Chapter 19: Chapter 18 – The Coronation

Raviel waited patiently near the King's Temple. A crowd of patricians was in front of the entrance, so he preferred to stand slightly back in the shadow of the huge columns. His father had disappeared to greet some acquaintances. He looked away, and a bitter smile shaped the outline of his lips. Valens's ashes were still warm, but everyone seemed to have forgotten him already. All their thoughts were on the future emperor. Severus would obtain the title only when the ritual was completed, although the Senate had voted in his favor the day before.

“Raviel”

Raviel looked up and met Lana's tender gaze. His features softened somewhat. His sister still seemed to him as resplendent as ever. Her gold jewelry contrasted with her skillfully styled dark hair. Light circles underlined her smoky eyes, but her perfect complexion was to make people envious.

“Lana. How are you?”

A worried crease crossed her brow as she replied:

“I would like to know how you are doing.”

Raviel hesitated for a moment, before finally looking away as his only response. Lana was not discouraged, however, and patiently waited for her brother to confide.

“It hurts,” he breathed. “I feel like my heart is being crushed.”

He lifted his head to look at the sky. This one was incredibly blue. Not a cloud came to disturb the horizon. Raviel had always loved this color. However, today, it could not ease his suffering.

“I’m angry,” he continued.

He hated this society more than ever.

“And above all, I feel so guilty if you only knew…”

“You are not responsible for what happened!”

"I should have known!" He retorted harshly.

He leaned back against a column, looking weary.

"I should have known," he repeated quietly. “And I don't understand why I had a vision so late.”

"You went to the palace that night," Lana whispered.

Raviel nodded without a word.

"What happened, Raviel?" What did you see?”

Silence enveloped them for long minutes, only interspersed with the sounds of discussions and the ambient commotion, similar to a buzz.

"I'd rather not tell you anything," he finally said. “It would put you in unnecessary danger.”

Lana pursed her lips slightly.

“You have told me enough for me to guess part of it.”

Raviel gave her a sidelong glance. It didn't surprise him. Lana's Gift allowed her to understand the slightest innuendo, to analyze the smallest expression. The advantage was that it was rather discreet, which worked in her favor since no one could tell when she uses her Gift.

"I went to the Library," he continued calmly. “I found nothing.”

Lana tilted her head to the side thoughtfully.

“I may have been luckier than you.”

Raviel turned to her carefully.

“I went to the Temple of the Strategist and spoke with a priest. I asked him if there were powers other than the Gifts that could leave different impressions. He was a little suspicious, but he finally told me that some people had predispositions to feel the flows of divine magic.”

Ravel's eyes widened in surprise.

"He now thinks I should have become a priestess," she continued with a hint of amusement in her voice. “I refrained from revealing to him that I was asking these questions for you.”

"The flows of divine magic…" Raviel repeated slowly. “But what is the relationship with mother? And…”

He made sure they were well isolated from the crowd.

“What is the relationship with Aster, who is not of Massallian origin?”

Lana frowned.

You are reading story The King’s Gift at novel35.com

“You didn't tell me about Aster.”

Raviel gave her a meaningful look. When Lana had visited him at the villa, Aster had just fled, and she hadn't seemed to carry him in her heart.

"Is that what prompted you to buy him?"

“Among other things… He appeared in one of my visions, but that's not the point.”

Lana refrained from asking more questions, although she desired to know more.

“So you would feel those flows when you're with mother, and when you're with Aster.”

Raviel nodded slowly. He wasn't sure, because at the time he had been too upset to pay attention, but he also thought he had felt that strange feeling at the palace the night Valens had died.

“It doesn't make any sense,” he whispered.

Lana looked puzzled.

"Why do I feel the divine flows? I believed that the gods no longer had any relationship with humans, except for certain rituals.”

“I don't know, Raviel,” Lana said, looking troubled.

Silence fell on them again, and Raviel let his eyes wander over the crowd of patricians thronging the entrance to the temple. He recognized many faces. He suddenly tensed when he saw the silhouette of Helvia, who was chatting affably with some senators. Lana followed his gaze and stepped in front of him to divert his attention.

“What is it? She asked gently.

Raviel forced himself to smile reassuringly.

“It’s nothing, do not worry. I was just distracted for a moment.”

“Raviel ... If someone causes you trouble, tell me. Pontius and I can help you.”

