Page 37

My team waited for me in the sitting room outside the bedchamber. I took a moment to ooh and ahh over Carys’ precious shoes, not missing the fact that she stayed in a chair rather than standing with the others. Not that I minded in the slightest—I just found it amusing her feet were already hurting. Gina looked like a wicked sharp high-dollar attorney on a new popular television drama in a lapis blue elegant suit with matching heels. Though standing in them didn’t appear to hurt her, so maybe they weren’t as luxurious as Carys’. Julie and Regina also sported fancy new attorney-appropriate apparel. Kevin always looked extremely put together but today he even wore a tie.

Leonie wore another sumptuous African print dress and head wrap in sunflower yellow and sky blue, and the make-up artist had visited her as well. I couldn’t resist leaning in to lightly brush a kiss against her perfect bronzed lips. “I didn’t drain you too much last night, did I? You can feed before we go downstairs if you need to.”

“Not at all, my queen.” Her breath caught on a soft sigh. “Though it’s always tempting to taste you again, you need to retain as much of your strength for the fealty oaths as possible.”

“Oh, I don’t have any concerns in that regard. I expect to leave quite the impression on any queen swearing to me today.” I looked around at each person. “Are we ready? Are we missing anything?”

“The printer worked overnight and delivered all the contracts this morning,” Gina said. “Standard sibling agreements with House Isador’s normal terms. I don’t expect any of them to complain at our more favorable terms, but we can certainly make any modifications you’d like. Harvey is down in the ballroom practically giddy with excitement. He can’t wait to show you everything.”

We headed downstairs, more of my Blood falling in before and after me as we moved through the grand house. At the bottom of the staircase, the Isador birds waited with Lew and the others. Though Mallac immediately hopped over to my shoulder. “Good morning,” he said in his bird voice. “Majestic.” Then he let out a rattling squawk like a laugh, definitely teasing me since it was well into the afternoon.

“Aw, good morning to you too.”

Thierry sat on Lew’s shoulder as he led the way to the ballroom. The other birds flew back and forth ahead, chattering excitedly. They couldn’t wait to show me either. Waiting before a pair of tall stone doors, Harvey bowed low as we neared.

“Good day, Your Majesty. I hope you rested well?”

“I did, thank you. Was there anything interesting in the French news today?”

His lips quirked though he quickly schooled his features back to professional. “Evidently there was a major fire near Champs-Élysées, though mysteriously none of the shops were severely damaged. Police are still investigating the cause. Oh, I also saw a story about a tree gaining interest overnight. Evidently, Sorbonne researchers believe it’s a previously undiscovered species of a Judas tree and hope to classify it as an Arbres Remarquable. Though oddly, no such tree was included in the city’s planning.”

“I’m sure it’s a very beautiful tree.”

Eyes bright, he inclined his head. “If you’re ready to examine the artifacts…”

I couldn’t resist reaching out to trace one of the large ankhs carved into the stone. “These doors are so thick and tall. It must take a small army to open and close them.”

Laughing, Harvey shook his head. “Not at all. We keep the hinges well oiled, and the doors are incredibly well crafted and balanced. Though other than regular cleaning, we haven’t had an opportunity to open the ballroom for decades.”

He stepped aside, bending at the waist and sweeping his arm out. “May I present the Isador artifacts, Your Majesty?”

As I stepped inside, my footfalls echoed in the reverent silence. It was like stepping into a majestic old church or an immersive museum exhibit. The same large creamy sandstone tiles covered the floor, raw and unpolished but smooth and flat. Gold and turquoise were set into the corners where the flagstones came together, adding color and dimension. The tall ceiling overhead was painted dark blue, inlaid with glittering jewels and touches of gold like stars glimmering in a midnight sky. Both walls were lined with stone pillars that looked to be straight out of an Egyptian temple. The bases were painted a brilliant blue-green and looked like tall rushes or reeds bundled together. At the top, stone petals were painted in alternating blue and white to resemble lotus flowers crowning the pillars. On the exterior wall, windows in between the pillars made it feel like a grand outdoor colonnade. The opposite wall was painted with murals of the Nile River.

“Most of what you see was rescued from the Temple of Isis on Philae Island near Aswan,” Harvey said in a hushed tone. “Queen Tiye foresaw the Aswan Dams would cause the island to flood, and so she had many of the artifacts moved here for safekeeping. Some of the original site is still there today, but what you see now was disassembled and moved to higher ground to keep it from the floodwaters.”

“I don’t really know much about her, and until last night, I didn’t even know her name or where her nest was.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know much that isn’t family legend, Your Majesty. My great-grandmother, many times removed, was honored to serve in the Aswan nest. According to the legends passed down through my ancestors, the unfinished obelisk in the Aswan quarry was supposed to be the crowning jewel to set House Isador apart from the other Houses of Isis. It still lies in the quarry today, cracked and unfinished. I don’t know if turmoil among the other queens caused a delay in its construction, if the stone was flawed, or perhaps the queen who commissioned it died before it could be finished. Queen Tiye held on in Aswan as long as possible until it, too, was swallowed by the sands of time.”

We walked down the length of the ballroom toward a square stone dais set against the far wall. Goosebumps prickled down my arms as we approached. Energy thickened the air, making a subtle hum that danced and crackled along my nerves. Every single stone radiated power, as if blessed by centuries of the goddess’ physical presence. Once upon a time ages ago, Her priestesses had honored Her with songs, prayers, and offerings. For centuries, those blessings and prayers sank into the stone itself, making them more holy and sacred than anything I’d ever felt outside of Isis’ pyramid when I first came into power.

Two massive stone sphinxes stood guard at the corners, sitting back on their haunches. Rams heads like Sekh’s with curled horns, though the rest of their bodies looked like lions. I could feel the weight of their attention, their stone eyes locked on me as I approached.

I glanced over at him, quietly standing at the edge of the dais. “Are they part of your legion?”

He inclined his head, though his eyes never left mine. “Of course.”

I stepped closer and lightly laid my palm on top of the nearest sphinx’s shoulder. The stone hummed and vibrated beneath my palm. Alive with power though frozen into this statue. Waiting for the Call to battle that had never come. I pressed the tip of my index fingernail to my thumb, but before I could draw my blood, Sekh made a low, ragged sound, drawing my gaze.

His dark eyes burned with latent heat. “If you give them blood, they will take physical form on this plane.”

“Will they be ready to feast?”

His jaws clenched, the muscle flexing over his cheeks. “They’ll be so fucking ravenous they may never wish to return to their posts.”

Letting a smile curve my lips, I punctured the pad of my thumb. “Good.”

SEKH