“Well, that’s not how we met initially.” Casteel’s hand that rested on the curve of my hip moved, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin. “It was actually at a brothel.”
Someone at the table sounded as if they choked on their food. I was betting it was Emil.
A fair brow rose as Alastir chewed slowly. “That was…unexpected.”
“The Red Pearl isn’t just a brothel,” I corrected, turning a narrow-eyed glare on Casteel.
He grinned. “It’s not?”
“Card games are played there.”
“That wasn’t the only games being played there, Princess.” His thumb moved along the inside of my hip, causing my stomach to whoosh. “Penellaphe had a habit of sneaking out and exploring the city at night.”
I nibbled on the inside of my lip as I tore my gaze from Casteel. Had he known how often I did that? He had said that he’d been watching me for longer than I realized.
“What I know of the Maiden—and, yes, Casteel, I know she’s no longer the Maiden, but that was what she was,” he added before Casteel could correct him. “The Ascensions of the others were tied to yours, weren’t they? And again, I am sorry that you were raised in such a web of lies told by the Ascended.”
Several at the table cursed at the mention of the Ascended.
“Thank you. And yes, you’re right.” I frowned slightly. “Or they were. I don’t know if their Ascensions will be carried out now.”
“Hopefully, they won’t,” Delano remarked.
“I agree,” I said quietly, thinking of Ian.
“Do you?” Alastir asked. “Truly?”
“I do,” I admitted. “I didn’t know who or what the Ascended really were. I, like most people within the Kingdom of Solis, only knew what I was shown.”
“Then I expect many are blind to what is right in front of them,” someone commented, a younger man with rich brown hair toward the end of the table.
“Many live in fear of being ripped apart by the Craven or displeasing the Ascended and angering the gods,” I replied. Casteel’s arm tightened around my waist, his hand squeezing my hip gently. Was that some sort of message? I had no idea, nor did I care. The people of Solis were victims just as much as the Atlantians were. “Many are also more worried about providing for their families and keeping them safe than they are about questioning what the Ascended tell them.”
“Are they so distracted by their daily struggles that they don’t question handing over their children to the Court or to gods they’ve never seen?” Alastir asked. “Or are they just that submissive?”
“I wouldn’t confuse submission for distraction, and I wouldn’t mistake obedience for stupidity when it’s apparent that you know very little about the people of Solis,” I stated coolly.
Alastir’s gaze swung to mine.
“What they have been told about the Atlantians, about the gods and the Craven, is all they know. Generation after generation, they’re taught to believe in the Rite and how much of an honor it is for their third sons and daughters to serve the gods. Raised to believe that only the Ascended and the gods stand between them and the Craven. I was raised the same way.” I leaned forward, a little surprised to find that Casteel didn’t stop me. “The gods belong to the people of Atlantia, do they not? Do your people believe in them even though they’ve never seen them?”
Silence fell around the table.
It was Kieran who answered. “The gods have slept for hundreds of years, and only the oldest among the Atlantians can remember seeing them. But we believe in them nonetheless.”
I smiled tightly. “Just as the people of Solis believe in them.”
“But not everyone within Solis follows King Jalara and Queen Ileana,” Alastir pointed out. “There are many who have seen the truth, who support Atlantia.”
“You’re right. The Descenters.” I exhaled slowly. “I know I’ve had my suspicions throughout my life. I’m sure many others have, as well, but for whatever reason, their eyes haven’t been fully opened. I imagine a lot of that has to do with the stability of what one knows, even if it isn’t comfortable. And I suppose a lot has to do with fear of acknowledging what is truly around us, what it means for us and those we care for.”
Alastir leaned back, eyeing me. “It’s admirable.”
“What is?”
“Your utter lack of fear when speaking to me—talking to any of us—when you know what we are,” he said. “What we are capable of.”