The Deepest Blue

by Sarah Beth Durst

  This time, though, there had been rumors that the queen would not be friendly to the Families, based on a “misunderstanding” over . . . And here the rumors were garbled. Neither Roe nor Mayara had dispelled or clarified those rumors. Yet.

  This had been based on Garnah’s advice. Let them worry. And ask the Silent Ones to ensure they all attended the traditional meet-the-new-queen ceremony.

  As the Families shuffled into the throne room, Mayara concentrated on looking regal. She watched the Silent Ones file in behind them, creating a semicircle that blocked the exit, and she wondered if one of them was Elorna.

  Lord Maarte entered third, his formal jacket more tattered than it had been, though his hair was still in neat braids. She tried not to betray her shock that he’d survived. I might have known. Rats always find a way to flee disasters. He smiled back at her surprise, and she marveled at his self-confidence to smile at her, when he’d been responsible for the imprisonment of the new queen standing beside her.

  All of them were responsible.

  Jointly the Families had terrorized the queens of Belene for years. Tradition, they’d called it. Some traditions needed to change.

  She wondered if Roe would be able to do it. I don’t know if I could. Luckily, she didn’t have to. She only had to stand there and support her friend.

  Stepping forward, Lord Maarte bowed. “Your Majesties, on behalf of the ruling Families—”

  Roe cut him off. “On behalf of the country, you stand accused of treason.”

  “Excuse me? I have but served Belene—”

  “You oversaw the kidnapping and imprisonment of myself and my grandparents for the purposes of blackmailing the late Queen Asana into doing your bidding. You knew of and did not prevent the murder of my father, to ensure my mother’s compliance. And you are responsible for the attempted murder of my mother, as witnessed before her death.”

  Lord Maarte had beads of sweat on his forehead. “Your Majesty, as you well know, the late queen was stabbed by a rogue spirit sister, who has already stood trial and been punished.”

  Mayara had heard the news—Palia had been judged and given to the spirits. She and Roe had mourned her in private, and then Roe had sent a letter to Palia’s daughter, with funds from the royal treasury to pay for her to complete her studies.

  Someone else is going to have to mourn Lord Maarte, she thought.

  “Palia was punished,” Roe agreed. “And now it is your turn.”

  “But you need the Families—”

  “I don’t,” Roe said. “Or more accurately, I don’t need you. I do need governors for the islands, but I don’t need puppet masters who seek to control the queen through threats.” She addressed the other lords and ladies, who were cowering together. “Let Lord Maarte’s fate serve as an example. From here on, things are going to change.”

  Lord Maarte drew himself upright. “And what is to be my fate? If you wish to begin your reign with the murder of the man who has watched over you as if he were your father—”

  “It is not murder,” Roe interrupted. “It is justice.”

  She nodded once to Lady Garnah.

  Retrieving a bowl from a tray, Garnah carried it to Lord Maarte.

  “I had our chefs prepare you soup,” Roe said. “It is the same recipe you fed my mother. If you are innocent, eat the soup and live. If you are not . . . then all will bear witness to your admission of guilt.”

  He studied the soup.

  He looked at Queen Roe.

  He did not eat.

  “I have done what I have done for the good of Belene, and I regret none of it.”

  “So be it,” Roe said.

  Mayara wanted to squeeze her eyes shut. But she forced herself to sit straight, like a queen, like Roe, with her hands clasped on her lap.

  Lord Maarte drew himself up, as if he were posing for a portrait. “I merely acted on behalf of the Families, taking on the difficult tasks that had to be done. Yes, it was I who imprisoned you. Yes, it was I who had your father executed. But it was for the good of all islanders and for the future of Belene, as determined by all the ruling Families. You cannot punish all the ruling Families—the islands need us. And you cannot punish me when we are all to blame!” The other Families gasped at his words, but he ignored them. Wrapped in his confidence and arrogance, he waited, clearly expecting Roe to make a speech in which she recognized his nobility and pardoned him.

  But Roe didn’t. She merely said, “Yes, I can.”

