Chapter 13

 

The ritual for the Festival of the First Fruits involved elaborate costumes, a stone crown for Lina that was so heavy Zora was thankful she wasn’t the Queen that morning, and a procession from the palace to a dais at each of the gates to the city. At each gate the Queen and the Year-King sat there long enough for everyone who had come in from the surrounding countryside to see the Year-King. Then the Queen blessed the people, and she and the king proceeded to the next gate to repeat the performance, ending back at the palace, where the Queen stood on a platform in the plaza and received the first fruits from the farmers.

Fortunately nothing the Queen had to eat passed through Lady Esme’s hands, but as the presentations went on, Zora, standing near Lina with the other priestesses, noticed that she looked more and more tired. Even through the green cloth of her veil, Zora was sure that Lina was turning pale and starting to tremble.

After receiving the first fruits, the Queen presented awards to the craftsmen. This would be followed by a public feast—already tables had been set up along the sides of the plaza, and the food was just inside the palace waiting to be set out as soon as the awards were finished.

The Queen had just presented the last award, and the goldsmith who had won was descending the steps to the ground. Suddenly, to Zora’s horror, Lina stiffened, her muscles started twitching, and she fell to the floor of the platform. Zora unfroze enough to grab the crown, which was rolling toward the edge of the platform, before it bashed her ankle, while Kyril and the Shield-Bearer grabbed Lina.

Kyril looked across Lina’s body and glared at Zora. “Do something!” he demanded.

Fortunately the First Priestess thought he was speaking to all of them. She took the Shield-Bearer’s place at Zora’s side, leaving the Shield-Bearer free to grab the nearest guard and order a litter to take the Queen inside the palace. By the time it arrived most of Lina’s muscles seemed to be going into spasm, one after another, and she was only semi-conscious. Zora followed the litter back inside the palace and into the temple quarters, so concerned for Lina that she scarcely realized she was still carrying the crown. She noticed she was holding it while the other priestesses were putting Lina to bed, and then she simply set it down on the nearest table. There were obviously more important things to worry about.

The First Priestess had pried Kyril loose from Lina at the entrance to the temple. Until that point he had been walking beside the litter and holding her hand. He was obviously unhappy about it, but he went without any verbal protest.

It seemed to Zora that only a few minutes had passed before he was back at the doorway, holding a glass bottle containing a dark liquid. “I think you might want this,” he said to her as she hastily moved to the doorway to block his entrance. “It’s the potion Lady Esme was giving her at night. I saved it in case we needed it.” He gave Zora an anguished look. “Let me know how she is as soon as you can. I’ll be in her room.”

Zora nodded silently, taking the bottle. I can’t believe I forgot about this stuff. Good thing he remembered it.

~o0o~

Zora listened to Kyril’s footsteps leaving as she let the hanging that covered the doorway drop back into place. Making sure that her hair was brown rather than blonde, she dropped her veil on the table next to the crown and headed toward her cell, which was where they had put Lina.

“—up on the platform, in front of all those people,” one of the priestesses was saying. “They’ll be talking about bad omens already.”

“It’s not as if they weren’t before,” another one muttered.

“Lina,” the First Priestess was saying insistently. “Can you hear me?” Zora was relieved to hear a response from Lina, even if it was only a soft moan. “Can you tell us what’s wrong, what happened to you?”

Zora arrived in the doorway in time to see Lina’s exhausted and bewildered face as she shook her head.

“It might be this,” Zora said, holding out the bottle. “The king brought it. It’s the potion Lady Esme was giving the Queen each night. She stopped taking it two days ago, but if it has poppy or aqua vita or something like that, that might be at least part of the problem.” And given what Lady Esme’s been preparing, it probably has both, she thought grimly.

“Why did you stop taking it?” the Eldest asked Lina. Lina did not respond.

“It was making it too hard for her to wake up in the morning,” Zora said. “You all know that’s true. I’m pretty sure it has Queen’s Lace in it, too.”

That produced a unanimous gasp of horror. The Third Priestess took the bottle from Zora. She poured a small amount into a cup and took a cautious sip. “I’m afraid she’s right about the Queen’s Lace,” she told the other priestesses. “I’ll take it to our stillroom and see if I can determine the rest of the ingredients.”

“Does Lady Esme have access to our stillroom?” Zora asked. I didn’t even know we had a stillroom. I can’t believe there is something around here they haven’t started teaching me. Or maybe they don’t think I need to know; Goddess knows the Queen doesn’t. Of course, that made it possible for Esme to poison her in the first place, so maybe the Queen should know about herbs.

