Throne of a Thousand Lies (Nine Kingdoms Trilogy Book 2) by Rachel Higginson

Author:Rachel Higginson [Higginson, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Reckless Siren Publishing
Published: 2022-09-19T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Thirteen

Blackthorne was as diverse as all the other kingdoms I’d been to. But where most of the other kingdoms gradually changed over distance, Ravanna’s kingdom was an abrupt departure from the gloom and greenery of Barstus.

Immediately, the scenery changed from drizzling and dreary to sunny and clear blue. And so did the landscape. From green and vibrant to stark and desolate.

The highway was rough and cobbled together with broken stones. And for miles in either direction were the remains of what used to be fields and forests.

Charred earth and broken trees. Gray and black and colorless.

Blackthorne was famous for its White Oaks. As famous as Tenovia for its Black Cedars. But the White Oaks were especially breathtaking to look at. Pure white bark with pale pink flesh. And clear leaves that glistened in the sunlight. I had seen them in the gardens at Elysia and been awed by their otherworldliness.

But here . . . they were the opposite of beautiful. This was death and destruction on display. Had something happened while Ravanna was away? Was this why she hadn’t been able to tutor me before? Because her kingdom had been under attack?

Katrinka was the first to find a way to voice her concern. “What happened?” she gasped, pressing her forehead against the coach window.

Ravanna glanced out the window. “This is an old scar. Older than you two. Older than even me.”

“War? From before the wall?” Katrinka guessed.

“War, yes. But much after the Marble Wall. This was thanks to the Century War, a couple hundred years ago.”

“When the magic was taken from the crown,” Katrinka said, clearly calling on her better education.

Either Father Garius had purposely omitted the Century War or we had not worked up to it yet. Either was possible.

I felt Ravanna’s cold glare on me. “I’m not so sure the magic was stolen after all. Hidden, perhaps. But how else is Tessana here and still alive, after everything?”

“You think the Crown of Nine has something to do with my Conandra?”

She laughed, but it did not hold any humor. “Sure, the trial. Your escape all those years ago to a little forgotten kingdom where nobody would think to look for you. Your travel back to the Seat of Power. Surviving several attempts on your life. Even now, the land sings of your arrival, Tessana Allisand. The Crown has protected you all this time.” Her gaze flicked to the fox curled up in my lap. “Even your pet purrs with some greater connection.”

I recalled the goblin curse but thought better than to bring it up now. “I’m not trying to do any of this.”

“But that’s the point, isn’t it? Despite your fumbling and flailing and utter ineptitude, you remain unharmed. That’s magic, my dear, if I’ve ever seen any.”

Fumbling? Flailing? Utter ineptitude? Tell me how you really feel, Cold Queen. Was that the purpose of the Crown of Nine? To protect the royal family? My family? “But what of my father? If the crown still held the original magic, wouldn’t

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