Nobody would see it. Nobody would care. I could cry all I wanted and nobody could call me on it.

Finally, I had run out of energy. I wiped my eyes. Time to pick myself up and move on.

My aunt’s bones glowed with ruby light.

I froze on my knees.

The loose bones of Erra’s body shifted, twisting into a round pile. Blades burst from it, stretching straight up and curving, pressed together into a bulb. The red glow flashed and turned bright. The bone blades curved and opened like the petals of a flower.

My aunt stood within the glow, clad in her blood armor. Sadness shadowed her translucent face, her dark hair falling down to her waist.

Oh dear God. It worked.

Her eyes snapped open. The Eater of Cities saw me. “You!”

She charged me and tore right through me. It was like being passed through a fine sieve made of pain and cold. She whipped around, her face shocked. The red fire around her shot out and gripped my body. My feet left the ground. I flew backward and smashed into the stone wall of the chamber. My head swam. Someone set fire to my lungs. The invisible magic hand ground me into the stone. My bones groaned under the pressure.

“You!” Erra snarled. “I should’ve killed you. I will now.”

Red circles swam before my eyes. There wasn’t enough air. I was going to die.

“I wanted to die. You couldn’t even do that right. You’ve raised me with your wailing. How dare you mourn me? Now I’ll take you with me.”

The tempest behind Erra shifted.

Her eyes widened. “Mother?”

The magic pressure vanished. I crashed to the floor, desperately sucking in air. My lungs burned and refused to expand.

The magic storm coalesced into Semiramis, standing before Erra’s translucent form. My aunt stood still, her mouth open, her expression soft.

“Ama,” Erra whispered. “Oh gods, Ama.”

The magic of Semiramis embraced her. Erra hugged her back, their power mixing. The walls around us trembled from the pressure.

Tears wet my aunt’s eyes. She looked past her mother at the bare walls. “Gods, what has he done to you . . .” she whispered. “What did he do . . .”

I finally rolled over onto my back and managed to take a breath. Everything felt bruised. Someone had turned my diaphragm into barbed wire when I wasn’t looking.

Erra loomed over me. “Talk.”

Great. I had to say the most important thing first, before she squeezed the life out of me.

“He’ll kill my son.”

“You have a son?”

“No, but I will.”

Her magic jerked me upright. If she bounced me off the wall again, I swore I would set her damn bones on fire.

“How certain are you?”

“It’s been foretold by several oracles. I have seen it in a vision. There’s a battle. He runs my baby through with a spear and hoists it up like a standard.”

She’d had sons. She’d loved them, even though they were violent and mad. She had to understand.

“And so you brought me here, into this tomb, and called me back into existence with your tears, weeping by my corpse like some weakling?”

That was my aunt for you.

“To do what?” Erra stalked in front of me, back and forth. “To kill my brother?”

I didn’t answer. It didn’t seem safe.

“Where is he now?”

“He built a castle on the edge of Atlanta, near my territory.”

“Your territory?” Erra barked a short laugh.

“I claimed Atlanta.”

She stopped and looked at me. “Claimed it how?”

“He tried to make it his, and I stopped him and made it mine.”

“How? Describe it, you imbecile.”

Screw you. “He made a giant magic spear and tried to stab me with it. I blocked it, then I levitated, and released a big pulse of magic.” I waved my arms. “Poof.”

“Poof?” Erra turned to my grandmother. “Ama, are you listening to this?”

Semiramis smiled.

“So you are Sharratum now? A queen?”

“I’m not a queen.” I had to keep reminding myself.

“And he let you do this?”

“He didn’t have a choice.”

“What are the terms? There must’ve been terms.”

“He promised me peace for a hundred years and then he built a castle on the edge of my territory. He’s taunting me, kidnapping my people, meddling, wanting to control every aspect of my life, getting offended over my wedding reception, sending assassins to . . .”

Erra raised her hand.

I shut up.

“How long?”

“How long what?”

“How long has this been going on?”

“About six months.”

“He’s been sitting by your territory for six months and hasn’t moved against you?”

“Yes.”

“You’re lying.”

“Why the hell would I lie?”

My aunt pondered and flicked her hand. An invisible magic hammer crashed into me. This time I curled before hitting the wall. Bonus points.

“You say you claimed this city. Prove it.”

I rolled to my feet.

“My land. My city,” Erra mocked. “Little baby princess. Pretender. Weakling.”

“Stop mocking me or you’ll regret it.”

The magic swept me off my feet. I rolled across the chamber. “You own nothing. You possess nothing.”

I got up to my feet.

“Liar.” She was getting ready for round three. I felt the magic shift. “Imposter. You bring shame to our name.”

“Enough!” I let my own power tear out of me and smash into my aunt’s. “I’ve fought and bled for that city. It’s mine and I have nothing to prove to you. You and my father brought enough shame to the family name. People cringe when they hear it. If you hit me one more time, I’ll throw your bones in the deepest sewer I can find.”

Erra’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll take your land and rule it as it was meant to be ruled.”

“No! It’s mine!”

“There it is,” Erra said. “Do you even know what this thing is that’s rearing its ugly head? Of course, you don’t.”

I opened my mouth.

“Quiet. I’m thinking.”

This was the stupidest idea I’d ever had.