“I see,” I said, absolutely not seeing, thinking of him kneeling along the tree line at the Sibbereen horse farm.
“Come,” said Zinnia to me, a hand on my upper arm. She guided me out into the corridor before I had my bearings.
We passed many doors and other black-clothed women were walking past. I gathered that these were the women’s staff quarters and we had been delegated to a small dormitory.
“You were right,” I said as we walked.
She removed her hand and turned to me. “Lady?”
I sighed at the use of ‘lady.’ “If we are to be employed here, I should be, or at least one of us, should be, consulted. Not all of us would be cut out for labor.”
Zinnia nodded. “Yes. That is what I thought. It is late, I am sending some meals into the dormitory, but I realize you have not had a third meal yet. You must be hungry?”
I was hungry, but mainly tired. Before I could answer her, we had arrived at a door, that looked much like any other door in the corridor, but that Zinnia had been able to determine as our destination.
The door opened to reveal a sitting room of sorts, with a fireplace and many high-backed chairs seated around it. There were eight people in the room, Cian, the earth archpriest, the sole female priest from the throne room, that elderly, tall woman in blue, the older man in Tintarian black the king had called, ‘Jeremanthy,' the crown prince whom Hinnom had called ‘Peregrine,’ Alric, Thatcher, Perch and the silver-haired Procurer, Fletch. The priests, the prince, Perch and Thatcher were sitting, but Fletch stood behind Thatcher’s chair and Alric was leaning one elbow against the fireplace, fingers laced over his chest, staring at the floor. Jeremanthy stood next to Alric, arms crossed.
“Zinnia,” said Prince Peregrine from his chair.
She gave a shortened bow and said, “Your highness.”
He smiled at her warmly. “I thank you for bringing the lady. Could we trouble you again to gather the rest of the women as we decide what occupations will work for them? We have been discussing this and while we will defer to what Lady Edie suggests, perhaps the women should be allowed to accept or decline the positions. It would be a shame to lose a talent or quick mind to scullery work.”
“Absolutely, sire. Whom shall I bring in first?”
“Give us a minute to consult the lady and then,” the prince turned to me, his face friendly, “which one of the women should we speak with first?”
I dithered and then said, “Catrin,” thinking that her beauty, mining family bloodline and proper manner would make a good first impression and that if occupations that did not require labor were few, she would get one. I would then suggest Eefa and Bronwyn next as one was pregnant and one old.
Zinnia gave another shortened bow and left the room.
I stood near the door, quivering, hands clasped over my stomach.
“Lady,” spoke the prince. “I know it has been a long day for you. Come sit and we will, with your aid, meet my brother’s demands of occupying you Ecclestonians. I understand you yourself are a scribe?”
Nodding, I approached one of the empty chairs, but I merely placed my hands along the high back, eyes roving over those gathered and wondering why a prince was involving himself in something so beneath him.
Peregrine sat back in his chair. “Allow me to introduce those gathered. You know those that are Procurers.”
There was a beat where I could only imagine everyone was thinking of tomorrow’s wedding. I purposely looked at anyone but Alric.
“I am Peregrine,” he continued. “I am Hinnom’s younger brother. By many winters,” he added with a smile. “Our mothers are different, but our father was king before Hinnom. And often, Hinnom, a good king, makes decisions on impulse, so I take it upon myself to ensure the execution of those impulses are not carried out in a slapdash manner. I gathered from your face that you wondered why I was here.”
I gave him a tentative smile.
“You met Cian,” the prince said, gesturing to the seated man with the pale blond hair, in his brown and green robe. “He is archpriest of Mother Earth. This is Thalia, archpriestess of Sister Sea.”
The woman in her blue robe with her white hair, cut short and curling around her ears, inclined her head to me. “I am here, lady, because I pray for the miracle that my brother of earth has had. Perhaps one of you has a propensity for the magic of the sea.”
I swallowed. I had yet to even allow my brain to think what the priest had meant. Magic? Thoughts of the pebbles in Nyossa ran through my head and I removed one of my hands to place in my pocket around the hagstone, my fingers also brushing up against the comb.
“Jeremanthy,” Peregrine said, his head leaning towards the older man, “is our infantry’s general.”
The man nodded towards me. “I am only here, lady, to support the captain.”
What did that mean? My eyes flew around the room at all of them.
“Please sit, lady,” Peregrine said, his hand waving towards the seat of my chair.
