“Will there be ramifications for this?” I didn’t want to put them at risk.
“I don’t believe so. Not for those such as us,” Faelith said. “But it’s not done.”
“Why not?”
They exchanged another glance.
“We’re lesser,” Moira said as if that explained everything.
“You have magic,” I pointed out, and they nodded. “Then you’re no different than anyone else in this court except, perhaps, the powerless, though their only difference is their lack of magic.” I met Calista’s gaze in the mirror. Her hands hadslowed on my hair, but she started tugging out pins again, placing them in the case. “Will this cause you problems?”
“I don’t believe so. It’s an . . . adjustment,” she said.
“In what way?”
“We’ll be given rooms on a different level and will no longer sleep in the basement.”
“The basement?” I scrunched my nose. “Why the basement?”
“It takes a large staff to run a castle this size, and you’ve only seen this particular building. Past the woods behind, there are others. Huge gardens where they grow everything we eat. Stables. And on the cliffs beyond that, more than one aerie, though I’ll point out that there are only a few dragons there.”
Lonely ones, I bet, since no one appeared to ride them. I needed to rectify that. Who would’ve thought I’d miss jumping onto a dragon’s back, giving the command, and taking flight through the sky? Spiraling toward the ground before pulling the beast up and coasting over the canopy close enough the creature’s claws could brush the leaves?
“My point is, my queen, that they have to put us somewhere,” Moira said. “You and the king command this level. The queen mother and her ladies have suites on the next floor down. Some levels don’t have rooms for staff at all. And so it goes until you have to place staff in the basement or in the outer buildings. I assure you, it’s quite nice below the ground level. Cool in the summer when it’s stifling up here, and still warm enough in the winter.”
Calista and Faelith nodded.
“We have our own small rooms and that’s enough for us,” Calista said.
“If you don’t want this, I won’t do it.” I stood, and Faelith undid my gown in the back.
“Oh, I want it, my queen,” Calista said. I swore I spied rage in her eyes, though I had no idea why.
“Especially after that fiend . . .” Moira coughed. “Excuse me, my queen. But this . . . you’re giving us a new chance in life. I’m proud of the job I and all the prior oldest ladies of my family have done in this castle. We’ve always served the queen . . . though in a lesser way. But being granted the status of high lady? Well, it’s something I’m sure every one of us aspires to.”
Faelith’s nod grew in vigor.
“Are you saying it’s impossible?” I asked.
“Oh, not quite.” Moria’s eyes flicked to the others. “I’ve only heard of it happening a few times, when the lesser has done something amazing, like save the queen’s life or sacrificed themselves for others.”
I was upsetting the court, but this court needed a good shake.
“It takes magic to break . . .” Her gaze dropped to the floor. “To circumvent the . . .”
“The what?” I asked.
Faelith and Calista remained still, Faelith still holding my gown, Calista a hair pin above the container.
“Moira?”
Her gaze lifted to meet mine. “Yes?”
“What will I break by changing your status?”
“Everything,” she breathed. The sheen of white in her eyesfaded and she took my gown from Faelith. “I’ll have this cleaned and returned by tomorrow, though I imagine you won’t wear it again for some time.”
“Please, would one of you tell me how my doing this will circumvent . . . everything?”
