‘He’d sooner force himself on you,’ I said to lighten the mood. ‘The reason their marriage didn’t work out in the first place was that her husband already had a lover… a male lover.’
Irsha pulled on the reins so hard the horse reared, sliding on the snow. ‘What? Then why?’ Irsha turned towards me with a thunderous expression. ‘If he didn’t love her, why couldn’t he let her be?’
‘Pride? Politics? I don’t know, but bless his sorry arse, he can fuck an entire legion of fae archers if this keeps her safe from his touch.’
Irsha’s eyebrow rose, taken aback by my crude language, before he grinned. ‘That I would pay to see,’ he said before his expression grew serious again. ‘There is no shame in love, whatever form it takes. He should have followed his heart instead of imposing himself on my woman.’
We rode in silence until we reached the Chapter House.
‘I will return here tomorrow to clean Boyan’s quarters, and we will talk about how to organise things before the ball. Three weeks doesn’t give us much time,’ I said.
He nodded, helping me off the horse, ensuring the black velvet cloak didn’t tangle and send me sprawling on the ground. When he pushed the door open, I was greeted by complete silence. My gaze drifted down the long corridor with its flickering torches until Irsha returned to my side. ‘What is it?’ he asked, placing a hand on my shoulder, and I dragged in a breath.
‘I can’t be your shadow, Irsha. I’m sorry. I don’t belong here anymore.’
His sadness was obvious when he turned me around and locked me in a fierce embrace. ‘You’ll always belong here. For as long as I live, Roksana Regnav will have a home within these walls, but I understand.’ He pulled me deeper inside the manor, leading us to the banqueting hall. ‘You were always meant to be something more than a poisoner of the Brotherhood, or even a Grand Master’s shadow.’
He paused, opening the door and leading me towards the high table to await the rest of the Brotherhood. ‘Boyan knew it, Sana. That’s why he let you burn your contract, and I won’t stand in your path even if it leads where I can’t reach… though calling my favourite Trouble “my queen” will take getting used to.’ He kissed my knuckles, bowing with a curt flourish, and I gently smacked the back of his head.
‘Stop saying things like that. One would think I’m going away, never to return. Now sit down; the servants are getting nervous.’
He chuckled, looking around, and those who worked to prepare the banquet instantly lowered their heads. ‘Let them stare. After tonight, everything will change, and they may not have a second chance to serve the future queen of Dagome.’
I wasn’t laughing. His words touched the kernel of darkness growing in my soul since Tivala’s dungeon. Tomorrow, everything would change. For me, everything had already changed. But change wasn’t always good, and I was becoming increasingly afraid of what the future would bring.
Chapter 45
Roksana
One week later
Isat next to Rey, trying to hold back my yawns during the privy council’s discussion for the ball. After Boyan’s wake, the transition of power sent the Brotherhood members into a frenzy. They simultaneously glorified Boyan’s contributions and bad-mouthed their colleagues, trying to get into Irsha’s good graces.
Since I was seen as my friend’s closest advisor, my attempts to withdraw from Brotherhood politics were ignored, with several members approaching me to intercede on their behalf.
‘Sana? Sana…’ Rey’s voice snapped me back to reality, and I gave him an apologetic look.
‘I’m sorry, what were you asking?’
‘Do you think we should still search Truso for the void cubes? The last one found was two weeks ago.’ He paused while I waited for the reason for his question. ‘I would like to use the Brotherhood Observers in the palace to examine the baggage of arriving nobles.’
‘I’m sure Irsha will provide suitable people for a sufficient amount of money.’ I smiled, pondering his question. ‘As for thecubes, I don’t know. It feels like we found them all, but on the other hand, they were difficult to discover until they were charged with aether.’
‘We still need to search for them,’ Tova said.
Inga nodded, placing her hand on his, and I frowned. She was dressed in a scholar’s caftan, buttoned up to the neck, with small glasses perched on the top of her nose. I felt a pang of guilt for not asking about her whereabouts, but so many things had happened since my arrival that I hadn’t even had time to talk to Tova properly. Judging by the whispers and casual gestures between them, my friend and Inga Tivala were closer than expected.
Tova noticed my glance and withdrew his hand, reaching into his pocket and clumsily removing a folded piece of paper. ‘I calculated the ore that was mined over the years. Even if the majority of it was sent south to build those damned pillars, the numbers don’t lie. There must be more cubes.’
‘What about the Wey Gates, Inga? Could your father have used the srebrec to build more?’ I asked, observing Tova’s moustache twitch with irritation, before he answered for her.
‘Maybe? I don’t know. The schemata you retrieved only shows so much without Lilliana’s help in deciphering it. Lady Tivala’s information has helped, but I can’t give you a precise answer, Drah’sa.’ He was flustered, and I caught him exchanging a look with Riordan and Inga, as if the three of them were keeping a secret.
‘We tried to engage the university mages. The schemata you brought isn’t just written in high fae but in an ancient dialect. The scholars didn’t feel confident deciphering the script used by the Light Fae mages,’ Riordan said, before adding hesitantly, ‘The complexity of the text makes me think there’s someone high up in the Light Fae court collaborating with Tivala or Tangra.’
‘I didn’t see any fae going in and out of my father’s castle, but that means nothing. He could easily have visited them since he travelled a lot,’ Inga said, and I exhaled slowly. I couldn’t fathom why a kingdom so dependent on magic would collaborate with an empire that despised magic and used it as a tool of oppression.
‘We need to get Lily out of there. If the Lumivitae herald doesn’t bring her, I’m going to the Light fae kingdom,’ I said, ignoring how Rey’s nostrils flared. With only a couple of exceptions, the privy council didn’t know who I was talking about and stared at me in silence until Tova slammed his palm on the table.
