After a moment, Jayme crossed over to her. Her toes appeared in Vi’s field of vision and Vi felt the weight of her hand clasping over her shoulder. She looked up, meeting Jayme’s soft brown eyes.
“I don’t blame you for that. But from now on, let me help you. You can trust me—I’m supposed to keep you safe. After we leave the North, it’s going to be you and me.” She had a point. Vi’s circle of friends wasn’t exactly large, and it was about to shrink by a fourth.
“I will keep you in the know,” Vi promised, hoping she could keep it.
“Good. Did you get everything you needed tonight?”
“Unfortunately not.” Vi started for her room, talking as she went. They were running out of time, and she needed to be in bed. “I made progress… but I needed to get to the Western Caravan and that ended up being impossible, so my lurking is on hold for now.”
“Western Caravan?”
“The one that had the spices… they have an heirloom of my family and I think it may literally be the key to the next vision.” Vi stepped into her dressing room, quickly donning her sleeping shift. “But they were completely gone, so—”
“Yes, Sehra had us confiscate all their goods right when she caught wind of possible looting.”
“What?” Vi froze.
“When she arrested the Westerners and had them rounded up, she also had us collect their things in the night—that way they wouldn’t be raided, stolen, or destroyed… More destroyed than they were in the initial rage.”
Sehra was brilliant. It wasn’t the first time Vi stood in awe of her tactical mind and foresight.
“Where is it? Here in the fortress?” Vi asked eagerly.
“I believe so.” Jayme looked to the door, her mind no doubt going to the same place Vi’s was. Any second, a servant would walk in. “Let me look into it and I—”
“I have to get to it before we go south.” Vi grabbed Jayme’s wrist. “Please.”
“I’m going to look into it today.” Jayme pulled free her hand. “Trust me, Vi. I’m here to help.”
“I know.” Vi scooped her up into a hug, feeling the woman stiffen as she usually did. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet… wait until I actually have answers for you.”
“Just being willing to help is enough,” Vi assured her.
Jayme gave a small smile, then looked to the window. “Catch an hour of sleep, if you can. I’ll come back tonight after dinner and report.”
“Thank you,” Vi called after her as she pulled back her bed linens.
“Don’t thank me yet!” Jayme repeated. Vi felt an answering smile spread across her lips.
The door closed behind her friend and Vi settled into the plush of her mattress. She listened as the outer door closed as well, her eyes drifting shut with it. For a few blissful moments, there was silence. Vi thought briefly about summoning Taavin again to give a report of her own. But Jayme was right: if she could catch just an hour of sleep, it’d be enough to get through the day.
But that was too much to hope for, as the door to her main room was opened with such vigor that it thumped against the wall.
“Princess!”
Vi pressed her eyes closed, and braced herself for the unrelenting chaos that was about to descend on her.
Chapter Eight
Vi was on a pedestal,quite literally.
“I cannot believe they’re making you ride out.” Holina, Vi’s tailor, tittered over the pins that lined her mouth.
“It cannot be helped,” Martis reminded Holina. “With the way the White Death is now, there is no reason to subject the Empress Regent or Prince Romulin to the city.”
They talked about the White Death so casually, as though it were a rainstorm or unfinished stretch of road—inconvenient for their purposes, but otherwise unimportant. The clinic she had seen with Darrus was seared in her mind. The disease was far more serious than they gave it credit for. But Vi kept her mouth shut. She was far too tired today.