  Garnah dropped the soup bowl, drew a knife, and jammed it into Lord Maarte’s throat. Blood spurted around the blade. His eyes bulged. He landed hard, with a thud, on his knees, and then he sprawled onto the floor.

  “Messier than poison,” Garnah complained.

  Mayara had schooled herself not to react. They’d planned this. Lord Maarte had to die, or the others wouldn’t understand there were consequences to their actions. He had to die in order for Queen Rokalara to allow the others to live.

  Yet it was brutal to watch.

  She reminded herself of the others on Akena. Kemra choked by vines. Nissala crucified on the cliffside. The other to-be-heirs they weren’t even able to identify, torn apart in the air or trapped in the crystal.

  That had been brutal too.

  “Our people need your help to rebuild their homes—you have the resources and experience to aid them,” Roe said to the other Families. Her voice was steady, as if there weren’t a dead man lying on the throne-room floor. “But in return for allowing you to keep your positions and lives despite the crimes you have committed against my family, I require a pledge of allegiance.”

  Lady Garnah stepped over Lord Maarte’s body. “Let me clarify: Her Majesty may find you useful as a whole, but as individuals, you are expendable. You don’t harm her, you don’t harm her family, and you protect your people. Keep to this, and I won’t slip poison into your drinks that will make your blood turn to acid, your brain turn to mush, and your heart liquify in your chest. Does that about cover it, Your Majesty?”

  Mayara suppressed a smile despite the tension in the room. She could see why the late queen had relied on Garnah. She was direct, and she had the skills to back up her threats. She was glad the ruffle-clad poison-maker was on their side. “Or I could have a kraken eat them,” Mayara offered helpfully.

  Queen Rokalara blessed them all with a sunny smile. “I think that about covers it, at least for now. I will be meeting with each of you individually to discuss how this will work going forward. But the essence is this: Don’t threaten my family. Don’t threaten me. And we’ll rebuild our islands together.”

  She paused, and the two queens and the royal poison-maker allowed the Family representatives to whisper among themselves. When the whispers began to grow louder, Queen Roe spoke again. “Now who will offer me their allegiance and be pardoned for their crimes?”

  All of them stepped forward and knelt beside Lord Maarte’s body.

  AFTER THE FAMILY REPRESENTATIVES WERE DISMISSED AND THE BODY was removed, Mayara wanted to sink into her throne, which was merely one of the few unbroken chairs in the palace, but they weren’t finished.

  “Silent Ones, please remain,” Queen Roe said.

  The Silent Ones waited while the Families filed out of the throne room. When only the Silent Ones remained, Roe raised her voice, “Heir Sorka, would you please enter? This matter concerns both heirs and Silent Ones.”

  Heir Sorka, who had been waiting beyond the throne room, entered and bowed to both queens. Whatever she felt toward the two spirit sisters who’d escaped the test, she didn’t let it show on her face. She folded her hands in front of her and waited, more patiently than any of the Family representatives had.

  “Here’s the situation,” Roe said, when the throne-room doors were closed. “I’m queen of Belene, bonded to the spirits of the islands, but unlike prior queens, I do not have to use my power to control the leviathans of the Deepest Blue.” She nodded to Mayara.

  Mayara stepped forwa
rd. “I’m the queen of the Deepest Blue. I’ll use my power to keep them in check, leaving Queen Roe free to fight alongside the heirs.”

  She saw Heir Sorka’s eyes widen as the implications sank in. She wasn’t surprised that their trainer understood before they’d even put it into words.

  “This means that being an heir won’t be as deadly, and it won’t require such sacrifice,” Roe said. “Going forward, there will be no more test. Just as there is no more Akena Island itself.” She paused, as if expecting Heir Sorka, or even one of the Silent Ones, to object.

  They didn’t.

  Mayara chimed in. “All spirit sisters will be trained. The most powerful will be encouraged to become heirs, and the others will serve as new Silent Ones.”

