The maid took Vi up the stairs to the second floor and down a small interior hallway lit by sconces. Each iron dish jutted out from the wall like a small stage for the tiny flames they carried to dance in magically.
“This will be your room.” The maid stopped at the door at the end of the hall and opened it.
Light flooded the hall as Vi found herself looking once more at one of the large circular windows of the building’s front, but this time from the inside.
It was like a fractured rainbow had been spilled on the floor, all the colors of the stained glass falling over the seating area right before the window. They stretched toward Vi’s feet, and out to her right in the direction of a tall working table—similar to what she’d been given in her tent. To the left stood a modest bar. Also to the left were a pair of intricately carved wooden doors, detail so fine that Vi could almost feel the tingle of magic from the Groundbreaker’s hands still on them.
“It is beautiful.”
“I’ll tell Lord Etton so.” The maid dipped into another curtsy at the praise. “Your things will be brought up shortly. Is there anything else I can do for you right now?”
“No, I think I can manage from here.” A few moments of uninterrupted silence actually sounded blissful. Yet the woman lingered, her eyes looking around the room, landing on Vi, and then fluttering off like two black hummingbirds, unable to stay in one location for too long. It reminded her of Andru. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“What?” The woman seemed actually taken aback. “Oh, no, forgive me, princess, I didn’t mean—”
“It’s good that I don’t seem to be the only one losing herself in thought today. Especially given all that happened in the square,” Vi interrupted gently. Her words landed right where she’d hoped they would, and the woman’s shoulders relaxed slightly.
With a breath, the maid finally seemed to manage what had clearly been absorbing her attention the whole time. “It’s good to have you here, my lady. Truly.”
“It’s truly good to be here.” Vi wished her royal instinct hadn’t kicked in. It seemed awkward to say, given all that had transpired.
“No, I misspeak.” The woman shook her head, sighed at herself, and then tried one more time. It was her turn for the words to land. “Here, in this room. This was where your father stayed, whenever he passed through the Crossroads on visits to the West.”
“Here?” Vi whispered.
“This room.” The woman nodded. “His… news of him…” She shook her head, mouth pressing into a grief-stricken line. “It hit the West hard, my lady. So seeing you, here. It restores faith for all of us that we still have a place in this Empire.”
“Of course you do, regardless of which Solaris sits on the throne.”
The maid simply smiled. Vi saw lines she hadn’t noticed before, a tuft of gray hair poking out from underneath her head scarf, a boniness to her hands that betrayed age as much as strength.How old was she?Not old enough to remember the West as an independent nation. But perhaps old enough to remember growing up in a recently annexed territory.
“Do call if you need anything, princess.” The woman dismissed herself, closing the door behind her.
Vi turned back into the room; suddenly, everything seemed alive.
The motes of dust in the air were like fire. They sparkled in the sunlight, illuminating corners. She ran her fingertips lightly over the bar, then the back of the low sofa, then the table, as she made a wide loop of the room.
Her father had been here. She was already one step closer to him.
Vi stopped at the table. She fished out an iron key from her pocket, one she’d been diligently carrying halfway across the continent. Placing it down, Vi stared at it.
“Well, I’m here,” Vi said to the object. “Now the real work begins.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Narro hath hoolo.”Vi uttered the incantation the moment the door closed behind her that evening. Usually, when she did, Taavin would first look at his new surroundings. But this time, he looked only at her.
So many things had been left unspoken between them—what were they, really? What could they be? Vi didn’t have the answers, so she didn’t concern herself too much with the questions. Right now, she wanted to savor the appearance of him and the way he seemed to freeze her in place and set every nerve on fire all at the same time.
“You’ve made it to the Crossroads, then?” His eyes finally left her, though only briefly.
“Yes.”
“You’re ready to leave?” His attention landed on the bag at her feet.
“I think so… I’ve packed everything I can think to bring. I took some food back from dinner, so I have some initial rations. I have some coin for the road. Clothes, of course. A journal with notes I took on the seas after my father went missing, and a map.” Vi looked back to him. “Can you think of anything I’m missing?”
“No, but seeing as I’ve never exactly gone on a trip before, I may not be the best person to ask.” Finally his eyes pulled from the bag to her. Taavin took a step forward. “Vi, I find you incredibly brave.”
