“How do I know what to do?” I asked.
“Sophos leads the rituals. They’ll guide you through the process. Just stand outside of your portal until the other Crowns arrive.” She patted my arm, her kind eyes giving off a warmth of spirit that eased my nerves.
Several of the other Crowns had already arrived. My neighbors to the south, of course—Fortos, Faunos, and Arboros—stood at my right, and across the dais, Sophos and Meros had their heads bent in conversation.
The Meros King looked every bit the charming rogue his representatives had been. He wore casual attire, as if he’d decided to swing by on a whim in the midst of a long sail. Bright aquamarine eyes sparkled as they raked over me and winked. His dazzling smile shone bright against his warm, dark skin, and a coronet of cresting, foam-capped waves topped his beaded dreadlocks.
The Crown of Sophos was unique in every way. Neither overtly masculine nor feminine, but some rare beauty all their own, they were dressed in a fine pantsuit of silk brocade, the long tail of their jacket stretching into a floor-length train that splayed like a gown at their feet. Their androgynous features were delicate but reserved, divulging nothing of the thoughts hiding behind their shrewd, blush-colored eyes. Floating above their clean-shaven head sat a ring of crackling sparks that splintered out like lightning.
“Congratulations on your ascension, Lumnos,” they announced. “We’re pleased to welcome you to the Temple.”
On the surface, they were offering me nothing untoward—their voice was smooth and amiable, their expression soft, their words diplomatic—but my instincts hissed in my ear, warning me to beware.
And if there was one lesson of my father’s I would never fail to heed, it was to always trust my instincts.
I gave a simple nod in acknowledgement and offered nothing further.
Their eyes thinned at my lack of response. “I’ve learned so much about you already,” they continued. “The story of your upbringing is simply fascinating.”
I gritted my teeth, and their smile grew at the reaction.
“I do hope to meet that mortal brother of yours soon. I hear he’s very clever.”
“He’s not interested,” I snapped. More than one eyebrow arched around the assembled group.
“How do you have a mortal brother?” The King of Ignios, wearing a crisp robe of cream-colored linen edged with sand-colored embroidery, sauntered into place beneath his archway.
His voice was as rough as the man it belonged to. His reddish skin was leathered and lined with age beneath a black, wild-growing beard, and his orange irises glowed almost as brightly as his halo of dancing flames.
“Half-brother,” the Sophos Crown answered on my behalf. “Her mother was a mortal.”
The Ignios King looked me over in disgust. “I thought your realm killed off all the half-breeds.”
“It seems our new Lumnos is an exception to the rules,” the Sophos Crown mused.
“Oh, you have no idea.”
I knew her voice instantly—the Queen of Umbros.
It had been eight months since I’d first heard it in my head that afternoon in the alley, but it had haunted my dreams ever since. Some nights I still woke up in a cold sweat with the lingering terror of being a prisoner in my own mind, unable to control my body or even my own thoughts.
Although her voice was familiar, her appearance was not. The hunched octogenarian I remembered was now a woman so beautiful, my breath stuck in my throat at the sight.
She was still on the mature end for a Descended, but age had done nothing to temper the striking mix of her full lips, long ebony hair, and hourglass silhouette. A strip of shimmering wine-colored gossamer clung to her curves, covering up only enough dark olive skin to leave her decent. Above her head, a circle of dark wisps writhed like smoke from a blown-out match, matching her mysterious allure.
“Umbros,” the Sophos Crown said coolly. “How nice of you to grace us with your presence this time. We missed you at the Forging Day ceremony.”
The black pools of her eyes rolled skyward. “I sent a vial of blood, did I not? Clearly you were able to complete the ritual without me.”
“That’s not how this works. Just because we made an exception to accommodate the old Lumnos’s illness does not mean you can pick and choose which rituals you wish to attend.”
“Calm yourself Sophos, it was one Forging Day out of hundreds. I had somewhere important to be that afternoon.” Her gaze slid to me as she smiled, and a shiver rolled down my spine. “I’m here now. Wouldn’t miss this ceremony for the world.”
I awkwardly shifted my weight. With mischief in her eyes and a knowing smirk on her lips, she clearly didn’t share my desire to hide whatever connection she and I had, but the others seemed unphased by her odd behavior—and she was far from the only Crown staring me down.
The sound of shuffling drew my attention to an elderly man leaning heavily on a gnarled wooden walking stick as he struggled through a slow ascent up the Temple stairs. The ring of jagged, sparkling ice shards above him marked him as the final Crown, the King of Montios. Though the others cast a bored glance in his direction, none made any movement to help him.
I frowned and stepped back from my archway. The chattering instantly fell silent as I moved to the man’s side and offered him my arm. He swatted me away, grunting as he dragged his frail, bony form up a step and paused for breath.
“May I assist you?” I asked.
He ignored me and leaned forward to attempt another step, but his momentum failed him, and his balance wobbled precariously in the wrong direction. I threw out an arm to steady him, and he slapped it with surprising strength.
He reared his walking stick back and I flinched in anticipation of a swing, but the moment his lavender eyes raised to mine, they bulged wide and his arms went slack. Beneath his bushy white eyebrows and the scraggly beard that extended nearly to his knees, his excitement as he gawked at me was unmistakable.
He raised a hand, his skin ice cold and spotted with age, and pressed a palm against my temple. His thumb tugged at the skin on my cheekbone as he peered into my eyes, his own still round with awe.
His attention shifted to my hair. His knobby fingers trailed down my loose white tresses, then to my skin. He snatched my bare forearm and pulled it into a spot of direct sun, twisting my arm back and forth and frowning at whatever it was he saw.
His gaze rose back to my eyes, lingering for a moment before settling just above my head as his frown deepened.
“Is something wrong?” I asked him.
“He doesn’t speak,” the Sophos Crown interjected. “At least not to anyone outside his realm. And he lives on the side of a mountain, so I doubt he needs your assistance with a single flight of stairs.”
I ignored them and remained at the man’s side. He seemed so frail, a strong wind might carry him away. I had a sneaking suspicion that he normally relied on his magic to ease his mobility, but his pride would not permit him to let any weakness show in front of the other Crowns.
“As the newest Crown, it would be a great honor if you would permit me to escort you, Your Majesty,” I said, adding a deep bow for effect. I’d worked with stubborn patients like him, and I knew exactly how to play to their egos.