“Don’t be silly, Zora,” the Second Priestess said. “Of course she doesn’t. Lady Esme is not a priestess.”

“Maybe somebody should check the stillroom she uses,” Zora suggested, “and see what is in it that she might be using. Is she using one in the palace, or does she have a house in the city? She obviously got the ingredients from someplace.”

“The palace stillroom would have Queen’s Lace,” the Third Priestess said.

“So does the Guards’ stillroom,” the Shield-Bearer said as she entered the room. “The feast has started—I had the food put out and told several of the Guards to start a rumor that the Queen simply fainted. Why are we talking about Queen’s Lace?”

“Lady Esme has been putting it into the Queen’s nightly glass of wine,” the First Priestess said grimly, “apparently along with several other things.”

“Are we sure of that?” the Shield-Bearer demanded. “And can we prove it to legal standards?”

“Yes to the first,” the Third Priestess replied, “but unfortunately not to the second.”

“So we’ll need to find some way to protect the Queen until we can prove what Lady Esme’s up to,” the Shield-Bearer said. “It’s too bad we can’t just keep her down here until the Sacrifice.”

“I’m very sure that the king would object,” Zora said. “When he brought the bottle down he told me that he wanted to know how she was as soon as possible.”

“Did you talk to him?” the First Priestess asked sharply, turning her attention from Lina to glare at Zora.

“No,” Zora shook her head, annoyed at being unfairly accused. Again. “I did nod when I took the bottle from him, but I didn’t say anything.”

“Have you ever spoken to him?” The First Priestess didn’t seem satisfied with Zora’s answer.

Zora had to force herself not to start shouting at the woman. “Isn’t Lina’s condition more important?” she snapped. “Of course I’ve spoken to Kyril. We grew up together!”

“Lina’s condition is definitely more important,” the Shield-Bearer said quickly. “Can you have her in shape for the evening ritual? This is rapidly turning into a political disaster as well as a spiritual one.”

The Third Priestess shook her head. “Even if we gave her enough of the potion to take the edge off the muscle spasms, it would just make her sleep.”

The Shield-Bearer sighed. “I’m almost desperate enough to have Kyril impersonate her, but he doesn’t know the ritual, and it would likely bring the wrath of the Goddess down upon us again even if he could do it.”

“Let who impersonate the Queen?” the First Priestess asked incredulously.

“The king,” the Shield-Bearer sighed. “I’m pretty sure he’s a shape-changer. But obviously he can’t lead rituals for her.” She sank into a chair and leaned forward, crossing both forearms on the table in front of her as if she couldn’t support her own weight otherwise. “We should never have let Druscilla leave—or at least we should have fetched her back when Queen Zoradah died.”

“Druscilla?” The First Priestess sounded incredulous. “Can you imagine what the Queen would be like if she had been around to influence her?”

“Probably no different than she is now,” Zora snapped. “They’re incredibly alike for two people who never met.” Oops! Let’s hope they’re too distracted to ask how I know what Druscilla is like. But as long as the subject has come up... “Is Druscilla the Queen’s Heiress?”

“No,” the First Priestess said firmly. “She was completely unsuitable. After Lina was born, Druscilla formally gave up all rights to the crown in her favor. It’s written in the Book of Oaths in Druscilla’s own hand and signed with her blood.”

“That sounds binding, all right,” Zora said. “So who is the Heiress now?”

“That would be Druscilla’s daughter,” the Shield-Bearer said.

“If she has one,” the Second Priestess said.

“She does,” the Shield-Bearer assured them. “One of Lord Ranulf’s kinswomen is in the Guard, and she’s seen the girl.”

Despite the fact that the Shield-Bearer was not looking at her, Zora shivered. She knows. She knows about Kyril, and she knows about me. I was pretty sure she knew I was a shape-changer, but I didn’t know she knew I was the Heiress. I guess Catriona did tell her.

“For the moment,” the Shield-Bearer said, pushing herself upright, “we’ll have to cope as best we can. Is Lina able to go back to her room?”

“As long as that’s all you want me to do,” Lina said weakly, propping herself up on one elbow with an obvious effort.

“I’ll give you a hand myself,” the Shield-Bearer said, “and I’ll sit with you until you’re feeling better. Zora can come with us, while the rest of you find out what was in that potion.” She turned to Zora. “Put your veil on.” As Zora hastily obeyed, the Shield-Bearer said to the rest of the priestesses, “Send someone to the Queen’s room when it’s time for the evening ritual.”

