Secrets of The Scorpion Queen

Chapter 5

My head was pounding. This must be what death feels like. Eyes still closed to keep out the sun just breaking over the horizon, I tried to sort through my memory. There was the bonfire, Etienne, and that drink. The gods damned drink.

"Listaaaaa?" I groaned out. I heard her curse and scramble over to my side of the room. I guess I had made it back to my bed somehow.

Where had she been earlier?

"It was Kingcup, Lele—I'm so sorry—It—It's all my fault," Lista spoke so quickly it was hard for my scrambled mind to keep up.

"No," I huffed out a breath as I struggled to sit up in the bed.

"No, it's not your fault at all. It's mine." I finished.

Lista was kneeling by my head with what looked like a cool wash cloth. She looked like she'd been up for hours and her eyes were puffy. The thought that she'd been in pain over my own idiocy was like a knife to my gut.

"I let him take my protection crystals. I completely exposed myself like a naïve fool."

 Embarrassment and anger bubbled in my chest. He had taken advantage of me, and I felt my anger rising fast. I had always taken after the King Mage in being swift to anger. The first to kill every other emotion in search of something solid to hold on to— in this case, fury.

He would pay.

I wasn't a stupid little princess he could play with. I came here with a greater purpose than he could ever imagine—than he could ever fear. I was burdened with it. I didn't have time for his games.

Lista tracked every emotion as it crossed my face in a flurry of hate and fear. She was fully seated in her role as handmaiden now. Sometimes it disturbed me how easily she fell into that role. How she knew a small part of me may be my father.

I breathed deeply and smoothed my hair.

"Jada and Camilla?"

"Same as you. Jon took their protection crystals and it seems like he was able to dose them before we arrived. By the time the kingscup had kicked in for you, I had already left to take Jada and Camilla to their room before anyone noticed how strange they were behaving. I—I thought they were drunk or I'd never have left you, Lele! I swear!"

"Stop—stop, Lista," I whispered.

Humiliation was taking over the more she spoke and it was making me flushed.

"What happened then?"

I hated that I didn't know myself.

"Professor Maven had security escort you down here. Etienne...he...he's using this as a tactic to discredit you it seems. Make you and the crown of Nitre seem...uncouth."

I sucked in a sharp breath. My father would definitely have something to say about this, and I didn't blame him. I was completely and utterly failing, so I tried to let my emotions go. Remain reasonable and let myself fall into the headspace of a royal like I'd seen him do before.

"Well unfortunately for him, our betrothal is contractual. It has been since they promised my mother before The War. Should he not fulfill his duty it could spell war for Jarate," I looked out the window to the mountains surrounding The Academy. "Blood has been spilled for far less than a broken commitment between nations."

"Lele..."

"What? Am I wrong?" I let my icy eyes swing away from the window to pierce hers.

She quietly shook her head. "No. You aren't wrong about that."