Page 48 of The Powers of Nyx
But was that the truth? Did I believe that, or was I lying to myself?
17
IVY
I BRISTLEDfrom the interaction with Hawk but watched almost painfully as he stalked towards the other deck—the one at the front of the ship and as far away from us as possible.
Jackass, I thought, crossing my arms. I really did want to admire the crossing. At some point during the night, we’d passed what was known as the Old World, which Maeve had explained to be the original homeland of the supes. Some kind of war had broken out, and they’d been forced to leave, despite everything Nyx had done to protect the people and the land.
If I turned back, I could just make out the hazy outline of land that might have belonged to another realm.
“That would be the Seelie Court,” Adrian said, moving to stand beside me. “Summer, Winter, Spring, Autumn. The Courts of seasonal change.”
“Or something along those lines. They have their own crappy names, but we just call them by that.” Rowan appeared at my other side and offered me a wicked smile. “You look beautiful this morning, love.”
I furrowed my brows. “Who are you and what have you done with my Rowan?” I asked sceptically.
“That Rowan decided he was done hiding,” he replied, “and is ready to fucking fight.”
Before I could utter a response to that declaration, the kids started talking rapidly about tentacles and tails. I had to tearmyself away from both mages, who were making my stomach do all kinds of flips.
It was probably a good thing Thea had remained below deck. Her motion sickness would have been an entirely different beast out here. Despite being somewhat calm, there was still a gentle rock to the boat that became more noticeable while above deck.
A shiver rolled over my skin. My magic rose as if to meet the feeling, igniting across my skin. Instinctively, I stepped away from the children as violet light danced across my arms. “What’s going on?”
Elias was there first, entering my vision. “Nothing is wrong, Angel. You’re fine.”
“This only happens when—” I cut myself off and try to control my breathing. “Elias.”
From the other side of the deck, Captain Vale clapped his hands together, the sound a booming echo. “You are not in danger, my Queen. You are simply returning home. Your magic recognises the crossing as the place where it was born. It is excited to be back, is all.”
Another shiver rolled down my spine as I turned to him. “What do you mean?”
“Has no one told you the story of the first Queen of Nyx?” he asked.
I vaguely recalled Queen Greer mentioning it when I’d asked about the bonds and why they were so important for me to have. “I know a little about the mate side of it. She had lovers and they became the anchors of her magic.”
“It is more than that.” Captain Vale approached our group slowly, his eyes glinting with excitement.
Get ready for a show,Adrian warned.And to hear this story about a thousand more times while you’re here. The First Queen is legendary.
I glanced to my left and met my mage’s eye. I wouldn’t tell him how intrigued I was. I’d only heard of her in relation to her mates. Not about her as a Queen, and it had me curious.
Vale widened his stance and clapped his hands. “Queen Pandora—”
“Wait.” I held up my hand and glanced between Captain Vale and my mates, who had now gathered the children to keep them from running around. “Pandora, like the box?”
The captain cocked his head. “What box? There is no box in this story.”
I sighed, but it was Eloise who replied. “She means like the Greek myth. In the story, Pandora opens a box and releases all the bad crap into the world or something.”
I pressed my lips together. Before, I might have called her out on her use of ‘crap’ but if I had to be honest, I was saying a whole lot worse at her age, and that was more age-appropriate thanshit—which is what I would have used in her place.
At least she knew the answer, I decided.
The captain, however, shrugged. “I know of no such myth,” he replied. “I talk only of the First Queen of Nyx and how she came to be.”
“Okay,” I replied, motioning for Eloise to not argue with the three-hundred-year-old male. “So, what’s the story then?”