Lena remained standing in the chamber long after Sarri and Zida left.
The room felt too quiet now.
Only moments ago it had been filled with words like curse, princes, and war. Now there was only silence, broken by the occasional hiss of torchlight and the distant sounds of servants moving through the estate.
Lena wrapped her arms around herself.
She needed answers.
And there was only one person in this house who seemed to know how to find them.
“A??u?” she called.
The boy appeared almost immediately, as if he had been waiting outside the door for permission to enter. He stepped inside balancing a small tray loaded with fruit—figs, grapes, slices of melon, and a shallow dish of honey.
His face brightened when he saw her.
“I am at your service,” he said proudly. “I heard you needed me.”
Lena blinked at the tray.
“You brought snacks?”
A??u glanced down as if only just remembering he was holding them.
“Oh. Yes. I thought you might be hungry.”
Despite herself, Lena smiled faintly.
“You’re a good servant.”
A??u straightened at once, pride lighting up his whole face.
“Thank you.”
Lena motioned him closer.
“I actually need information.”
That made him lean forward immediately, curious.
“What happened just now?” she asked. “Sarri and Zida said something about sending for people.”
A??u’s eyes widened.
“They’re calling for them?”
“For who?”
“Mursilil and Illbani.”
The boy lowered his voice instinctively, as if the names themselves had weight.
Lena frowned.
“That’s important?”
A??u nodded quickly.
“Very.”
He set the tray on the table and stepped closer.
“If Prince Sarri calls for them, it means they’ve decided to act.”
“Act against who?”
Lena already knew the answer.
But she asked anyway.
A??u glanced toward the doorway, then whispered:
“The queen.”
The word hung between them.
Lena’s stomach tightened.
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A??u continued, voice low and urgent.
“You don’t understand how serious that is.”
“Mursilil swore something once.”
“What?” Lena asked.
The boy swallowed.
“He said he would never return home unless the queen was punished.”
“Punished for what she did to his mother.”
A chill crept down Lena’s spine.
“What happened to his mother?”
A??u hesitated, as if the story itself felt dangerous.
“She was the Tawananna before the queen.”
Lena blinked.
“The what?”
“The Tawananna,” A??u explained. “The High Queen. The highest woman in the kingdom.”
Lena’s eyes widened.
“Wait.”
Her voice rose slightly.
“You’re telling me Dannuhepa took that title from her?”
A??u shook his head quickly.
“No one says that out loud.”
Lena frowned. “But people suspect it?”
“Only a few,” A??u said quietly. “Prince Sarri. Zida. Mursilil.”
He hesitated.
“And me.”
Lena swallowed.
“What was her name?”
“Henti.”
The name settled heavily between them.
“When did this happen?” Lena asked.
“When the princes were still children.”
“How old?”
A??u thought for a moment.
“Mursilil was seven.”
“And Prince Sarri was nine.”
Lena’s chest tightened.
Seven.
A child.
No wonder he had sworn revenge.
But then A??u said, “That wasn’t the only strange thing.”
Lena looked up.
“What do you mean?”
The boy shifted uneasily.
“Before Henti became Tawananna, the title was meant for Prince Sarri’s mother.”
Lena frowned.
“She was supposed to be the High Queen?”
“Yes.”
“Everyone expected it.”
“Then why didn’t she become Tawananna?”
A??u lowered his voice again.
“She became ill.”
“Suddenly.”
Lena’s eyes narrowed.
“How?”
“They said she drank something.”
“Something bad.”
“The sickness never went away.”
Lena felt her pulse quicken.
“Poison.”
A??u gave a small shrug.
“No one proved it.”
“But because of the illness, she could not rule.”
“So she gave the title to Henti.”
“Willingly.”
Lena slowly sat down on the edge of the bed.
“What was her name?”
“A?munikal.”
The name struck the air differently than Henti’s had.
Sharper. Colder somehow.
Lena repeated it softly.
“A?munikal.”
A??u nodded.
“She lived with the sickness for years.”
“And eventually she died.”
Silence settled over the chamber.
Then he added:
“But something strange happened.”
Lena looked up.
“What?”
“The night before the funeral ceremony…”
“…her body disappeared.”
Lena stared.
