Perhaps it was foolish to take her at her word, but Sahra at least seemed to be an upfront woman. If she planned on reporting me to Taran, she might have mentioned the glow to him already. “Your secret’s safe with me. Asli will not know; he can only see the magic of men. I’m blessed with the Lady’s sight.”
I could hardly believe what I was hearing. It didn’t make sense; why would a Banewight seek me out and point out the curse if not to threaten me, or urge me to step down from my title? “Why?”
Sahra laughed. “It doesn’t matter what you did to make the prince love you. If it wasn’t a curse, then another woman would’ve seduced him eventually. There are no laws against that.” I settled and dismounted Kante, letting him graze.
“It must be difficult for you to navigate court without speaking to any of the men,” Sahra pointed out. “Have you considered speaking in signs?”
“Speaking in what?”
Sahra put her hands before her, performing an intricate dance of motion and fingers. “There is a language that requires only the hands to speak. It may look complicated, but it is not so difficult to learn.”
I tracked the movements with fascination, able somehow to see that her spoken words matched with the gestures, even if I wouldn’t have understood the signs on their own.
If such a language truly existed, and if she could teach others, then I could speak freely with the court, with Viscount Q— My thoughts stilled.
“I would be more than happy to teach you,” Sahra offered. In the distance, a woman hollered, throwing her hand up over her head. I didn’t have to squint to know it was Angharad. “I will offer group lessons. The kingdom should not allow its future queen to go ignored.”
My heart fluttered with hope. “Sahra, that would be—”
“Yoo-hoo! Alana!”
I paused, then took Sahra’s hands in my own. “Yes. I cannot adequately express my gratitude for the offer, but it would mean so much to me.”
“And it would give me something to do,” Sahra replied, turning to watch Angharad shuffle down the hill. “I do not believe I have the mind for the Lady’s Chamber. These women do not like me.”
“Why not?”
Sahra shrugged. “I suppose they would make poor courtiers if they told me.”
With a brief curtsy, she made her exit just as Angharad rushed over, nearly stumbling into the wooden fence. She caught herself, adjusting her hair, and I thought she might be the faintest bit drunk. It wasn’t even lunchtime.
“Oh good, she’s gone,” Angharad sighed, glancing over her shoulder at the disappearing Banewight. She turned to me, flashing a grin. “Dreary girl.”
“She seemed fine to me,” I replied, taking Kante by the reins. “What brings you out here? It’s quite cold.”
“My husband told me I needed a walk to…sober up,” she replied, red-faced and half-lidded. She looked to the horse. “That’s your beast, eh? He’s a lovely thing. I’ve never seen a lady riding alone out here before. Didn’t think it was allowed.”
I smiled, patting Kante on the side. “Our rides bring light to otherwise miserable days.”
“And today is one of those,” Angharad agreed, clumsily making her way through the gaps in the horizontal planks. Her dress snagged on a splinter, but she managed without tearing it. “A beheading is a dreadful way to start a day. I don’t suppose it’s a fine ending, either. When do you suppose it’s best? After lunch? Then you pose a risk of losing your meal. But if you do itbeforelunch, no one will want to eat—”
“Shall we walk?” I asked, already tired of the subject. I’d come to enjoy Angharad’s irreverence, but this was too much.
“I heard there’s a shortage of food up north, that it will only grow worse because of flooding.” Angharad sighed, changing the subject to something equally depressing. “Not that it will affect us. We’ll remain plump while the world around us falls to pieces.”
“Angharad, perhaps you’d be better off indoors.” I frowned. “You seem unwell.”
“Not every conversation is a happy one. Please allow me to vent my frustrations.”
I was taken aback by the commanding tone, but tried to spare her a show of authority. She was vulnerable, not malicious.
“I wonder how it is in Demagret. Perhaps the position will need filling.”
“Are you weary of Gallae?” I asked.
“I fear for our future,” Angharad replied. “Gallae is no stranger to hard times. Neither am I, but I would like to spend my remaining youth enjoying myself—oh, good gods!”
Robert swooped down with little warning, hitting the ground and flapping his wings wildly. He cawed, a glimmer of something shiny in his mouth, dropping it into the dirt just before Angharad swung a leg at him. He took the hit, tumbling backwards.
