Read Online The Tears of the Rose by Jeffe Kennedy - Free Book Online Page B

“Avonlidgh must lose yet another heir?” He projected sorrow and horror. “Already our ravaged land must yield up more. Our people slaughtered, slowly starving, and continually preyed upon by bandits the High King’s armies seem to be unable to contain. Has Glorianna turned Her back upon us all?”
    The ambassadors around the room looked angry, and several ladies dabbed at their eyes. Mutterings turned from joyful to unsettled.
    â€œI fear the worst is true.” The Duranor envoy stepped up beside Erich. “We, too, have suffered from the effects of your war, High King. Even still, escaped Tala prisoners raid our farms, raping our daughters and stealing the bread from the mouths of innocent children. All for a treaty you signed in good faith and declined to honor.”
    Uorsin glowered, clenching his fists. The unclean, meaty smell of his twisted rage thickened.
    â€œYou understand nothing of the situation, Lord Stefan,” Uorsin ground out.
    â€œDo we not?” Stefan spread his hands to include all the ambassadors. “You promised us peace and prosperity. Instead you’ve brought the Tala down on our heads. Again. And this after years of decline. Every season, the fields yield less, the livestock grow more gaunt. Instead of gaining bounty for us, you’ve carelessly lost one of your daughters. What shall we sacrifice next, High King?”
    Shocked silence fell heavy over the room, followed by the wintery smell of fear and despair.
    Mastering himself, Uorsin took me by the hand and guided me up the steps to the dais with the High King’s throne, my mother’s empty throne, and the three for my sisters and me. He settled me into Ursula’s seat at his right hand with a great show of solicitude. I couldn’t look at her.
    Tension creased the rims of Derodotur’s eyes, before he smoothed his face into his diplomat’s blandness. Even I understood that Uorsin had transgressed several political lines here in seizing Avonlidgh’s heir from them. It seemed . . . unlike him. That deep anger rumbled through him, and I had to steel myself not to lean away from the greasy smell.
    Instead I focused out over the hall and the assembled people, dividing into various factions, already aligning themselves. Here, too, Glorianna’s window had been replaced. Twice the Tala had shattered Her rose windows—both times seeking Andi. I’d been frightened at the time but had never suspected that it would be that moment when the foundation of the world would shift—and keep shifting.
    I prayed to the goddess for guidance. Surely being Her avatar should come with more certainty about what I should do and say.
    Kir must be right. The Tala had brought the seed of evil to us, and the poison continued to spread. Even my father, who had always been so strong, so certain of his rule and his ability to bring peace to all the lands, seemed uncertain. Unstable. I needed to give him the gift of Glorianna’s confidence and the brilliant future before us.
    Derodotur placed himself in front of us. “It will be months before we know if the child is a boy or a girl. We need not settle this right this moment.”
    â€œWhen is the babe due?” That from a voice in the crowd.
    â€œYes! Are we even sure it will live?” someone else called out. I kept my eyes on Glorianna’s window. May She protect my child. As Her avatar, surely I deserved that much from Her. Though it hadn’t prompted Her to save my one true love. The grief sucked at what little confidence I had. Was I favored by Glorianna or not?
    Some people shifted in the rear of the hall, a stirring and muttering, and I glimpsed Dafne pushing Marin forward. The woman looked overwhelmed by the grand hall, far more elaborate than anything at Windroven, to be sure.
    â€œWho are you?” Uorsin demanded. “Why is a commoner approaching my throne?”
    â€œShe is my midwife, High King,” I