The ex-queen sighed. “I never took the curse seriously. Even with this virus sweeping the world, I never imagined Emell could be responsible. But you say it’s true, daughter queen?”
“Sadly, yes.” I had never heard that part of the story. I had never considered Lordin’s mother to be a corrupt and jealous woman, cast aside and hungry for vengeance against the entire world. I was wondering about something now … something I had wanted to know for a long time.
I asked, “Do you think it was Emell who poisoned Mama?”
Her face turned glum, and she put her arm around me. “I am sorry for your mama’s death,” she said. “Gaard-Ma was a good woman, a good friend.” She bit her lip, deep emotion moistening her eyes. “As for Emell … it is possible she was involved. Perhaps she poisoned her. Perhaps Emell has been plotting the destruction of Gaard and the rest of the world for the past twenty-five years.”
I gasped, staggered backward through the grass. “Which could mean …”
“Yes,” the Queen Emerita said. “It could mean Lordin has been helping her since day one. With Lordin’s death …”
She couldn’t say it, but I knew what the ex-queen was thinking. She wanted to imply that with Lordin’s transformation into a Min, Lordin would have ultimate power throughout Geniverd. She’d be able to pull strings, push the pieces where she wanted, maybe even get Zawne and me elevated to the throne. That was when I remembered Hagan and her mannerisms, her confidence. In a split second, I knew it had been Lordin inside Hagan’s body, controlling her, securing the deal for VBione Corp. Yet how could Emell interact with Hagan-Lordin without knowing the Great Secret? Could it be Lordin was helping her mother from beyond the grave, using the cover of a businesswoman from Gaard?
It suddenly felt like I was in the center of a great conspiracy, a family rivalry that had trickled down through the years and left me to suffer in its fallout. It wasn’t fair. It didn’t make sense. Lordin had been such a good person in her life, so noble. Could that have been the plan all along? Could Emell have twisted Lordin and made her impure?
“I thank you for your time, but I must leave,” I told the ex-queen. “I need to get to the bottom of this.”
I also needed to confront Emell. If she had killed Mama, I wanted to look her in the eyes and hear her confess. I wanted justice.
Chapter 14
I was at a crossroads. To my left was the cobbled path to my mansion. To my right was the path to Zawne. I wanted more than anything to be cradled in his strong arms, to tell him everything I had discovered. I needed advice, and I needed it badly. I couldn’t go to Nnati or Tissa, or even to Raad. I couldn’t discuss the Great Secret with them, but I could discuss it with Zawne.
On the other hand, I was a little nervous of Zawne’s allegiance. I was sure in my heart that he was fully unaware of Lordin’s deception. Yet I couldn’t risk it. I needed a mutual mind to help me. I needed …
“Roki.”
I whispered his name, standing in the dark between the two mansions. I was out of options. He was the only one who could help me, even if I did hate him for betraying my trust. “Roki,” I said, “I need you now. I need your help. I have nowhere to turn. I’m alone in the world.”
I dreaded the thought of him appearing in front of me. I could still see the images of him and those other women tangled in lustful embraces. It made me sick. Yet deep in my heart was a longing for Roki. I had to trust my instincts, that summoning him was in my best interest.
His scent came to me on a breeze. I closed my eyes and felt the wind stir. When I opened them, Roki stood before me. Unlike in the past, he wore no smile. He had a sad and beaten quality to him. There was blood on his shirt.
“Are you bleeding?” I immediately threw away all my hardened resolve to keep things impersonal and rushed to Roki. I lifted his shirt and looked for wounds. I was checking him all over, Roki sagging where he stood as if drained of energy.
“No.” He took my hands and gently pushed them against my chest. “But thank you for the concern. I have been helping in Nurlie, dragging the wounded from the streets, trying to protect the innocent. It’s insanity there right now. Reinforcements are on their way, but right now it is violent. With Surrvul in the mix, flaunting their money and providing weapons, things look grim. The Gurnots are trying to help, but there is only so much they can do.”
“The Gurnots? I thought they were terrorists!”
“Hardly,” Roki said. We began to walk along the left path, toward my mansion, through the sweet night air. It was dark and no one could see us. “The Gurnots fight for the people of Geniverd. They despise the way Decens-Lenitas imprisons the lower classes. Everything they do is for the liberation of humanity. Sometimes they must use violence or intimidation tactics. It’s why they released the Dragon. Just look, Kaelyn. Look at what the greed of the clans can do!”
Roki activated his visin to show me an overhead view of the nighttime violence in Nurlie. Buildings aflame, laser beams zipping between the ruined towers, wounded and dead stuck between two walls of opposing soldiers. The soldiers
