“Soon, you’ll finally see some of these places with your own two eyes.” Ellene’s finger tapped on the Crossroads in the Western Waste before trailing down to the southern capital. “It isn’t long now, until you leave.”
“We have a whole winter.” Vi caught her hand, giving it a squeeze.
“Don’t spend it here cooped in your room alone with your maps,” Ellene whispered. “Don’t let the idea of places you want to see, that you’ll see soon enough, take you from me in these final weeks that I have you.”
“I won’t.” It sounded like a promise, but Vi didn’t know if such a promise was fair to make. She could never control what consumed her attentions. And it seemed, now, that learning the magic of the world beyond was going to quickly absorb all free thought if she wasn’t careful. Could she go that quickly from merely wanting control of her powers to wanting to excel in them?
“Promise?” Ellene must’ve heard the reservation, too.
“I promise.”
Ellene was right; soon enough she would be taken away. Then, she would have a whole lifetime to spend in the South, years as an Empress going on tours across her territories to attach visuals of locations to the names on her map. She could find tutors for the magic that was already intriguing her, bring them from the Crescent Continent, if she must. She would have far more clout as Empress than Sehra had as Chieftain; she might have better luck as a result.
“Good. I’m going to hold you to it.” Her voice was much brighter, a smile sneaking on her lips.
“You already have something in mind.” Why was she not surprised?
“Well, you missed the market today with Jayme, Darrus, and I,anddinner. You owe us.”
Vi gave a snort of laughter and decided to play along. She owed everyone something right now it would seem. “Okay, I owe you… how can I repay my debt?”
“Tomorrow, after your lessons, come out with Jayme and me. We can walk through the market—show you what you missed—on the way to the outer ring.” The outer ring was the burnt stretch that still remained like a scar on the earth from the Empire’s occupation during the War in the North.
“And what are we doing in the outer ring?”
“Noru races!”
She suppressed a shiver at the mere mention of noru. After the incident in the jungle, Vi was quite content not interacting with the beasts again for a while. But she already promised Ellene…
“They’re the preliminary races for the winter solstice festivals,” Ellene continued. “Darrus asked me today to join the first heat with him. But, of course, I played coy and told him that I’d have to see if you were planning on joining. Since you’re the Crown Princess, I had to be deferent to you and all.” Vi snorted at the idea of Ellene showing her proper etiquette. Ellene clearly had the same idea as she giggled with laughter. “I was thinking we could take Gormon out—he’s faster than mine. Mother still insists I ride the old slow Stanos for safety or some such.”
“Some safety may be good for us,” Vi muttered.
“Vi, don’t take their side.”
“Okay, okay, continue this plan of yours,” she conceded.
“So, we’ll say you race, and we take out your noru. Then, when we get there, I’ll let Darrus be disappointed that I’m not riding with him because you wanted to. And you can say that you won’t ride because… Well, I don’t know. You can decide that there. You’re sick or something.” Ellene giggled.Sick of noru, more like, Vi thought flatly. “Think of how surprised he’ll be when I’m astride. How impressed he’ll be when I come in first on your noru.” Ellene clasped her hands over Vi’s hand. “He’ll fall in love with me then and there, Vi, and we’ll live together happily for forever.”
“How can I argue with true love?”
“So you’re saying you'll do it?” Ellene squeezed tighter.
“There’s not much I need to be ‘doing.’ More what I need to make sure I’m not doing.” Vi chuckled. “Yes, I’ll do it. I’ll tell the servants first thing in the morning to saddle Gormon—full Imperial leathers. Just think how impressive that will look for Darrus.”
“I knew I could count on you!” Ellene clapped her hands. “I’ll let Jayme know in the morning that you agreed to the plan.”
“Not tonight?” It wasn’t like Ellene not to immediately rush off and tell everyone involved of her latest schemes.
“She wasn’t feeling too well after dinner. Said she might have ate something her stomach wasn’t familiar with in the market.” Ellene shook her head. “You know her, no matter how many times she’s been to Soricium, her stomach just refuses to agree with something at some point.”
“I’ll send Ginger.”
“I already offered to get a cleric.” Ellene raised her hands and shoulders in a dismissive motion. “She said she needs to sleep it off and that she doesn’t need help.”
“Well, we’ll see how she feels in the morning, and if we have to we can force some clerical help on her.” Vi gave Ellene a wink that was returned with a laugh.
“You can do that. I’m not going to be the one to test Jayme. She can be scary when pushed!” Ellene paused in the door frame. “Thanks again, Vi, for helping me. It’d be nice to have a friend in Darrus, at least, after you leave.”
