Shadow Heir

“Oh, no.” Ilania chuckled. “This is for you, Your Majesty. And actually, we brought two—one for each of your lands. I also have one for King Dorian, whom I’m most excited to meet. Since we don’t travel here very often, we wanted to make sure to extend our friendship to as many as possible. Don’t worry,” she added. “Each of the statues is different. All are made of damarian jade, but we’d hardly give you all identical designs. That would be tacky.”

“Right,” I agreed, eyeing the unicorn and its friends.

“We wouldn’t want tacky.” Her servants seemed restless, so I directed them inside, with instructions to find a servant of mine who would take the statue—or rather, statues—off their hands. Both my castles actually had storerooms for gifts like this. I’d learned a long time ago that even if I had no intention of displaying or using some royal gift, it was always best to keep it around in case the giver ever paid a visit.

“I can’t wait to see what you offer in return,” added Ilania. “I’m sure it will be lovely.”

I blinked. “Er ... I’m sorry, what?”

She laughed merrily. “Surely you know about our land’s custom? We exchange gifts to emphasize our bonds of friendships. We’ll proudly display the offerings from your kingdoms, just as I know you’ll display ours.”

“Of course,” I said, making a mental note to tell the servants to dredge up some acceptable gifts. Keeping up with gentry etiquette boggled the mind. “We’ll make arrangements for you to take them when you leave.”

Ilania glanced around us conspiratorially and then stepped in closer to Jasmine and me. “My most gracious queen also has another gift for you—or rather, an offer.”

“Oh?” I asked carefully. The gentry loved wheeling and dealing, and I wasn’t surprised that a gift and offer of friendship would come with strings attached.

Ilania nodded. “My queen knows of your ... situation.” She gave my stomach a not-so-subtle look, just in case there was any question about what my “situation” was. “As the ruler of many kingdoms, Queen Varia has no interest in the prophecy or any stake in conquering other—”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “Did you say she rules other kingdoms? How many is she bound to?” Gaining control of a kingdom in the Otherworld was no small thing. A binding took place between the monarch and the land itself, one that required considerable strength on the ruler’s part. It was such a great feat, in fact, that no other monarch besides me had been able to pull it off in recent history. At least, that’s what I’d been told. Discovering someone who ruled an additional kingdom—multiple ones, allegedly—was huge.

“She isn’t bound to them, not exactly,” explained Ilania. “Rather, she rules them. Their own monarchs have agreed to become subject kingdoms to her. So, technically, those monarchs are bound to the land, but they happily acknowledge Varia as their high queen.”

I glanced over at Jasmine. She looked just as surprised as I felt. I’d never heard of anything like this, a kingdom willingly subjugating itself to another. The Yew Land and its neighbors were far away from my own, so it wasn’t entirely surprising that this hadn’t reached me before. Still, it was odd.

Ilania seemed to take our stunned silence for awe. “With so many allies around her, my queen’s territory is vast and safe. We know that you’re under constant threat here—even in your own kingdom.” She paused to allow a couple of soldiers to pass us, proving her point. “My queen would like to extend her hospitality to you and provide a haven in which you can safely have your children. And, in fact, if you so desired, they would be welcome to stay there afterward as long as you wished. My queen’s forces and power would ensure no harm befalls them, as would the distance from your enemies.”

It was true that my greatest adversaries were, unfortunately, also my close neighbors. I didn’t like the rest of her implications, though. Ilania was essentially saying that my own resources weren’t enough to keep me and the twins safe but that her overlord queen could.

“Why would she offer this?” I asked, again suspicious of any gentry kindness.

“My queen is also a mother and is appalled to see these constant attacks on you and the unborn. She finds them cowardly and wrong.” Ilania smiled sweetly. “And, as I was saying, my lady is well content with her own lands. She has no interest in the prophecy and its promise of conquering the human world. She is, however, interested in maintaining friendly relations with another woman possessed of power and command. It’s very dreary for her, having so few equals to talk to.”

“I can imagine,” I muttered. Around us, harried servants were trying to organize the assembled throng into some type of order. “Look, things are about to get started, so I have to take my place. Send my thanks back to your queen, but tell her I’m happy to stay where I’m at for now. We’ve done a pretty good job at keeping me safe so far.” Ohio adventures aside.