Page 128 of A Veil of Gods and Kings

“Yes, and my father was only mildly annoyed… I think mostly over having to retract the invitations we’ve sent out.” I plucked a clover flower and peeled the creamy petals off. “I’m not sure if I’m ready to tell Val how I feel, yet.”

“That’s okay,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have pushed you on that.”

I sighed and found her fingers, squeezing them. “You were right, though... about a lot of things. And I’m sorry for speaking to you the way I did.” She snagged the fork and took another bite of cake. “Hey,” I said, “you’re just going to sit here and eat my comfort cake? You haven’t even apologized yet.”

“That’s not true,” she said around a mouth of food and swallowed. “I already did it in writing form. You have historical evidence now. Thousands of years in the future people will know that I fucked up and admitted to it.”

I laughed. “Who will care about us in the future?”

Temi shrugged and lay back, resting against the trunk of the tree. “Worst-case scenario, we might get known as the sisters of Apollo and Hyacinth.”

“You know what I think?” I snatched the fork from her and tore off another piece of the cake.

“What?”

“We’re pretty interesting ourselves. Maybe we should make our own history.”

“Hell yes.” Temi smiled. “That’s the spirit.”

I laughed and popped the bite in my mouth. The foal in the distance nickered and walked in uneasy steps towards Valerian as he held an apple out. It sniffed at the offering for a moment before snatching the treat between its teeth and running away. Valerian chuckled and brushed his hand back through his hair.

“Finish your cake,” Temi said.

“Why?”

“Because there’s some important strategy meeting our brothers are having in half an hour.”

“And they’ve invited us?”

She cocked up an eyebrow. “Does it matter? We have a right at the table, don’t we?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I guess we do.”

She squeezed her arm around me and rested her head on my shoulder. The wind fluttered about, sweeping through the long grasses, creating limey waves in their forms. “I’m sorry, Pip,” Temi said.

My hand trailed out and grabbed hers. “I love you.”

She slipped her fingers into mine.

The filly cantered back towards Val, tossing its oversized head about in the clumsy manner of young animals. Valerian bowed down and stretched out his empty palm. The horse drew nearer, sniffing him, and he grazed over its mane. “There you are,” he said, loud enough that it drifted to us. “I knew you’d come around.”

47

Apollo

The meeting room was all formal high-back chairs, lofty windows, and pretentious tapestries with no heart in their tight stitching. Unlike Hyacinth’s bedroom, which had touches of luxury in every detail but a warmth and comfort to it, this space made my throat tighten with suffocation.

Several advisors had found seats at the end of the table. Joden frowned when Temi and Epiphany walked in, taking a place in the middle. The king gestured for everyone to settle, and Hyacinth grabbed my fingers—earning another glare from Joden—and had me sit beside him, where he had a seat to the right of his father.

King Magnes swept his hand out towards the man to his left, who had a sprout of unruly gray and black hair on his chin and deep gold robes. “For those in this room who do not know our high priest, Hierophant, let me introduce him. As he traveled with me, he will need to be informed of any recent information as well.”

The king nodded to me, and I cleared my throat. “I’m proposing a new plan, a slower one that will take more time, but will—”

“Your Highness, forgive me,” Joden said. “But are we going to let our years of planning change course on the whims spurred from the romance of two boys?”

Hyacinth growled, his fingers clenching into his chair. But King Magnes only stared at Joden, keeping his gaze unmoving until the advisor dropped his face.

“As I arranged this meeting and have already heard the plan myself,” the king said, his voice coming measured and heavy, “I expect for it to be taken seriously and for you to give Lord Apollo the opportunity to share his ideas. Yes, he is the son of our enemy, but he is, as you pointed out, Joden, Hyacinth’s partner as well. While this makes me somewhat wary myself”—he nodded towards me with an expression that held kindness mixed with uncertainty—“I trust my son without hesitation. Something I’m aware not every advisor extended to him in my absence despite my command to do so.” The words came cold as ice, his glare peppering into Joden. “So, unless anyone else would like to interrupt again, we will allow Lord Apollo to speak before we decide on what he proposes.”