“It’s understandable,” Hanchell said in her delicate voice. “Humans are often shocked and awed by this place. It’s called Shiol, by the way.”
“It’s like another dimension?”
“Kind of,” Riedel said. “It’s more of a spirit dimension. We are spirits, as are the Min. Only the Min may travel freely between spirit realm and human realm.”
I kept blinking. I had no idea what Riedel was talking about. It was so strange watching their intangible shapes of light wriggle and sparkle before me.
“This is where we choreograph events in Geniverd and the other civilizations,” Hanchell explained. “Right now you are in a protective bubble. The other spirits can’t interact with you unless we allow it. Don’t be afraid.”
“I’m not,” I said, which was strange, because I should have been terrified.
“Good,” Riedel said. “There is no time for fear. We have brought you here for a very important reason, Kaelyn. It is our practice to inform the new kings and queens of Geniverd of their positions before the coronation.”
“Wait.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to digest all this information. “You’re telling me Zawne and I will be king and queen? What about the bird Papa used to tell me about? If you are the Crown of Crowns …”
“Yes,” Hanchell said, answering my thought. “We take turns being the bird. It was Riedel last time, so I will be the bird in three weeks.”
Riedel groaned. I could tell from his shifting light pattern that he was disgruntled. “I like being the bird,” he said. “But fine, you can do it this time.”
“This is all really crazy,” I said. “No one is going to believe this!”
“We should hope not,” both spirits said at once.
Then Hanchell said, “Kaelyn, you are forbidden to tell anyone about Shiol or our existence. We refer to this as the Great Secret. If you reveal the Great Secret to anyone, you and whoever you tell will die.”
“Oh …” My heart fell, but I supposed it made sense. People couldn’t know there were spirits in an ethereal realm, pulling the strings down on Geniverd.
“It does make sense,” Riedel said. “And yes, we can read your thoughts. But none of that matters. What matters, Kaelyn, is that we have chosen you and Zawne to be the next rulers. You two have a lot of work to do together. We need strong humans to lead Geniverd. Out of all the eligible minds and hearts we have searched, yours were the best. We were thrilled last night when your engagement was announced. We scanned your worthiness and couldn’t believe it—leagues above the rest!”
I was more stunned by this revelation than by any of the supernatural stuff. “How is that possible?” I asked.
“We do not make mistakes, human,” Hanchell said, very sweetly. “Your heart is the one we need.”
“And Zawne’s,” Riedel added.
I thought Hanchell’s light form smiled as she said, “But mostly yours. The truth is, Kaelyn, you are a strong and capable woman. We feel comfortable with the fate of Geniverd in your small human hands. We will help you, of course. You will need to see us five nights a week during your reign as queen, to be made aware of current events. This will exhaust you. Visiting Shiol takes a toll on the human body, but you will learn to cope.”
“First you must decide if you want to be queen,” Riedel said. “We shouldn’t talk too much of your duties until you’ve decided to take the throne with Zawne by your side. But you must make the decision by tomorrow night.”
“Why is it my decision to make?” I asked. “Why isn’t Zawne here too?”
“It’s a mercy,” Hanchell said. “You see, if you say no, we have to kill you in a tragic and painful way. No humans aside from the Geniverd rulers may know the Great Secret. This way, should you not feel up to the task, only you must die. You’ll be sparing Zawne’s life.”
“And if Zawne refuses the job?” I asked. “This seems utterly biased!”
“We’re sure he won’t,” Riedel said. “He is a more basic human than you are. Your heart is complicated, like Lordin’s was. We thought she would accept the job, but she didn’t. We hope you will be different.”
It hit me like a slap across the face. Lordin had been killed because she’d turned down the role as queen. But why? What would cause her to renounce the throne and be willingly butchered?
“It’s true,” Hanchell said sadly. She had read my thoughts. “Lordin turned down the offer to become queen. She thought Zawne didn’t have what it would take to be ruler. Sad, really, the way we had to kill her.”
“She’s a Min now,” Riedel told me. “Min are spirits that can move between our worlds. When someone who knows the Great Secret dies, they become a Min and work for us. This means we give them tasks, and then they are free to roam habitable planets, like Geniverd, and even inhabit another human’s body. The only rule is that a Min may not influence people’s ideas of their dead self, or ever reveal the Great Secret. If they do, they die an irreversible death.”
I had so many questions, so many feelings. Two omnipotent beings were flipping my perspective of the world on its head. I stuttered, trying to ask everything at once. “So that means … If I were a … Does anyone else …? What about my …? Do you think …?”
Hanchell laughed. “Calm, Kaelyn. All these questions will be answered in time. Firstly, yes, we do believe Zawne has what it takes to be king. And secondly, we don’t seek overtly virtuous people. We instead search for pure and incorruptible hearts, like yours.”
“Oh.” That made me feel better. Maybe I wasn’t as virtuous as Lordin was, but my intentions were certainly pure. I was more unnerved about Zawne discovering the reason for Lordin’s death. I wondered how he would react, if he would turn on me or even turn
