Free The Olive Conspiracy by Shira Glassman Page A

with gold from the
treasury. Still, the best they could provide was stiff and rough to
a queen’s pampered skin, and even more importantly, Aviva was miles
away. Shulamit woke up several times in the middle of the night
panicking at her absence before she remembered.
    There was also the little matter of the stealth
flour that had crept into last night’s sauce…
    It would have been nice to wander outside,
among the olive trees, as she would have done if she were back home
in the palace. But that would have required waking up guards—which
it didn’t back home—and the idea felt ridiculous and
selfish.
    She awoke at the sun’s light with a false
alertness she knew would only last a few hours if she didn’t drink
serious tea. A spare pillow made a lousy stand-in for her beloved,
and her breasts felt uncomfortably full. More food for Eliana’s
little one, then.
    After washing her face in a basin of water
provided by one of the farm daughters and fixing her braids,
Shulamit stepped out into the crisp dawn air. It was chillier than
on her side of the mountains, but that was what olives
liked.
    Her guards were already up and milling about,
preparing the horses and carriage for the short journey to the next
farm. Rivka was sitting on a rock, her legs in a wide stance and
her arms resting on her thighs. In front of her slithered Isaac in
his buttery-yellow python form.
    “ How do you feel?” asked the
captain.
    “ Light-headed more than anything,”
the snake answered. His tongue flicked out, waved around, then
darted back into his mouth. “There’s, you know, a kind of dizzy
buzzing.”
    “ Queen’s up.” Rivka had noticed
her. “Hey.”
    Shulamit gave her a half smile. “How is
he?”
    “ Magic’s back, but he’s not himself
yet.” Rivka looked back over at Isaac. Shulamit followed her line
of sight and noticed he’d moved over to his lizard form.
    “ This doesn’t feel so bad,” said
Isaac. “Maybe I’d better ride on your shoulder today.”
    Rivka nodded. “It’s warm and waiting like
always!”
    “ Better try this just to see… am I
clear?”
    Rivka shook her head. “Hey! You two. Move that
way so he can test his dragon form.”
    The guards scattered warily as if they’d
touched hot coals.
    Isaac expanded into the dragon form.
“Oy.”
    “ Not good?” Rivka’s brows looked
concerned.
    “ I feel fatigued like this.” He
tried to flap his wings, but they wouldn’t move. “That’s
weird.”
    Rivka got up from her stone and walked over to
him. “You’ll be all right soon,” she cooed, rubbing his
nose.
    Just then, Eliana came out of the house,
holding her baby in her arms. “Morning, Majesty!”
    “ Good morning.” Shulamit eyed the
baby. “Does she need to nurse?”
    “ Oh, Majesty! ” Eliana
glowed. “You’re too generous. I’ve never heard of anyone, king or
queen, like you before. I mean, they said you were just, and
enthusiastic, but they also said you were really young when you
ascended the throne, and—”
    “ Baby needs food, right?” Shulamit
smiled weakly. The fussing embarrassed her and she wasn’t awake
enough to be gracious. “Here, let’s get her taken care
of.”
    “ So sorry about last night’s dinner
giving you indigestion,” Eliana commented as Shulamit adjusted the
baby against her chest. “That mutton came from a very old sheep,
and you must be used to the tenderest lamb. Plus, we don’t peel our
carrots way out here in the country…”
    Shulamit let Eliana talk. She knew most people
weren’t ready to understand that it wasn’t a refined palate that
caused her stomach pain if not under Aviva’s strict and watchful
eye—it was the simple presence of wheat. Or chicken, but that was
an entirely separate problem with much worse consequences. She’d
been so busy making sure there was no fowl in her food that she’d
missed the flour in the admittedly clear-looking sauce.
    Well, anyway. Maybe the next few meals could be
rice. “Who owns the farm