AIMILIA
“We received another raven.”
Aimilia froze halfway through the door at Marcella’s voice. Aimilia had already had her mouth open, ready to catch Gavril and Marcella up on everything that had happened and beg Gavril to find some way to also judge the entrance exams so she could have an ally, but that was going to have to wait.
“You have? What did she say?” Aimilia closed the door behind her and hurried into Gavril and Marcella’s quarters.
“She wasn’t happy with our answer, that much was clear even in her words.” Gavril huffed from his spot, lying back on the bed hands over his face. Marcella leaned against the bedpost.
“She said our knowledge wasn’t good enough.” Marcella’s voice deepened and her face twisted as she mimicked Hypatia, even though they were already identical. “‘What would we know holed up in the Academy?’ She wants to know if Nikias knows anything.”
“And she can’t have Konstantin write to Nikias about it?” Aimilia asked.
Gavril uncovered his face and turned to face Aimilia. “Do you think Nikias would tell Hypatia’s husband anything either? Especially when asking implies they are having trouble with the Elemens. Plus with Nikias—” His voice devolved into a groan.
“Were things easier or harder when the two of them were trying to kill each other?” Aimilia asked, coming over to join Marcella as Gavril swung up into a sitting position.
“Might be harder now to keep them from going back to killing each other,” Marcella muttered.
“Look, you know I’m always ready to commit treason and risk my neck for you two. I’m just sorry Nikias won’t let me near anything that matters so I’m useless, especially stuck here in Areator.” Aimilia glanced at the window. “The only good thing about it is that you two are at least here in my misery with me.”
Marcella and Gavril exchanged a look Aimilia really didn’t like.
“No. No! Don’t tell me?—”
“Look, the only way we might be able to sort out whatever has Hypatia in enough of a tizzy to keep writing us is if we see her ourselves and bring her some form of news. Not to mention, we might not have a choice in the matter—” Gavril cut himself off again as Marcella stepped forward and took Aimilia’s hands.
“Will you help us?”
Aimilia squeezed her hands. “Always, but how much help can I be when Nikias is keeping me here to toy with me as revenge?”
“Come with us to convince Nikias that Gavril and I must go see Hypatia and bring her news from us about the Elemens, or lack thereof.”
Aimilia pulled her hands back. Had Marcella lost her mind? “And how does that help you? If anything, you should be asking me to be on the other end of the city.”
Gavril pushed off the bed, raising an eyebrow. “You know I support you wholly and completely against Nikias, and not to bring up the dreaded topic again, but he was willing to marry you. Surely you don’t still doubt just how highly he thinks of your opinion even if you two are always getting into spats—usually instigated by you, again, he deserves it.”
Aimilia laughed, leaning back against the sill. “Please, Nikias has never once respected anything I’ve had to say to him. He proposed because he wants a woman who can make babies for him and not completely ruin the kingdom. I just happened to be the first one standing in front of him when he came to that decision and he read my guilty conscience as feelings for him.”
Marcella threw her hands up and muttered, “Blind.”
Aimilia glared at her while Gavril said, “Look, it pains me to tell you this, but it’s true. Nikias does respect you and your input, even if it doesn’t look like it. I’ve heard it from his mouth myself.”
Aimilia scoffed. “Please, when would he ever have said anything complimentary about me?”
“Last year, when he was trying to convince me to give up on Marcella. I was working on the Heart and he gave a whole spiel about you. It was the first time I’d ever heard him say so many good things about you.”
Aimilia raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so he started saying nice things about me when I was doing what he wanted me to? Of course he was. Let me guess, he tried to argue his way into getting what he wanted by making me look like the practical option?”
Gavril glanced at Marcella, shifting back and wincing a little. “Basically.”
Aimilia dug her nails into her arm to distract herself from the way the scars still lingering on her heart flared at the reminder she hadn’t been enough for him.
“And Nikias was just as unconvincing to you as he was to me. But fine. If you two insist, I’ll go, but I really don’t think having me there to help you plead your case is a wise move. Not even taking into account the disastrous proposal, but the three of us are the trio responsible for everything that occurred a few months ago which resulted in the woman you want to go visit torturing Nikias. Do you really want to risk reminding Nikias of that?”
“I will risk it.” Marcella’s accent thickened with her voice. “Please, come.”
Marcella practically threw Aimilia at the door to Nikias’ study, forcing her to knock. “Nikias?”