  “We still need both heirs and Silent Ones,” Roe said. “Heirs to serve as our army—fighting against the external threats of the wild spirits. Silent Ones to serve as our police—ensuring our people remain safe from internal threats. Our islands aren’t safe places, and we need women of power to do their duty. But we think, without the test and Akena Island, more will choose to be heirs willingly, and therefore changes can be made that will improve the lives of both heirs and Silent Ones.”

  Heir Sorka’s forehead knit into a frown. “Without the test . . .”

  “A school,” Lady Garnah piped up. “Like on the mainland. Train your heirs in a more civilized way. You’ll still lose some of them, obviously, but you should be able to lower the death rate by not chucking them in the water and hoping they learn to swim, so to speak. Teach them.”

  “Exactly. And we want you to lead the school, Heir Sorka,” Mayara said.

  Her mouth formed an O.

  It was kind of nice to render their old trainer speechless.

  “You trained us well enough in three days to survive the island,” Roe said. “Imagine what you could do if you had a year to train spirit sisters. Or longer. With me fighting alongside the heirs, you can take the time to train new spirit sisters properly. All we ask is that when your students graduate, they are as ready and capable as you and the other heirs.”

  “And that they’re alive,” Mayara put in.

  “Do you accept?” Roe asked.

  Heir Sorka looked as if they’d handed her the moon. “Yes, I accept.”

  Good, Mayara thought. That was the first step. She hadn’t thought Sorka would refuse, but there was always a risk. Stepping forward, Mayara said the next part of their planned speech. “If choosing to become an heir becomes less dangerous and therefore more appealing, then that also means that becoming a Silent One doesn’t need to be such a terrible option.”

  “You must still be Belene’s enforcers,” Roe said, jumping in. “We need you. There’s no question about that. In fact, I need you to watch the ruling Families especially carefully. Despite their pledges, I don’t trust them. We need to ensure they make decisions for the good of the people.”

  “To clarify, we want to ensure that they don’t decide life would be better if they murdered the new queens and went back to the old ways,” Garnah said. She twirled a pouch on one finger—Mayara wondered if it held poison. Probably, she thought.

  Roe continued. “I need you to wear your masks and keep your silence while you serve—the islands aren’t ready for so much change in our ways. But during the times when you are not on duty . . . Being a Silent One shouldn’t be a punishment for those who didn’t want to die on Akena Island. To that end, I am changing the law for the Silent Ones. I want your loyalty. And I do not want it out of fear. I want it out of gratitude. I know you have served out of threat to your families’ lives and well-being. That ends now. From now on, you will reclaim your names, your voices, and your families. You will have the opportunity to join Heir Sorka’s school and even reconsider your choice, if you wish—and in exchange, you will serve the queen of Belene. I ask you to pledge your loyalty to me.”

  One after another, the Silent Ones lifted their masks and pledged loyalty to the queen.

  The first to raise her mask was Elorna.

  ANNOUNCEMENTS WERE ISSUED AND SENT TO ALL THE ISLANDS.

  Akena Island was no more.

  The test was over.

  Spirit sisters still had to come forward or risk being charged with treason, but instead of facing death, they would be trained to live. All of them. Those who wished to and those who showed the aptitude for it would serve as heirs, fighting alongside the queen of Belene. Those who preferred not to fight the wild spirits would don the masks of the Silent Ones but keep their names and their families in exchange for their willing service.

  Tradition would not be destroyed. But it would change. Not because there was a new queen of Belene, though she was instrumental in implementing the altered laws. But because there was now a queen of the Deepest Blue.

  It was the combination of Mayara and Roe that made change possible.

  And the two queens made sure everyone knew it.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The funeral for Queen Asana was simple. With so many of the islands still in ruins, Queen Rokalara ruled that an elaborate spectacle was not appropriate. And as she’d told Mayara, she didn’t believe her mother would have wanted that anyway.

  Mayara wore her uncomfortable crown, though, and told no one that a leviathan was awake and watching the ceremony through her eyes. She couldn’t have explained why she was allowing the dragon to inhabit her mind instead of forcing him to sleep.

  They wouldn’t have understood if she’d said he was lonely.

  I do not understand such sadness for a life that was destined to be short anyway, the dragon said.

