Rootbound

He nodded. “Agreed.”

Peta bobbed her head too. “Agreed.”

So many swirling pieces, it was hard to make heads or tails of what was truly going on.

“As long as we get the five stones first, none of that will matter.” Peta swayed on Shazer’s back and he glanced at her.

“She’s right. Deal with the stones so we can find Ash. Deal with everything else later,” Shazer said.

“Nice, we are all in agreement,” I mumbled.

I approached the steps of the Spiral and headed up. Peta leapt from Shazer’s back. “How are you going to get . . . it . . . from your sister?”

I kept my face smooth. “Simple. I’m going to ask.”

“You think it will be that easy?” Peta kept pace at my side.

“Hoping.”

Really, how attached could Bella be to the emerald? While the ring had been in her possession for twenty-plus years, she’d only worn it since she’d taken the throne, as the mother goddess had reminded me. Surely a few weeks wasn’t long enough for madness to begin.

I chose not to consider her behavior earlier, chalking it up to stress. The soft gong of the dinner bell brought my head around; the day had flown by, my time in the grave taking longer than I’d realized.

“The dining hall then.” Even better. Bella was not one to make a scene, so taking the ring would be even easier if I asked for it in a public place. I fished around in my leather pouch as we walked, finding the emerald by feel. I paused and then let it go. There was no need for swapping it out; taking the ring would be as simple as a request.

We approached the open dining hall. Guards stood at the door, but they were relaxed and nodded to me in recognition.

The one on the left gave me a tentative smile. “Will you start the Ender program again, Larkspur?”

Startled by the question, I stopped and faced the guard who’d spoken. “Perhaps. I have tasks ahead of me, but when I am done, it would seem prudent to flesh the ranks out again.”

He slipped his helmet off and held out his hand. “Name is Arb. I’d like to take part when you open the training again.”

I took his hand and shook it once. “I will let you know.”

Stepping through the doorway, I headed straight for Bella, my heart rate climbing with each footstep, tension mounting across my shoulders.

“Peta, be ready.”

“I thought you said this was going to be easy?” she whispered.

“Well, this is my family. Who the hell really knows?”

She laughed and I smiled down at her.

“Lark,” Bella called to me, laughter in her voice. I looked up and she waved to us. “Come, sit with us, eat with us. Tell us what you’ve been up to today.”

I smiled at her, noting her daughter to her right. River was as stunning as her mother, with her perfect soft curves, high cheekbones, and delicate features. Her coloring, though, set her apart among the other Terralings. As a half-breed, her father’s Undine bloodlines showed clearly in her Caribbean blue eyes which were offset by her nearly black hair. Her coloring was not far from Raven’s. I had to fight to keep my smile on my face. River waved at me. “Auntie.”

The words slowed my feet. Damn, she was my only niece and she’d never called me auntie before. Not that she’d had much choice, it wasn’t like I’d been around a lot since she’d been born. I slowed as I approached the table. “Bella, a quick question before I eat.”

“Of course.” She raised a spoonful of soup to her mouth, the emerald ring glinting on her third finger.

“May I inspect your ring? I am concerned with a flaw in it.” The lie was smooth and easy. River didn’t look up from her meal; no one took notice. This was going to work.

Bella lowered her spoon and frowned at me. “A flaw? There is no flaw in this emerald. It is perfect.”

She dropped her hands to her lap and covered the ring with her other hand. I continued to smile even while the tension grew. “But a flaw in the setting that would allow the stone to fall out would be an easy thing to have fixed.”

“Mother, she’s right. Let her see it. You’d be frantic if the stone were to go missing,” River added absently.

Bella’s eyes hardened as she stared at me. “You would take it from me?”

“Of course not,” I said, feeling the air between us shift. I held up both hands, palms facing her. “Bella, I would never take it from you.”

The moment stretched and I saw her weigh my words.

“Lies,” she snapped, suddenly and with such force she actually spit. “You would take it for your own. You want it for yourself.” She stood and the lines of power curled around her arms in a slow deadly march. I made myself stand there, made myself allow her to sink me into the ground to my waist. I had to continue the charade that I didn’t want the stone.

River stood.

“Mother, what are you doing?”

“She’s here to take the throne from me. She has been waiting for this moment.” Spit trickled from her lips and my heart clenched. Mother goddess let me not be too late. Let her not face the same fate as our father.

“Bella, do not do this.” I shifted, pulling on the earth and pushing myself out of the ground.

She circled me, the emerald flashing. “I will make sure there are no threats to this family, however I must. Even if it means your death, Destroyer.”

And there it was. Inside my heart, I cried at the loss of my sister. Outside, I gripped my spear and swung it in a low, lazy circle.