“Was it you?” Vi whispered, remembering the feeling of someone following her. Darrus mentioning possibly seeing someone on her tail. Andru had a knack for fading away even when he was in plain sight. What could he accomplish if hetriedto sneak?
Andru started up the stairs and Vi took a step back. He paused, one foot on the step she was on, the other below. Vi leaned away, trying to put as much space between them as possible.
“Be careful. You never know who might take advantage of your carelessness.”
“Is that a threat?” Her racing heart nearly drowned out her words.
“Merely fact.” He studied her face. “Remember why I am here—because people do not have faith in you.” There was the dagger again, the one only he could twist in her stomach. Had those words ever been said so directly? Vi was grateful for the cool wood of the wall at her back supporting her. “As far as many are concerned, there is another heir, nearly equal in birthright, only minutes behind you. Some would argue your brother was meant to sit the throne.”
“Are you sure this is not a threat?” Vi’s hand balled into a fist. She allowed her spark to crackle around her knuckles. If he made a motion, she would be faster. He wouldn’t know what hit him.
“Again, merely stating facts.” Andru straightened away, starting upward. “Watch yourself, your highness.”
Vi watched him leave, letting any possible argument go with him. This was one conversation she didn’t want to pursue. Not right now. Not when she had so recently stared her own mortality in the face.
Andru had said he was loyal to the Empire above the Senate or crown.
Vi had written it off at the time as hyperbole. But what if he’d been speaking the Mother’s honest truth? And if he had been… What did that mean he’d do ifhesuddenly thought she wasn’t good for the Empire? What if the Senate had already made up their mind that she wasn’t the best heir for the throne?
Would he go so far as to remove her himself?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jayme and Vijoined Ellene in her room in the evening.
Vi shared with them her interaction with Andru, effectively moving him up to “suspicious person number one” on their list. Even Jayme, who didn’t want to jump to conclusions, admitted his actions were questionable. She was already working with Jax to seek out any suspicious persons and volunteered to keep a close eye on Andru without raising any undue alarm.
During her lessons, Vi tried to do the same as well. But it was as if the incident in the staircase had never happened. Andru said less and less each day, focusing mostly on scribbling away during her lessons and leaving promptly at their conclusion. He wasn’t even trying to linger anymore when Jayme and Ellene lounged in Vi’s room after.
A week passed.
Seven days of relative calm. A deceptive normalcy Vi tried to lose herself in by day, because by night her dreams were torturous, filled with men who had white glass orbs in place of their eyes, or horrors rising from sacrifices and red lightning. It was as if the sight had been imprinted on her soul, so much that she was even incapable of losing herself in her lessons.
As a result, she refrained from contacting Taavin. She didn’t want to think about her visions and he would, no doubt, force the subject. He’d given her enough of a starting point, and there were plenty of words for her to pour over in Sehra’s book. Vi dedicated hours on hours trying to get lost in mindless memorization at night, avoiding sleep, avoiding thinking of anything at all.
“You’re distracted today,” Sehra appraised. “Your magic looks like it did the first week we began this process… not the progress you’ve made so far.”
“I am distracted, I’m sorry.” Vi shook her head and rubbed her eyes. The faint orb of light that had been hovering in her palm vanished.Durroewas undoubtedly becoming easier, even if she couldn’t seem to keep the magic steady for long periods of time. “I’ve been having trouble falling asleep lately. And if I do, I have strange nightmares.”
“Nightmares?” Sehra repeated.
“Why do you sound surprised?”
“I’d heard word from your tutors that you had been distracted lately, more tired than usual. The winter solstice tends to be a special time for men and women your age… I thought perhaps a suitor had finally caught your eye.”
Vi blurted out laughter. “Excuse me,” she said hastily, realizing how rude she’d been. “I’m just a little too busy and too confined to find a suitor right now.”
She barely had enough time to spend with her friends, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d sat down with Jax for dinner. Guilt collected in a haze around her. She had to be better for the ones she loved… but with what time? How did she even begin to prioritize with all that was going on? Her mind wandered down a brief tangent, wondering if this was how her parents felt between caring for her and Romulin, and their Empire.
“Very true.” Vi appreciated that Sehra took her words at face value, rather than pressing further. “The dreams… are they of any specific variety?” Sehra asked, likely an innocent question. But it put Vi on edge.
“Not particularly. Just run-of-the-mill nightmares,” she lied. The smothering cloud of guilt grew thicker. Vi didn’t appreciate lying outright; at the worst she much preferred a half-truth or deflection. Not that those were any better in practice, and she knew it, but theyfeltbetter. A blatant lie had her sitting so uneasily that she crossed and uncrossed her legs.
“I can’t say I’m surprised.” Sehra sighed heavily, leaning back in her chair as well. Her shoulders sagged slightly, and there was a bit of a slouch to her. Vi had never seen the sturdy woman look so worn. It seemed as if all at once the weight of the Chieftain’s position had come down on her shoulders. “Given everything that’s going on, I’m having a hard time sleeping myself. The White Death is coming, I can feel it in my bones. I merely hope we can last out the winter solstice and give the people one more celebration.”
Vi remembered Darrus’s talk of the infirmary. It seemed forever ago now. Had it truly only been a week since that night?
“I’m sorry. Taking time out for lessons with me must not be helping.”
