Flames of the River

Chapter 6

"Is this really the only way, father?" Mora rushed after her parents. 

The dinner had begun well, and Mora had been working at her nerves, undoing them, calming herself. Allowing herself to get used to the idea of a marriage to a River. Convincing herself that for Eranis, she would do anything. Until the reminders had come from her father and from her future father in law. The blood spill that led to two kingdoms, how the Rivers had stabbed, literally, the Mollo's in the back. 

The engagement ring that was to be presented to Mora had never seen the light of the chandeliers. The food had gone mostly untouched, and the only thing that had stopped a fight was Atlas' realisation that he was greatly outnumbered. 

"Father?" Mora tried her best not to raise her voice. Dalia had called the servants back up, worried suspicions, which led to rumours, might grow. 

"Not now, Mora." The irritation was clear in King Dagra's voice, but Mora felt she was owed answers and deserved them that instant. 

"You've kept me in the dark long enough!" Her attempt at not raising her voice was slowly falling. She took in a lungful of breath and trids to count to five. Maybe ten.

The King walked on without so much as looking back. Queen Shozi stopped and turned around with a sigh. Mora looked at her pleadingly. 

"Let's just," she glanced up at the servants swiftly making their way up the stairs, "wait until we're behind closed doors, okay?"

She didn't wait for her daughter's reply or reaction, turning around to follow her husband. Shozi hated lying to her daughter, she hated seeing the confusion, anger and desperation in her eyes but a few more steps and she would have her answers. The idea of any kind of alliance with the Rivers was disturbing, and once it would've been abominable to even consider it but there wasn't any other option. Thabitha had been alive as long as both Eranis and Atlantia had stood, her magic was older than theirs and no one could see the future as clearly as she did. If she said that the only way to save their powers, and their kingdoms, was a marital union between their heirs, then that's what they had to do. 

Her chest hurt at the thought of her daughter marrying Atlas' half breed of a son. It felt wrong in every way imaginable but somehow the skies had decided that was the only way for all of them to survive. A lifelong relation to the greed filled Rivers, who would never think twice about stabbing a Mollo in the back. She gulped nervously as she walked into the doors her husband had pushed open merely seconds before. Mora followed suit and a servant rushed to closed the doors behind her. 

"Now will you listen to me? Will you give me answers?"

"Yes." King Dagra's voice was exhausted and Mora hated to be adding to their troubles but she couldn't just ignore the ones they were suddenly throwing her way. 

"This can't be the only way, father." Mora pleaded. "Please, talk to Thabitha again and-"

"We have, Mora." Her mother's voice was soft, her eyes apologetic. She sat on the magenta velvet chair at the foot of the large bed in the middle of the room. "We've had so many meetings with Thabitha, with Atlas and his council. We've gone over every book we could find, every record our ancestors kept of our powers. Dalia and the rest of the Galo have done all they can, Isobel can't see what our future is."

The last part brought out the fear inside the Queen's heart. Mora heard it in her shaky voice, in her widened eyes. Isobel was the most powerful seer in generations. If her eyes were blinded to the fate of Eranis, something was awfully wrong. 

"But still," Mora shook her head, "there has to be another way."

"There is no other way, Momo." Shozi, exhausted and strained, pushed down her growing vexation.