He stiffened slightly. He knew he wouldn't tell her. Now that Severus was about to take power, he found himself restricted in many ways. The slightest mistake would cost him dearly, and he refused to put Lana and her family in danger. He would do it alone. The buzz of the crowd suddenly increased, sparing him the hassle of responding.

The ceremony was about to begin.

The Temple of the King was as majestic inside as it was outside. The ceiling culminated several tens of meters above the ground, thus creating a very vast space within the building. To tell the truth, it was not the monument that Raviel liked best. The young man found the roof covered with gilded bronze tiles too flashy. However, he was still admiring the precision with which the white marble columns had been carved. These formed a long aisle leading to the back of the temple, where the altar dedicated to the king of the gods had been erected.

Raviel quivered imperceptibly. He dreaded temples. Ordinarily, he never set foot in them, but he could not escape the coronation of the new emperor. He only hoped that the crowd of patricians would allow him to blend in.

Lana wasn’t by his side. She went to meet her husband. Raviel felt alone among the crowd. Unconsciously, his fingers tightened around the fabric of his toga. It was too hot. The summer heat, which seeped mercilessly into the temple, was overwhelming. He tried to slow his breathing. He had to stay calm at all costs.

The whispers died down as several priests approached the altar. All eyes fell on the entrance to the temple and Severus appeared, dressed in a scarlet toga. Raviel closed his eyes briefly. The time had come. The one where Severus would be crowned.

All the patricians bowed in the same movement, one knee placed on the ground. Severus walked slowly towards the altar. He stood straight, his chin slightly raised. At this moment, his bearing was overwhelming, and Raviel couldn't help but stiffen as he walked past him. He would have given anything to be somewhere else.

His gaze was drawn to the side. His eyes wandered to the entrance of the temple, and he froze. A woman was watching him intently. A finely crafted tiara held back her dark hair, which cascaded down her back, interwoven with golden threads. Strangely, unlike the other women, she did not wear a shawl over her long white dress, revealing the milky skin of her arms. She didn't look very old, perhaps she was Lana's age.

Her cold beauty made him uneasy. Her face seemed too…perfect. She exuded such a presence that Raviel wondered why no one was paying attention to her, but she didn't seem to see anyone but him. Her gaze was filled with an implacable hatred and contempt. Raviel shivered. He didn't remember ever having seen her somewhere. It bothered him deeply as if he couldn't put his finger on an essential element. A strange feeling of deja vu.

A cold smile appeared on the woman's lips, and he suddenly felt a dull terror invade him. It was irrational. His whole being cried out to him that he was facing a danger against which he could do nothing.

Raviel turned his head towards the altar where Severus had knelt, wishing to get rid of that inquisitive gaze that seemed to be amused by his distress. But it didn’t work. He desperately tried to wipe away the tears that were welling up in his eyes. He could only hear the frantic beating of his heart. One of the priests positioned himself in front of Severus and said something, but the meaning of the words seemed to escape the young man. Slowly, the priest placed the golden crown on Severus's dark hair, then he took several steps back. Raviel held his breath as the priest chanted softly.

He flinched suddenly. The strange sensation that had haunted him for days invaded him violently as if his body suddenly found itself in the grip of a raging storm. He suppressed a gasp of amazement. It had never seemed so strong to him.

He didn't have a chance to question himself further, as magic poured out into all of space. Lightning fell from the sky, piercing the ceiling as if it didn't exist. It hit Severus, still kneeling, but he barely wavered. Lightning suddenly surrounded him, and Raviel couldn't take his eyes off the show, torn between fascination and violent unease.

He finally turned his head away uncomfortably, and his eyes inadvertently caught Lana's, who was gazing at him sadly. Raviel bit his lip, before turning back to the altar. The lightning attracted him, as much as he dreaded it. It sent shivers down his spine, slight tingles on his fingertips. It resonated with his body, seeping into his veins, his nerves, and his bones.

Slowly, the lightning dissipated in ethereal wisps, and Severus rose to face the patricians. He now possessed the Gift of the King. His gaze swept the assembly, before stopping briefly on Raviel, who froze.

Severus was the Emperor of Massallia, and Raviel knew that this coronation would probably sign his downfall.

When he finally stood up, his throat had never felt so dry. Unconsciously, his gaze wandered into the crowd, searching for the woman who had been watching him with fierce hatred. He saw her nowhere. She seemed to have vanished.

You can find story with these keywords: The King’s Gift, Read The King’s Gift, The King’s Gift novel, The King’s Gift book, The King’s Gift story, The King’s Gift full, The King’s Gift Latest Chapter