Captive of the Snake King

SELENE

Rhidian tried to talk me out of it through dinner, and I could tell the toll of battle weighed heavy on him. He has experienced a lot of loss.

“Selene, please reconsider. With Cressida missing you’re my only remaining sister,” he said.

“Don’t worry about me, I will be fine. I know what I’m doing.”

He raged that I was stubborn and foolish until Eskel took the prince from the room.

As powerless and afraid as I was, I believed I had the blessing of the gods on my side. Until Cressida was found, I’d do what needed to be done to save the kingdom.

After the council had left the war room, I asked Father what they knew about Cressida. He and Rhidian had no details on disappearance. It was still a mystery whether she was abducted or ran away. And if they did know anything, they weren’t sharing. Other than the councilman who said I wasn’t pretty enough to pass as my sister, none of the rest said a word against their emperor.

Had Cressida heard rumors of our Father’s intentions to marry her off? Had she run away? I couldn’t help being suspicious, remembering her last hug. Sensing her weakness only hardened my resolve to do whatever it took to save our country, despite the fissures growing in my confidence.

I had one last night in the palace. I looked around my room, trying to put everything in my memory to carry with me.

As the sun set, there was a knock at the door. Empress Arima, teary-eyed, rushed to hug me. She wasn’t my mother, but when my mother passed away, she had treated me almost as well as her trueborn children. She knew the hunger of a king was beyond her control, and never blamed me for my father’s appetite for my mother.

“Selene, thank you so much for what you’re doing for the crown, for the family, and our country,” she choked out.

“I am only doing what anyone would do,” I said.

“You are so strong. I know that everything will be okay. Just remember where you come from,” she said.

“I will. And Empress, I know they will find Cressida. She will be home safe before the Black Adder makes his way to the capital.”

I had to have faith in that or else my resolve would crumble.

Ashla came from the temple to pray with me. We prayed through the night for my sister to be found and for my journey to be safe. A head priestess, and one of my mother’s friends from her years as an oracle, I trusted Ashla as my mentor. I took courage in her words and the soothing sound of her voice.

“Remember child, you are not the true bride of the king. You will merely be a proxy carrying your sister’s name,” she said. “Do not let him touch you or you will not be allowed to take your vows once the war is won and you’ve been returned to the temple.” Priests and priestesses must remain chaste and leave their hearts for the love of the gods alone.

My cheeks burned at the mental image that blossomed in my mind. Though I didn’t know what the king of Sharkan looked like, rumor of his beauty had reached us in the east. Even as a maiden, I knew enough of the desires of the body, thanks to Cressida. It was far too easy to imagine a glorious king sweeping me up into his arms and ravaging me.

Desire wasn’t frowned upon in Valeruhn, but as a maiden in training to service the gods my body wasn’t for the hands of a lover. While I kneeled next to Ashla muttering words of prayer until the sun rose, my fingers danced over my lips, wondering, dreaming, speculating what it might be like to share a kiss of passion.

Aside from a clumsy kiss with the palace cook’s son a decade ago, I was otherwise untouched. Only tales of my siblings’ conquests and secret books about lovers fueled my imagination. Dreams were all they would ever be. I couldn’t risk my future at the temple. I had vowed to fulfill my own mother’s journey that had been cut short when she became pregnant with me.

My mother had been born with her power as an oracle. She was a High Priestess when my father took notice of her beauty and enticed her into his bed. As her pregnancy became obvious, she was forced to leave the temple. Mother was happy enough as the emperor’s mistress until sickness stole her from us, yet I knew her heart had always belonged to the gods.

I wanted to complete the term of service that was taken from her. All my life it seemed like the one thing I could do to make up for what she lost. Since I couldn’t wield magic, this was my fate.

So what was I doing now? Going to the western kingdom while my sister was located would be the most insane, nerve-shattering thing I’d ever done in my life. I wasn’t the one intended for the king, yet it still caused my heart to skip and my stomach to drop.

My handmaidens were ordered to pack my sister’s finer gowns for the journey, but the styles didn’t suit me as well. Where my half-sister was tall and slender, I was petite and ample-figured. Her gowns constricted my ribs and made my chest look like it was about to spill out of the gossamer material.

I tried not to worry about Cressida. She was strong and smart. But I prayed she was returned soon and hoped the gods kept her safe.

I couldn’t help thinking she’d heard about her impending union to the Sharkan ruler and fled. Perhaps with a lover? That thought made me smile. The more I recalled that moment the night before, the more it seemed clear that she knew something, or she was planning something.

Being in the war council and hearing the emperor and Rhidian talk brought home to me just how dangerous this war was. And it was encroaching closer each day. But the fighting was still to the south, far enough that we were still relatively safe in the palace. I couldn’t believe that she’d suddenly been taken out of the blue.

In the morning as the sun rose, Ashla departed.

“Be safe, Selene,” she said. “I will pray over you while you are away, and long for your safe return home.”

“Thank you,” I said. Rather than calming me, her words put me ill at ease. What had I gotten myself into?