Page 49 of The Nymph King
“It was a conclusion.”
“To what?”
Imani stood and reached for the clasp at her throat, loosening it as she crossed toward the dressing table. “To the fact that I cannot reclaim Essenheim by avoiding everyone who irritates me.”
“That sounds inconvenient.”
“It is.”
“And Ellisar?”
Imani set the clasp down harder than necessary. “Ellisar has governed Norn territory for years. He commands these soldiers, understands the people I may soon be responsible for, and knows exactly how every powerful family in Essenheim will react if I move against Tanyl.”
Esa’s teasing look faded as Imani observed her friend through the mirror.
“I need him close,” she said. “Not because he gets to decide things for me. Because I would be a fool to pretend I know how to rule simply because I have enough power to claim the throne.”
Esa gave her a curt nod.
“I need an ally,” Imani continued. “A real one. Someone who can tell me when I am about to make a terrible decision and survive when I tell him to mind his own business.”
“That does sound like Ellisar.”
“Unfortunately.”
Esa laughed under her breath and stood.
“And if he tries to control who speaks to me again,” Imani added, “I’ll correct him.”
“I’m sure you will.”
The pixie’s wing fluttered as she headed toward the door.
“Esa.”
The pixie looked back, hand already on the handle.
“Stop smiling,” Imani grumbled.
Her grin brightened before she walked out and let the door close behind her.
Imani remained beside the dressing table for several seconds before turning toward the window again. Beyond the glass, the estate grounds descended toward the city, lanterns tracing the roads through Vathis while distant music drifted faintly through the night.
Somewhere below, Ellisar was undoubtedly buried in reports, orders, and whatever else High Sentinels did when they were not infuriating queens. Or maybe he was letting loose with that wine everyone had gone on about. The thought made her want to laugh a little.
The sea battle had changed the way his people saw her.
More troublingly, it had changed the way she saw him.
Without meaning to, Imani wondered whether it had done the same to Ellisar.
CHAPTER 14
For the first time in years, Imani stood in a room filled almost entirely with her own people. She wanted to know if Vathis could feel familiar before she worried about whether it would ever call her queen.
Unfortunately, she had forgotten how to enter a room without studying it.
Her gaze swept around, curious at first, then calculating. Nobles clustered near the center while generals and advisors held the periphery in tighter groups. Barked laughter rose from one corner, music from another, and conversations formed and dissolved around people who seemed to understand the Norn cultural rules Imani had once known instinctively.
