Trial
The hall quieted as she entered. She supposed she’d scared them enough earlier that they thought twice about speaking out of turn. The doors were still open. The cool wind swept in from the harbor and up the hill. Another ship was coming to harbor, still not quite docked, but her guards had brought the Shield’s Vowfire into the hall as she had asked. She walked up the stairs to the throne’s platform and scanned the room, waiting for everyone to give her their attention.
“I am thirty this year. Though this is not how I expected, nor wished, this day to go, here we are. The late steward’s actions have brought us here, but your decisions will be the only thing you can blame from this moment forward. No one has managed to fulfill the trials I set out in the years since I turned twenty; as such, you all have equal opportunity to fail this trial as well.” She narrowed her eyes. “Make no mistake. No matter the words of the late steward, I am the Spear of Caelthos, ruler and high priest of this island, and if you have any hopes to stand beside me as my shield and husband, you must bow your head and open your heart to our patron and to me.”
She gestured to the basin. “This is the Shield’s Vowfire. By extinguishing it, you prove yourself worthy to be at my side. The process is simple. Swear your oath and place your hand in the fire.”
A murmur of disbelief bubbled up. “You expect us—”
“I will go first.”
They shut their mouths as she approached the flame.
“On my honor and life, by my soul and blood, as Spear of Caelthos, I vow before my patron, the Pantheon, the stars and sea, that whomever so extinguishes this vowfire shall have sworn an oath of allegiance to match my own and will be my husband for as long as we both live.”
She placed her hand in the fire. The burning blue flame twined around her hand and turned to a bright violet. She knew that burning blue fire was now in her eyes from the way they drew back, spooked and murmuring about heathen rituals.
Good. Let them fear and rethink their schemes. She could only hope that at least a few of them would give up.
“This fire will burn until someone is deemed worthy, whether that is three hours, three days, or three centuries. There are no limits to the number of vows you can swear, but you will be burned if you are found offensive. I suggest you consider your words carefully.”
A group of footsteps came from the back corridor. Naos, Sorenas, and Viridian returned, likely informed that she was there by one of their spies. Naos dragged his gaze over her with obvious appreciation, but Sorenas surprised her.
The outright awe in his eyes was convincing, and there was something else about him that she hadn’t noticed when she’d seen him in the garden. There was something about his presence that felt familiar, like an echo inside her soul, calling out to her. It was unnerving.
And infuriating.
Unless Leandros had become a shapeshifter or taken a potion to change his appearance, Sorenas was leveraging her Shield’s aura in some manner to give off this sense of familiarity. He likely knew exactly what he was doing and hoped for a favorable reaction from her.
The only way to harvest someone’s aura enough to replicate a semblance of their presence was to have stolen it or have some sort of magical tether. The semblance was strong enough to pull on her magical instincts, which meant it was likely the latter, as a stolen aura felt hollow.
Killing Sorenas would be a privilege after she found out what he’d done with her Shield.
She gestured to the vowfire. “The trial has begun. I will only remain in this room for a few moments more as I have preparations to make, and it is not customary to watch vows being sworn.”
Viridian scoffed. “How then are you supposed to know what vow has been sworn?”
“If the goddess deems your vow adequate, the fire will extinguish. The details will hardly matter to me.”
“This is why women shouldn’t be left alone, letting spirits decide their future,” Naos said. “I’ll go first, as the most important person here.”
She smiled. “The second most, as I have already sworn my vow.”
He gritted his teeth before approaching the fire. A smug smirk lifted his lips as he came to a stop beside the basin and looked at her.
“I vow to govern you and this island as your father would.”
The fire jumped before he could offer his hand, burning brighter and hotter as it leaped at him, searing his hand and shirt. He hissed, drawing back and glaring at her.
“She does not take kindly to false claims, nor hollow words.”
“This is all a ridiculous charade,” he hissed. “You are simply delaying the inevitable. The late king—”
“Caelthos has never had a king.” She glared at him. “Fifteen years ago, a young man won the title of the Shield of Caelthos through ceremonial trial and combat. He spilled blood on our hallowed grounds and swore oaths as unbreakable as the armor he earned. If he were here, you would not be.”
Naos stiffened and flinched, a flicker of fear in his eyes. He knew something. Good. She looked forward to prying it out of him.
She turned to the rest of the room. “The position you are here for is not one of simple marriage. The Shield of Caelthos is a man whose vow of fealty and allegiance is equal to the power he will be granted: the full breadth of Caelthos’ magical defenses. He is the master of them as the prime defender and safe-keeper of our people. His loyalty, fealty, and honor are forever tied to this island and to me as his wife and sovereign.”
She glanced at Naos. “That young man has been lost to us by the war you so gleefully waged and the machinations of a bitter steward who overstepped his power. The next Shield must prove himself worthy to take his place.”
“Doesn’t seem like much of a shield, lost to war,” Naos said, his expression cold.
She smiled and glanced at his burned hand. “The fire embraced him readily. The whole island sang upon his donning of his armor. I assure you, he is the greatest of men.”
His eyes narrowed, something calculative before his lips curved into a vindictive smile. She was certain he’d reveal the purpose behind that smile, though she could guess. Her Shield had left the armor and weaponry he had been given upon his victory behind, on her father’s orders. He’d said that ancient, ceremonial relics had no place in war, but it had been a lie, and they both knew it.
The helm of the Shield had not been relinquished. Penelope had thought he’d taken it with him for its protection.
Now she was certain that Naos or his son had it.
Goddess help them.
