A dark oak desk stood before floor-to-ceiling windows across from me, two glass doors flung open behind it to let in the evening breeze. A guard stood on either side of the entrance, and Caliza paced behind the desk, the circlet glinting on her head. The vein in her temple was on full display.
Behind her stood Captain Mirkova, her arms folded. I sat in one of the chairs on the other side of the desk. Kiva hadn’t been allowed in.
I wished Caliza would yell already, but she seemed to have forgotten I was there. When another minute passed and she still hadn’t spoken, I stood. “Well, this was a wonderful talk. I’ll just—”
“Sit down.” Her voice was like a thunderclap.
I sat.
When I’d first gotten back to the castle, she’d hugged me like she hadn’t seen me in years. But her joy had given way to a stone-cold fury I knew too well.
“What were you thinking?” she demanded at last. “You were nearly killed.”
I crossed my arms. “I’ve gone into the city a thousand times and no one’s ever bothered me. How was I supposed to know today was the day someone would attack me?”
“You’re not. That’s why you should have taken sufficient protection.”
“I had sufficient protection. I had Kiva.”
Captain Mirkova snorted. “My daughter, while skilled, cannot defend you against an entire city.”
I leveled the captain with a sour glare. When we’d returned, instead of asking how her daughter was, Captain Mirkova had started demanding answers, criticizing, and yelling.
“Do you understand what you almost cost us?” Caliza asked. “You jeopardized more than your own life; you jeopardized our chance at peace with Illucia, at securing this kingdom’s safety.”
“At least I wouldn’t have had to marry Ericen.”
“This isn’t funny, Anthia!”
I surged to my feet. “I amnotlaughing. Has it occurred to you that maybe whoever tried to kill me wanted to stop me from marrying Ericen? That your decision to ship me off to another kingdom is what nearly cost me my life?”
Caliza stiffened, drawing upright, but it was Captain Mirkova who answered. “You’ve been much removed from Aris lately, Your Highness. Your city has changed. There are people in it who would not find delight in seeing your face.”
I swallowed hard, collapsing back into the chair. “You think they did this because they’re angry?”
“It’s very possible,” Caliza said. She sat down across from me, her shoulders rounded. The sight of her with anything less than immaculate posture made my throat tighten. She looked so small.
I thought back to the cold, hard faces of the men. No one had ever looked at me like that. I’d walked freely through Aris’s streets, visiting the canal market in the Rynthene Wing or the weapons masters of the Turren Wing. People had smiled and waved. But that was before Ronoch, before Illucia took everything from us.
“They have to know we’re trying our best.” The words stuck in my throat. Because I knew they were a lie. By their silence, Caliza and Captain Mirkova did too.
Caliza was doing her best. I was hiding.
Caliza straightened. “I’m forbidding you from leaving the castle without my permission.”
I started. “You’re joking.”
“We can’t risk this not being an isolated incident. I mean it, Anthia. I’ll post guards if I need to.”
I almost laughed. For months, I’d hidden in these walls, and now that I wanted to leave, I wasn’t allowed?
I stood. “What a time for you to take an interest in my well-being.”
Her lips parted, but I didn’t wait for a response before stalking from the room. Kiva fell into step beside me. The blood had dried on her shirt and skin, turning a muddy brown. She looked as exhausted as I felt.
We climbed the stairs to the second floor. “What did your mother say?” I asked.
Kiva’s expression turned grim as it always did when we discussed Captain Mirkova. “The usual.” Her voice changed as she mimicked her mother’s Korovi accent. “Here I thought you were good enough to work alone, Sakiva. You need to train more. Perhaps I shouldn’t have you teaching my new recruits, Sakiva, if you’re going to make mistakes like that. You should know better than to go alone.”