  You know what it means to lose and to mourn. Don’t pretend you’re so superior that you’re beyond grief. I have a city in ruins that says otherwise.

  She felt the dragon flinch. If you expect me to apologize . . . I do not apologize to humans. I destroy them.

  Across the street, the Silent Ones carried a casket. There were no bells, no voices, no sound from the watching people. They stood along the sides of the wrecked buildings, in the muck that still remained from the flooding, and watched the procession. Many held hands. A few were crying quietly, into the shoulder of their neighbor, or openly, with tears streaming down their cheeks unhindered.

  You dream a lot about destroying then rebuilding. . . . What if you skip the destroying part and just build? Mayara suggested. Not right here. This part of the sea is already occupied. But there’s a lot of ocean out there. What if you made some new lands?

  This time, she felt the dragon’s surprise. And she thought a bit of his curiosity. They’d been so focused on what they lost that the leviathans had never considered they could build anew.

  Think about it, okay? If you’re tired of sleeping, there are other options besides raining death and destruction down on your neighbors.

  The dragon felt like a swirl of confusion.

  Build, she ordered him. Then added: When you’re ready.

  He withdrew, but she could still feel him watching and thinking. It was a start, at least.

  Standing beside her friend, Mayara watched as the procession led to the steps of the palace. Then she began to softly sing the mourner’s lament. Around her, other voices joined in. Roe sang loudest, her voice breaking over the words.

  It spread until the whole city was singing, and perhaps the whole island:

  The sea calls to me, and I to the sea:

  Come to me,

  Take my sorrow,

  Carry it away in your arms of blue,

  Until sweet memory is all that remains,

  All that remains of you.

  AT DAWN, MAYARA LEFT THE CITY.

  She said goodbye to Queen Rokalara and Lady Garnah in the privacy of Roe’s chambers. A ship was waiting for her at the docks. Roe clasped her hands. “I wish you’d stay,” she said.

  “I’ll visit. Often,” Mayara promised. “But you don’t need me to be queen by your side. You just need me to keep the monsters from eating everyone alive
. And I can do that from my village as easily as a palace.”

  “Plus she’ll be harder to find and murder in an obscure village,” Garnah put in. “You’ll have to watch out for any treachery from the Families, of course, but you’ll have the Silent Ones to protect you and keep them in line.” She nodded to a Silent One who waited by the door.

  Mayara shot a smile at the Silent One. “I’ll be fine.” I’ll be home. “You need to promise me you’ll keep Queen Roe safe,” she said to Garnah. “She needs you.” Garnah was one of the few people in Belene without conflicting interests. She had no family here, no ties, no other allegiances. She only had a dying queen’s wish to fulfill. Despite the fact that she was as bloodthirsty as a spirit, Mayara trusted her.

  “It’ll be fun,” Garnah said with a wolfish grin. “You say hello to that artist of yours. Get him to make you a less uncomfortable crown.”

  That was an idea she liked. She could leave her gold crown with Queen Rokalara. It belonged in the palace anyway, not in a fishing village, and it wasn’t like the leviathans were impressed by a shiny circlet.

  Not impressed, the kraken murmured.

  She reached her thoughts out, but he was still asleep, albeit an uneasy sleep.

  “Everything all right?” Roe asked.

  Mayara clasped Roe’s hands. “More than all right. Don’t look so nervous. You’re going to be a great queen. Your mother would be proud of you. Look what you’ve done already!”

  “So far, Heir Sorka has five students,” Roe said. “She expects many more will come, after word spreads that they’re alive after a month or two. Change will be slow, but it’s already starting to happen.”

  “Kind of helps that everything is a mess,” Mayara said. And that caused Roe to smile, a small one, but it still counted. “Everyone’s too distracted with how Lanei’s disaster changed their own lives that they aren’t noticing how you’re changing their world. And when they look up and do notice . . . they’ll see you made it better.”

  “I hope so,” Roe said, then hugged Mayara. “But it wouldn’t be possible without you.”

  Mayara hugged her back. “That’s why no one is going to stop me going home, right? And coming back, whenever I want?”