“Go back to Culinnon,” the Aerin said. “Go back to where you belong.”

“No,” Alethea said.

“Then you may remain in Ithilia,” the Renalt said as the Aerin muttered something to herself, annoyed. “On the condition that you leave your mother’s beliefs and attitudes behind you.”

“As you have so astutely pointed out, Your Grace,” Alethea said, “they are my mother’s beliefs. Not mine.” She bowed low. “I thank you, Triumvirate, for your time. May the goddesses go with you.”

“And with you,” the three queens replied.

Once she had gone, the Lekke turned to the other two.

“She is not her mother’s daughter, that’s for certain,” she said.

“No,” the Renalt mused. “Perhaps when she inherits Culinnon, there can finally be peace between the Byrnes and the Triumvirate.”

“Perhaps,” the Aerin said doubtfully.

The memory dissolved and Agnes returned to the present, gasping for breath. The Renalt was staring at Sera, stunned. For several moments there was only the sound of the waves lapping against the shore and the murmurs of the Misarros who had been frozen and were now shaking their heads or flexing their fingers or running their hands over their chests.

“What . . . was that?” the Renalt said in a daze.

“I am a Cerulean,” Sera said. “My blood is magic. And Agnes is more like her mother than her grandmother. The opportunity presented itself once before. Alethea’s request was wiser than you realized. How much death and pain could have been avoided, if you had listened to her then and forged a truce with Ambrosine?”

“Ambrosine would have broken any pact that was made,” the Renalt said, and Agnes knew that was true.

“Perhaps,” said Sera. “But she is dead and Agnes is here. Isn’t it time to put aside old grudges? Isn’t it better for Pelago to be united rather than divided?”

“The Lekke would agree,” Matthias said, rising to his feet. “And the Aerin would not be able to protest, not with two votes in favor. Let us move forward into a new future, Your Grace. One where our families can live in peace.”

“And how can I be certain that Agnes is truly the woman you say she is?” the Renalt asked.

Agnes had a sudden flash of an idea. “I told you, Braxos holds no magic or fortune. The jewels you see beneath the water are illusions. The only power here belongs to these women, to these Cerulean, and it will fade when they leave. But there is something I can offer you, something you have long coveted.” She steeled herself, wondering how her uncles would react. “I will share the riches of Culinnon with you.”

Matthias gasped and Hektor made a choking sound. Leo was smiling at her grimly, nodding his head.