~o0o~

The three of them made it to Lina’s rooms without incident—as long as one ignored the unusually large number of people who were pretending to have legitimate business in the hallways. The Shield-Bearer posted an extra guard outside the door to the anteroom, while both girls joined Kyril in the bedroom. Kyril practically carried Lina to the bed; she had started shaking again as soon as they were out of public view.

“Don’t worry, love,” he said. “It will be all right. We’ll take care of you.”

Lina promptly started crying again. Considering the mess they were in, Zora wished she had the luxury of doing likewise.

The Shield-Bearer sat on the clothing chest at the foot of the bed and waited until Lina had cried herself to sleep in Kyril’s arms. Once the Queen was sleeping normally, the Shield-Bearer rose to her feet and said casually, “I’ll wait in the anteroom until it’s time for the evening ritual. The Queen can join me there when she’s ready.”

Kyril stared at her incredulously as she left the room without even glancing at Zora, who sat, still silent and veiled, on the stool in front of the Queen’s cosmetics table.

Zora was thankful that Kyril at least waited until the door closed behind the Shield-Bearer before he blurted out, “Is she insane? She can’t possibly think the Queen will be awake and in shape to do the evening ritual!”

“She doesn’t think that,” Zora said, “but she needs someone to do it so badly that she told the priestesses she was tempted to have you do it!”

“But I can’t!” Kyril protested.

“She knows that, Kyril. They all know that.” Zora sighed. “I’m afraid she knows what we are—and who I am.”

“Are you certain?”

“You didn’t hear the discussion downstairs. She said she was pretty sure you were a shape-changer, and she knows Druscilla has a daughter.” She looked him squarely in the eyes. “Druscilla renounced her claim on the throne, so her daughter is the Heiress.”

“Oh.”

“Yes. Oh. The only thing the Shield-Bearer didn’t say was that she knew where Druscilla’s daughter was, but you might have noticed that she’s left the room now. She expects to see someone who can pass for the Queen and lead the evening ritual very soon.”

Kyril looked down at Lina’s peacefully sleeping face. “It’s going to have to be you.”

“Oh, yes,” Zora sighed. “It certainly is.”

She rose from her seat and pulled out Lina’s clothing for the ritual, dressing while Kyril looked down at Lina as though only his concentration was keeping her breathing.

As Zora changed back to her normal shape—and hair color—she remarked, “I feel as though I’m spending more time as her than I am as me.” She ran a brush through her hair. “How do I look?”

Kyril looked from her to Lina, comparing them. “Fine. Do you know the ritual?”

“Yes, but I haven’t done it much. I hope I remember all the right words.” Zora went into the anteroom, closing the door softly behind her. “The king is tired,” she told the Shield-Bearer. “He’s going to rest for a while.”

The Shield-Bearer nodded approvingly. “I think that’s an excellent idea. I’ll make sure he isn’t disturbed.” She closed the door to the anteroom and paused briefly to murmur instructions to one of the guards before following Zora to the front of the palace.

~o0o~

Zora had done the evening ritual only a few times, and Lina had been in the room behind her, which had given Zora a feeling of security, however small. Tonight she was alone, and she was willing to swear that at least half the population of Diadem had turned up in the plaza, swelling the crowd of people who had already been there for the ceremony and the feast. Of course, after this afternoon, they all want to see what condition the Queen is in.

She said a quick, silent prayer to the Goddess and prepared to start the ritual. That was when she remembered that there was a different hymn at the beginning because today was a feast day. I would forget about that until I’m standing here in front of a crowd of people who probably know the hymn better than I do. Her mind went blank with sudden panic. How does that hymn start? If I could just remember the beginning of it...

After an agonizing moment, the first lines came to her. “She bade the soil herbage yield, And blossoms fair to deck the field, And golden fruit and harvest bear...”

The ritual took over her mind and body. Once again she felt strong and powerful, and energy flowed between her and the people. She felt connected to every single person in the plaza, and the feeling was almost overwhelming, but it also filled her with warmth and peace. Then the ritual was over, and she was joining the Shield-Bearer and one of the priestesses in the room behind the balcony.

“Well?” the Shield-Bearer asked the priestess.

No one else was in the room, but even so the priestess’s voice was barely above a whisper. “The ritual went well, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Good.” The Shield-Bearer sounded relieved. “At the very least it should help quiet the rumors.”

