Guarding the Goddess Read online

  But Lor persisted, sending the image with even more clarity and the feeling of hope intensified.

  Ellina shook her head.

  “No,” she murmured to him. “No, don’t delude yourself, my dear. You know that can’t happen.”

  “Know what can’t happen?” Ty asked, frowning.

  “Oh, forgive me.” Ellina sighed. “It’s just Lor—he hears all our talk about matched pairs of chewchies and he keeps sending me images of a female Sacred Blue chewchie he hopes to meet and mate with. Which is, of course, impossible.” She stroked Lor’s fur again. “Sorry, Lor.”

  “Well, if he thinks—” Ty began but just then there was a rap at the door and the guard outside stuck his head in.

  “Forgive me, Your Majesty,” he said to Ellina. “But the High Priest of Thufar is here to discuss the order of the Grand Promenade later today.”

  Ellina barely bit back a groan. How could she have forgotten that the Grand Promenade was today? Gods, how tired she was of public appearances!

  Though not nearly as tired as she was of dealing with the High Priest.

  Still, there was nothing to do but face him head-on. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin.

  “Let him in,” she told the guard.

  Twenty-One

  “Well, hello, my dear. I mean, Your Majesty.” Lord Kikbax bowed low and when he rose, he was all smiles. It was just as though the scene at lunch yesterday had never happened, Ellina thought sourly. Maybe the High Priest had decided that since he couldn’t overrule her, he would try to manipulate her in some other way.

  Well, let him try—she was on her guard now. She was glad for the looming presence of Ty at her back, lending her strength and silent support.

  Nodding her head regally at Kikbax, she murmured, “High Priest of Thufar.” Which was the least and coldest acknowledgement she could possibly offer.

  Lord Kikbax’s smile faltered for a moment but then came back brighter and more jovial than ever.

  “Well now,” he said. “I hope Your Highness is well today. Seeing that the Grand Promenade is tonight, I thought it best that I come and discuss the order of the candidates who will surround you—as is my right and duty,” he added with emphasis.

  Ellina frowned.

  “Order of the candidates?”

  “Of course,” Kikbax said briskly. “The candidates for consort.”

  Ellina felt her temper beginning to boil.

  “High Priest,” she said, glaring at him as Lor chattered angrily on her head. “As I have told you before—very recently in fact—I will choose my consort—not you.”

  “Of course, you will! Yes, yes—of course you will!” Kikbax exclaimed soothingly. “The candidates on display at the Grand Promenade today are only there for show. Your Majesty must understand the optics of the situation—as long as you are unmated and childless—heirless—the kingdom is vulnerable. This makes the common folk nervous, you know, Your Highness.” He looked at her with melting sincerity. “If they at least think that you are searching for a consort, it will do much to set their minds at ease.”

  Ellina frowned. She would have liked to disagree, but she couldn’t help acknowledging that the High Priest had a point. Though she was under no obligation to take a consort until her Heat Cycle began, it probably would look better if she at least appeared to be considering several males as her possible future mate. Though of course, she wanted none of them.

  “Very well,” she said at last, after considering. “Who is on the list and in what order do you wish them to march?”

  “Well, there’s Baron Hennessy Tolland, of course,” Kikbax began. “And yes, I know he isn’t your first choice,” he went on hurriedly, when Ellina frowned and opened her mouth to protest. “But of all the eligible nobles, his skin is the closest to Sacred Blue and it looks good to include him.”

  “Very well—put him as far from me as possible,” Ellina snapped. “I don’t care what color his skin is—I don’t want him anywhere near me!”

  The High Priest frowned.

  “But as Your Majesty knows, the closer to Sacred Blue the color of your consort’s skin, the more likely you yourself will have an heir with the Sacred Blue skin. And noble blood is important too—the nobler the blood, the more likely you’ll have an heir.”

  “I don’t think that’s true,” Ellina objected. “I have heard that in the olden days even commoners were considered as consort, as long as they were found to be worthy by Thufar.”

  The High Priest looked shocked.

  “Surely Your Majesty jests. You would not wish to breed with a commoner. Or,” he added, giving Ty a sidelong glance, “An off-wordler, for that matter.”

  “I’d rather have just about anyone than Hennessy Tolland,” Ellina snapped. “And none of the other nobles are much better.”

  “Again, it is a question of optics, Your Majesty,” the High Priest said. “It looks better to have males with near-Sacred Blue skin surrounding you.” He frowned. “Also, I believe that the ‘olden times’ you speak of were much exaggerated. No one really wants to see a commoner made consort—why, just think how that would look!”

  Ellina thought that she was more concerned with how it would feel to be mated to a male she despised but she did not say so.

  “Very well,” she said, frowning. “Go on with the list. Who else is to march by me in the Grand Promenade?”

  Kikbax rattled off a list of names—all of them nobles that Ellina disliked heartily—but whom were apparently excellent candidates for consort.

  I can’t stand any of them, she realized dismally. In the distant past, when she’d imagined herself as Potentate, she’d also thought somehow that a candidate she liked, or at least one she didn’t actively dislike, would be found to be her consort. But as the High Priest spoke, it became clear to her that no such man existed—at least no nobleman. Would she have to look among the commoners to find herself a consort?

  But how can I do that when I don’t know any of them? Ellina thought, half-despairingly. I can’t just go out among the people and pluck a likely-looking man from the crowd and crown him to be by my side. Can I?

  An idea occurred to her. Maybe she ought to let Lor pick him—whoever her future consort might be.

  Unbidden, the image of her little Sacred Blue chewchie jumping onto Ty’s broad shoulder came to her mind.

  But no—that was ridiculous, Ellina told herself firmly. She could never choose an off-worlder for her consort. An off-worlder wouldn’t have the deep blue skin which was considered so vital to getting her an heir. And it went without saying that an off-worlder would not have the blood of the Chorkay noble houses flowing in his veins.

  “…so five candidates will be walking ahead of you in the Grand Promenade and another ten behind,” the High Priest said and Ellina realized he’d been speaking for some time and she hadn’t heard a word he’d said. “Are there any questions?” he asked her, one eyebrow raised.

  “Yes, I have a question,” Ty said, much to her relief. “Are any of these males trained in combat or in any of the protective arts?”

  Kikbax gave the big Kindred a blank look.

  “Whyever would they be? They are nobles,” he emphasized. “They’re not meant to deal in physical matters.”

  “Those ‘physical matters’ could mean life or death to your new Potentate,” Ty said angrily. “There has already been one attempt on her life and someone has tried to drug her twice. That means that the males surrounding her need to know how to handle themselves—and protect their Potentate if the need arises.”

  “My dear Kindred, of course the Goddess in the Flesh shall be protected-you’ll be at her side, won’t you?” Kikbax said, a bit too jovially, Ellina thought. “But…” He frowned. “What did you say about someone trying to drug her?”

  “I said exactly what I meant—twice a foreign substance has been found in her wine,” Ty growled.

  “Oh?” The High Priest looked surprised. �€