And if she didn’t? I would take this to Teo. She might listen to him.
If I have to go through the queen herself to get answers, I will.
I owed Arlet my life, and I’m not about to let her be hurt. Perhaps, if I can solve this mystery, my mind will stop bending toward her memory. Perhaps I will feel free from the… longing that aches in my hollow soul.
With one final look at her home, I leave head toward the weaving cavern.
Chapter 8
ARLET
Afew hours of chatting and weaving pass, and I remember just how much I desperately miss this. Teaching is good… butthisfills my soul.
It makes sense. Creating art is chaotic, but somehow, it always ends up working out. A part of me likes the peaks and valleys of not knowing if something will work until the very end.
After finishing three blankets, I pull my shoulders back, stretching out the stiffness just as the sound of footsteps at the door makes me turn.
Queen Estela enters, flanked by two bodyguards and a nursemaid pushing a strange cart-like contraption carrying her two sons. One is enormous—Kai. He is her and Teo’s adopted son, a giant prince from the fallen kingdom. In the common tongue, adopted girls and boys are called "starling children," those blessed by the goddess and welcomed into the family.
The other, her birth son, Leo, is just slightly smaller, though still young, his skin tinged with that familiar purplish-blue hue. Her son by birth.
Seeing her, my oldest friend, usually brings joy. But not today.
Fuck. Has she come to talk to me about missing my meeting yesterday? Or… did she know about what happened outside my home?
The entire room stands at attention, bowing as the deep enduar phrase rumbles behind me,"The stone moves beneath your feet."
Fira’s voice is loudest when she says, “Queen Estela,Aevum Duarum, be welcome in this place.”
I take note of the enduar phrase that has started appearing more often—"Eternal One of Two." A clear reference to the fact that she is blessed by both Grutabela, the enduar goddess, and Ashra, the goddess once worshiped by humans.
But humans have not so easily returned to the idea of a deity. After so many years without divine guidance, without prayers answered or miracles granted, worship feels foreign. Ashra’s name lingers like a half-forgotten legend, a whisper of something once revered but now met with skepticism.
Ashra has few shrines, but she lives on mainly through the glowing queen before me.
Estela smiles, and the whole room bends toward her. “Thank you, friends. At ease. I’ve come to speak with Ladies Fira and Arlet.”
A twinge of discomfort spreads up my back, but I force a smile. I’m still off-kilter from this morning. “Wonderful,” I say.
Not just me. This is good.
I glance at my loom, at the fabric I had just finished threading, before standing and joining Fira’s side.
“What can we do for you, My Queen?” Fira asks, ever smooth and polished.
Estela steps closer, Fira herding us into the back corner of the space as the other weavers work. The clacking doesn’t stop, and it drowns out the pleasantries exchanged.
Though she wears the authority of a ruler, there is still an ease between us. A familiarity that makes it hard to stay detached—especially when I see the children up close.
In the back of my mind, a voice speaks. What if I lose myself again?
Then, her and Teo’s starling child, Kai, reaches toward me.
The gesture is small and innocent. And it loosens something inside my ribs. I’m in control right now, and he recognizes me—of course he does.I’ve cared for him many times.
Estela gives me a knowing glance before shifting her attention back to Fira. “I know that the last few days have been a mad dash to the finish line, but we still have further to go. As you know, tomorrow, the Mating Journey begins, and I wanted to check in on the progress of the banners.”
I nod, glancing at Fira, who offers a small, satisfied smile.