There was a message from Torio saying the delegation to Nurlie had been involved in a fist fight, and another message five minutes later saying that war between the island and the mainland was now imminent.
Nnati had left messages asking to call him back; so had Tissa. But they didn’t have information relating to the salvation of Geniverd. They just wanted to make sure I was okay.
“Sorry, guys,” I said to myself. “We’ll have to catch up later. I’ve got to save the world.”
Then I saw my final message. It was from the ex-queen. She had agreed to meet me in a secluded corner of VondRust’s southern gardens at eight o’clock, in forty-five minutes. I scrambled to find a disguise and get ready, snuck from my room, and slipped through the halls of my mansion, out into the heat of the night, then farther into the garden.
Under different circumstances, the garden meeting with Zawne’s mama, the ex-queen, would have been pleasant. Under the moonlight, the flowers appeared moist, the strong scent of jasmine and hyacinth filling my nostrils, the beautiful twilight of the atmospheric bubble around VondRust painting the night in deep blacks and blues, like a fairy-tale garden. But as it was, the meeting was grim.
The Queen Emerita emerged from the shadows, wearing a black robe, her face covered by a thick scarf. I myself wore a gardener’s outfit with my hair hidden beneath a cap.
“Good evening, daughter-in-law. What can I do for you in the midst of this unfolding tragedy? You clearly didn’t bring me here to talk about the flowers.”
“Sadly not,” I said. It sucked, because I would have preferred to welcome the ex-queen back home under better circumstances, with a grand feast and much wine and laughter. “I asked you here because the kingdom is under siege, and I have a feeling you’re familiar with the attacker.”
“Is that so?” She came close to me, and I felt right away how warm a woman she was, kind and gentle. “Tell me, child,” she whispered. “Tell me of this attacker. I trust you took a nap today.”
It was funny. We both knew of the Crown of Crowns yet were sworn to secrecy, even with each other. I had to choose my words carefully. “I did have a nap, but it was not useful. I woke up more confused than ever.”
“That may happen from time to time,” she said with a sad smile.
I paused, wondering how to bring up Emell. I thought of Raad’s message, him reminding me of the story Mama used to tell. I was sure Emell was the mistress in the story and that the king was the King Emeritus, Mama the Gaard-Ma in the scenario. I just came out with it.
“I heard a story once,” I said. “In the story was a mistress of pale skin and light eyes. She had the king’s ear, and the king of the time was very greedy for the land of Gaard. Gaard-Ma beseeched the mistress for her aid but was shunned. As a result, Gaard-Ma started a rumor that eventually drove the mistress to be condemned and banished to the farthest corner of Gaard. I’ve recently discovered who these players were, their true identities.”
The ex-queen smiled at me. “You’re a clever girl. It’s easy to see why my son fell for you. To answer your question, yes, I was reigning queen during this debacle. And yes, your mama was Gaard-Ma. And Lordin’s mother was the banished mistress. Imagine my surprise when Lordin began to gain fame throughout the kingdom. I couldn’t believe it when she ascended all the way to Zawne’s bedchamber. He never did know the truth of her mother, and the king and I kept our mouths shut.”
She regarded me curiously. “But considering the severity of the current plague and turmoil, why bring this to me now?”
“Because Emell is the owner of VBione Corp,” I said. “Raad has arrested her on suspicion of genocide. I am merely trying to determine how involved she is in everything. I’m trying to find a motive. I also need to know if Lordin is involved. As I’m sure you know …” I had to remind myself to choose my words carefully. “She’s dead, but not forgotten.”
“Oh, I see.” The ex-queen nodded, her face pinched in a contemplative expression. “That is troubling.”
“It would help if you could explain what happened,” I said. “My brother suspects this disaster was premeditated. If I can find motive, perhaps I can stop it.”
“It was twenty-five years ago,” she said, “but I will do my best to recall everything clearly.”
She took a deep breath and told me the story.
“Emell was always a vindictive woman. She cared only for power, and the young king was drawn to her because of this. They wanted to rule the kingdom with an iron fist. The whole reason the king sought extra land from the Gaard farmers was to build a lavish estate for Emell, his whimsical mistress. Why do you think Emell refused to help Mama with her request to stop the land acquisition? Anyway, after the rumor began to circulate, the king was distraught. He held meetings with his councillors to try to fix it, but there was no way around Emell’s banishment. It was the only way to save face with the other clan leaders, lest they try to oust him as king. He bid Emell farewell with a heavy heart, sending her to the frigid north of the continent, where she stayed.
“Yet Emell vowed to get her revenge against the Crown. Before she left, she cursed us. Emell was
