Katrinka cleared her throat and said, “Excuse me, Queen Ravanna?”
“What is it?” the Cold Queen murmured, already annoyed with our presence.
“I haven’t seen any servants. Or other people in the Keep.” Katrinka tucked her hands behind her back and averted the queen’s eyes.
“I don’t hear a question,” Ravanna snapped back.
“Are there servants? In the castle, I mean?”
If Ravanna wasn’t annoyed before, she very much was now. “Of course there are servants. What kind of question is that? We simply prefer they stay out of sight in Blackthorne. I know in other kingdoms, the servants prance around as though they are one of you, but here, they know their place and stick to it. Which is why you don’t see them now. They’re being respectful of your rank.”
I shared a wide-eyed look of terror with Katrinka before she said, “Of course. I just had not seen anyone yet and—”
“Here is Mrs. Blythe to take you to your rooms now.” Her tone was so condescending and dismissive that I felt my face burn with shame.
Katrinka wouldn’t look at anyone, not even me or Mrs. Blythe.
Mrs. Blythe was an older woman with a severe expression and snow-white hair pulled back into a tight bun at her nape. I was instantly terrified of her.
But Ravanna wasn’t finished with us yet. “And Allisand sisters,” she called. We turned to look at her in unison, and I had no doubt both of us were trembling in our traveling boots. “Just because Blackthorne is the poorest kingdom in the realm doesn’t mean I can’t afford to keep help. Even though we pay the highest taxes to the Seat of Power.”
Katrinka practically sprinted to Mrs. Blythe’s side. I followed quickly after. How had we managed to learn more about Ravanna than I knew possible and infuriate her in the span of one day?
Just before I left the throne room for the hall, I braved a glance back to find that the candles on the chandelier had all been lit. But when?
And by who?
I thought of the pagan witches. Magic in the Crown of Nine. A war over a magical object. And cursed lands and blessed roads.
Magic had always existed in my world as something from the past. An outdated construct that no longer held any authority. But here it was. Alive and breathing. Still a thing from the past, but a strong and powerful enough influence to still affect things today. And not just something used hundreds of years ago that still held power in modern things, but something actively used and manipulated now.
The Crown of Nine hiding away for so long, then falling into my hands.
The goblin’s curse.
The Blessed Road.
The chandelier that had not been lit and then was after Ravanna Presydia had merely glanced at it.
Magic was not a myth. Magic was real. And the chill from Barstus meant something I could not yet face. Something that tied my mother and Ravanna together. Something that would change the world should I sit in the Seat of Power.
Was the old way the true way?
And if so, what did that mean for me?
ChapterFourteen
Aknock on my door had me jumping from where I sat cross-legged on my bed with Shiksa curled up in my lap, the spell book laid out in front of me. Clesta had gone to find someone who could help her track down Finch. I had a letter to give him, but he hadn't been around since we’d arrived in Blackthorne.
I was worried about him but desperate not to draw too much attention to him. My other guards, Curtis and Dover, didn’t seem concerned about him at all. But surely, if something had happened, they would notify me.
Besides, Clesta didn’t knock.
Before I could hide the spell book or move off my bed to answer the door, Katrinka pushed inside. She looked agitated and pale with worry, so I immediately forgot about trying to decipher pagan and was concerned over her.
“What is it?” I asked, tensing for something horrible.
She glanced around my bedroom. Despite Fenwick Keep’s rather stark décor around the rest of the castle, our rooms were outfitted nicely. They were still simple and practical per the rest of the castle’s style but also tasteful.