“What?”
“No one knows what happened,” A??u said. “No guard saw anything. No one entered the chamber.”
“It was just… gone.”
A chill moved down Lena’s arms.
“What does Sarri think happened?”
A??u thought for a moment.
“He believes the queen may have poisoned his mother.”
“But he does not believe she took the body.”
“Why not?”
“He says his instincts tell him it wasn’t her doing.”
The silence that followed felt heavy.
Two queens.
Two tragedies.
One throne.
And somehow the same woman had risen after both.
Lena stared at the table, her thoughts racing.
Then she looked up.
“The queen wants my blood for a sacrifice,” she said quietly. “To place a curse.”
A??u stiffened.
“A curse?”
“Yes.”
Lena met his eyes.
“She told me herself.”
“She needs my blood to kill the princes… so only her son will remain.”
The boy’s face drained of color.
“Armaziti…”
Lena nodded.
“That’s the name she said.”
For a moment A??u said nothing.
Then he whispered,
“Now it makes sense.”
Lena frowned.
“What makes sense?”
A??u looked up at her.
“You don’t understand how the royal house works.”
“Then explain it to me.”
The boy nodded.
“First there is the king.”
“Then there is the Second Prince—Prince Tudhaliya, the king’s brother.”
“He is one of the most powerful men in the kingdom.”
“After him come the king’s sons.”
“The first son is Illbani.”
“But he has no prince title.”
“Why?”
“Because his mother was very low status.”
“So he cannot inherit the throne.”
Lena grimaced.
“That sounds unfair.”
A??u shrugged.
“It is the law.”
He paused, then added,
“But Illbani is still very important.”
Lena looked up.
“How?”
“He is skilled with politics,” A??u said. “More than anyone in this house.”
“He understands the nobles, the court, the laws.”
“Prince Sarri relies on him for advice.”
“Whenever something political happens, Sarri goes to Illbani first.”
Lena raised an eyebrow.
“So he’s the brain.”
A??u nodded.
“And Sarri is the sword.”
He continued.
“The next prince is Sarri, the Third Prince.”
“Then comes Mursilil, the Fourth Prince.”
“And finally…”
“The Fifth Prince.”
Lena already knew.
“Armaziti.”
A??u nodded grimly.
“The queen’s son.”
The room fell silent.
Then Lena leaned forward slowly.
“Now it explains everything.”
“If the curse kills the princes in order…”
She counted on her fingers.
“Tudhaliya.”
“Sarri.”
“Mursilil.”
She looked up.
“Then only Armaziti remains.”
A??u swallowed.
“And he becomes the heir.”
“Yes.”
A long silence filled the room.
Then A??u whispered,
“If that’s true…”
“…then the princes are already in danger.”
Lena looked down at her hands.
“And I’m the knife she wants to use.”
A??u looked horrified.
“You’re not a knife.”
Lena gave a faint, humorless laugh.
“Tell that to her.”
A??u suddenly went pale.
“There’s something else.”
“What?” Lena asked.
“Henti didn’t die quietly.”
Lena felt her stomach tighten.
A??u lowered his voice.
“She died in the temple.”
“During a night prayer.”
Lena froze.
“The queen was there with her.”
“They entered the temple together.”
“And only one of them came back out.”
The room felt colder.
“What did they say happened?” Lena whispered.
“The priests said she angered the gods.”
“But the servants whisper something else.”
“What?”
“They say she drowned.”
Lena stared.
“In the temple?”
A??u nodded.
“They say when they carried her body out…”
“…her hair was wet.”
“Her clothes were soaked.”
“And water dripped from her hands.”
“But there was no water in the room.”
“The floor was dry.”
The chamber went completely still.
A??u swallowed hard.
“Mursilil remembers it.”
“He was only seven.”
Lena whispered slowly,
“Your kingdom has a very dangerous throne.”
A??u didn’t answer.
Then—
A hard knock echoed through the corridor.
Both of them jumped.
A servant’s voice called from outside.
“My prince… they’ve arrived.”
Lena’s breath caught.
A??u looked at her.
“Mursilil.”
The torches flickered against the stone walls.
And suddenly the room no longer felt quiet.
It felt like the moment before a storm.