“Goddess grant it,” the priestess said softly.

“Amen,” Zora whispered. I just hope it doesn’t start any new rumors. And may the Goddess give me the strength and knowledge to get through all of this. I’m very much afraid I’m going to be the Queen for the foreseeable future.

~o0o~

The next morning, Zora was still de facto Queen. Kyril was pretending to be ill so he could stay in Lina’s room with her, and Lina, while apparently through the worst effects of suddenly stopping taking the potion, was too exhausted to get out of bed.

Zora did the morning ritual, ate breakfast in the hall, told the king’s Companions that he did not require their attendance until afternoon, and went back to the Queen’s rooms—ostensibly to fetch a document she wanted for the morning hearings—but actually to make sure there was still a guard on the door who would let no one but her into the room. Satisfied on that point, she went back to join the Shield-Bearer for morning court.

After court, Lady Esme joined her, bringing the daily cup of “broth.” The Shield-Bearer took it from her, saying casually, “That looks good. May I try it?”

“Certainly,” Zora replied, hoping the Shield-Bearer didn’t have a close personal relationship with the Goddess. Apparently she didn’t, for she drained the cup with no change of expression, and complimented Lady Esme on her cooking skills when she finished it.

Lady Esme thanked her politely and said she’d get another cup for the Queen at once, but Zora hastily said, “Don’t concern yourself. I’m not particularly hungry this morning.”

Lady Esme stalked off, obviously offended. The Shield-Bearer looked after her with narrowed eyes. “I’m beginning to get a bad feeling about any food she makes.” She looked sharply at Zora. “She’s angry you didn’t drink that. What does she put in it?”

Zora sighed. “I’m pretty sure one of the ingredients is her own blood—she always appears to have a fresh pinprick on her finger when she gives it to me.” The Shield-Bearer stared at her in disbelief, and Zora shrugged. “She’s not as clumsy at sewing as she wants people to believe. She doesn’t want anyone to see anything about her fingers she can’t explain away.”

“Why her blood?” the Shield-Bearer asked.

“I think it’s some sort of spell,” Zora said. “Do you feel any different?”

The Shield-Bearer frowned in thought. “I feel as if the world is suddenly just a little bit further away from me than normal,” she replied in a low voice.

“Don’t worry,” Zora reassured her. “The effects should wear off completely by tomorrow morning, if not sooner.”

“For just one dose, or for long-term daily consumption?”

“One dose. You’ll be fine.”

The Shield-Bearer shook her head, smiling faintly in spite of the situation. “For a moment there you sounded just like Akila.” At Zora’s horrified look, she added, “Don’t worry, nobody else around here knew her well enough to notice.” She sobered again. “If you’ve been taking this potion for months, as I gather the Queen has...?”

“I don’t know how long that will take to wear off,” Zora admitted.

“From this moment on,” the Shield-Bearer said firmly, “you are not to eat or drink anything unless it is either from the same dish that everyone else at the table is eating from or it is handed to you by me or one of the priestesses.” She frowned. “You can identify all of the priestesses, even when they’re veiled, can you not?”

“Yes,” Zora assured her, making a mental note to be sure that Lina could too. “I’d notice if Lady Esme put on a robe and veil and tried to pass herself off as one of them.” She added, “I’m pretty sure the other priestesses would notice, too.”

“Good.” The Shield-Bearer rose to her feet. “Why don’t you go eat with the king in your room? I’ll bring you a tray from the kitchen.”

“Thank you,” Zora said gratefully. It’s time I got back to my—I mean the Queen’s—room and checked on Lina, anyway.

As she went down the hallway, trailed by a silent priestess as well as a guard, she realized that taking Lina’s place was a bit like taking an animal shape for a long period of time. I don’t need to worry about freezing in the wrong shape, because this actually is my true shape, but the mental effects are similar. If I’m already starting to think of the Queen’s room as mine, how long before I forget that I’m not really the Queen? That could happen all too easily, and I’m afraid everyone wants me to be the Queen anyway—including Lina.

Fortunately Lina was well enough to dress in Zora’s clothing and accompany Zora to the Queen’s chapel, even though she lay down on the bench and napped rather than meditating. Zora wished she could call what she was doing meditating, but she was afraid that ‘fretting’ was the more accurate term. At least Kyril went out with his Companions when we came down here, she thought. We don’t need rumors about his health on top of rumors about the Queen’s. We’ll have people thinking the entire land is cursed if things don’t improve soon.