Majesty first! Don’t just ask for food!” Thad flushed and bowed to Laurence. “Your Majesty.”

“Rise, Thad. This is informal,” Laurence said with a smile. He saw the second door open, and his face reddened. He quickly stepped forward, abandoning his spot as the King to offer his hand to the woman inside. “Your Majesty.”

Eleanor’s laughter filled the air. “Your Majesty,” she replied with a cheeky smile as she took his hand. Her brother had accompanied the Carolines to meet her and helped balance her when stepping out from within the carriage.

“Careful...watch your belly,” Lord Douglas told her in a firm voice.

“I’m not that big. Or big at all,” Eleanor rolled her eyes, but was still careful to be almost lowered on to the ground by the two men. Laurence looked down and saw the slight lump on her stomach. His eyes reddened. Eleanor raised a brow. “Do you miss me or the baby?”

“I miss you both!” Laurence embraced her at once. He seemed to bury his face in her hair and take a deep breath, as if to engrain the scent of his wife.

Beks and the twins bowed to greet her. “Your Majesty.”

“Tsk.” Eleanor clicked her tongue. “Don’t bow if it’s not formal. Besides, we’re not technically married yet. Come, come, give me a hug.”

Beks went to embrace her once Laurence stepped back. “Sister, how was the journey?”

“With the people your mother sent? It didn’t feel anything like sailing. I didn’t even get sick!” Eleanor puffed out her chest.

Beks looked over at her mother. “I also asked. She’s telling the truth,” Sybil replied.

“Beks, come here!” The Duke of Caroline beamed as he waved his daughter over. “Come see what, Daddy had them bring you.”

Beks cocked her head to the side, barely having time to greet Sister Levina and the Grand Duke of Aceria before being dragged to the wagon. “Gifts from the island?” she asked.

“A gift.” The Duke of Caroline looked over at the two Thirnir at the back of the wagon. “Let him out!”

Beks’ brows shot up. Her heart slammed against her chest as she pulled away from her father and rushed to the back, knowing immediately who the ‘him’ was.

The Thirnir stood back as a glistening white creature emerged from the massive wagon. Beks’ eyes widened as she screamed. “Snowflake!”

“Oh, wonderful,” Laz said. “Now our wife will ignore us.”

“I missed you so much!” Beks reached out as Snowflake coiled around her and nudged her head affectionately. “My sweet baby! Were you cramped inside the wagon? Did you do okay on the ship?”

“The ship?” Eleanor almost choked out. “Beks, he swam across the ocean.”

Beks paused from where she had climbed on Snowflake’s back. “Swam?”

“We wanted to bring him, but he could only sit on the deck,” Eleanor told her. “Every time he moved, if he went too far, things would shift, so we were going to leave him. When we told him, we thought he understood. Snowflake is very smart, after all.”

Beks nodded. “Yes, he is.”

“The night we left, we thought he was seeing us off, but he wasn’t. He followed us into the water. Did you know he could swim?”

Beks nodded. “Yes, snakes can swim, so I’m not surprised a horned serpent can,” Beks said. She looked at Snowflake and nuzzled the base of his head, behind his horns. “You must be so tired. And hungry.”

“Brother Your Majesty!” Wrath called out. “Snowflake, Sunny, and I would like to eat!”

Deo gave his youngest sister some side eye. “You just had to include yourself in that....”

Laurence laughed and patted Wrath’s head and Sunny’s. “Of course. What do you three want to eat?”

Wrath looked at Sunny and then looked at Snowflake. She nodded, as if she’d received an order. “Sunny would like one roasted chicken!”

“Done.”

“And Snowflake can go with deer or a medium sized pig.”

“We can get him a pig,” Laurence said, directing his answer to the giant serpent. He looked back at Wrath. “And what about you, Lady Wrath?”

Wrath clapped her hands together. “Well, I am in the mood for-”

“She will have whatever we’re having for dinner,” the Duchess said, clamping her hand on her daughter’s shoulder and giving her a stern look.

Wrath’s eyes crinkled up. “Yes...whatever we’re having for dinner.”

Defeated, Wrath trudged up the steps of the Gilded Palace as everyone else was also ushered up the steps. Beks remained on Snowflake’s back to take him to the back courtyard to eat.

“By the way, Sister Levina! When you have a moment, can I trouble you to talk? I have some questions about your education as a priestess at the Great Temple,” Beks said before they slinked away.

Sister Levina enthusiastically nodded her head. She made a motion for Beks to wait while she replied on her little slate. Beks squinted to read it. “Well versed in all continental history from settlement at Great Basin.” After Beks read it aloud, Sister Levina patted her chest with confidence.

Beks paused after reading it and nodded. “You mean, all the continent’s history? Not just the Temple’s?”

Sister Levina nodded. She wiped her slate to update her answer. “Yes! Very important. All promising priestesses learn.”

“If it’s so important, then don’t prospective priests learn as well?” Beks asked as she motioned towards Lucian, who was waiting with Laz a few steps away.

Sister Levina shook her head. She updated her answer once again. “Not for priests. Only priestesses.”

“Why?” If it was so important, why wouldn’t half the clergy be taught? She watched the woman scribble a new answer. As Sister Levina flipped the slate around, Beks felt a chill go through her body. She swallowed hard.

“Because only priestesses become oracles.”


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