“I’m not complaining.”
Somehow, I managed to maneuver upright again so I could pick up the trays and take them off the bed. A part of me wanted to return them to the kitchen myself, but I’d learned better.
Even after a month of being waited on, I still wasn’t used to it, so when I’d tried to return my trays the other day, after I was finally allowed to leave my chambers freely, Balbus had nearly bitten my head off.
I shuffled to the door and awkwardly opened it. The hallway outside of my chambers held my nighttime guard. Jovin took the trays from me and set them on the ground, then resumed his watch.
Because I wasn’t allowed to roam the castle without one of the prince’s personal guards, I hadn’t yet ventured outside of the Exorbiant Chamber after Sandus’s shifts. Apparently, if I wanted to do that, one of the prince’s guards would need to be awoken, and demanding that of them was the last thing I wanted to do.
“Have there been any further attacks or missing fae of late, Jovin?” I asked the nighttime guard. A cold chill ran through me every time I thought of the dangerous and mysterious activities that had taken place in the castle as of late.
Jovin shook his head. “None in the past week, my lady.”
I breathed a sigh of relief, bid him goodnight, and then joined Cailis on the bed again.
It was just the two of us in my chambers, with only the crackling fire for company. I sat beside her and crossed my legs. “I need your help.”
She propped herself up on an elbow, her wings splayed out behind her. “With what?”
“I don’t know who I can trust in this castle. I don’t know who’s genuine and who wishes to see me fail or harm me.”
My sister nodded. “It sounds like Michas Crimsonale and Meegana Ockson are two I need to check out. I’m not sure if you need me to assess Georgyanna Endalaver or not.” She made a face. “It sounds like even you can tell she’s a rotten one.”
My stomach clenched when I recalled how Georgyanna had run her fingers along the crown prince’s arms and torso all afternoon. I hadn’t seen him since I’d left the training room and probably wouldn’t again until he collected me tomorrow for more work on the dead fields. For all I knew, he was still with the sly female.
A rush of fire coursed through my veins, but I immediately tried to suppress it. Maybe it was for the best if Georgyanna sank her claws into him. It wasn’t like I stood a chance of winning the Trial. And it wasn’t like I wanted to.
Reminding myself of that, I added, “And we need to figure out how to escape.”
I peered at my inner wrist, to where that leaf had embedded itself into my skin before disappearing when the prince and I had made our bargain. I had no idea what curse the gods would place upon me for running from our bargain, but I would not be a pawn in the court’s games, although the thought of leaving our fae to perish made something inside me wither.
Cailis sat up straighter, a covert smile splitting her lips. “Now that’s something I’d be more than happy to help us with.”
“I have no idea how we’re going to do it. We’ll need to find a way to travel.” I frowned and glanced at my wingless back. “Since I can’t fly, and you’re not strong enough to carry me, I’m not sure what we’re going to do or where we’ll go or how we’ll survive.”
Cailis placed her hand on mine. “We’ll figure this out.” She nibbled on her lip. “You said the prince is paying you now, right?”
“He is.”
“So maybe we should keep letting him pay you for a while, let that amount build. If we start pulling out small amounts, pretending that we’re going to go shopping, nobody will notice, but instead we can save it and hide it somewhere here, in your chambers.”
“And when we have enough to survive on for at least, what? Six months? A full season? Then we escape?”
Cailis cocked her head. “The wisest decision would probably be to have enough to support both of us for a full season, but the Mother knows we’re used to living frugally, so it shouldn’t take that long to save up. How much do you have right now?”
“A thousand rulibs.”
Her eyes bugged out. “That’s what we’re both paid for six months’ work.”
“I know, but the prince also said he’d back paid me, so that’s really for a month of my time here.”
She nodded, and from the way her face scrunched up and the calculating light in her eyes, I knew she was running through the numbers. “So we already nearly have enough. In one more month we definitely will, but your magic—” She frowned. “It would truly be best if you learned to control your affinities from your new tutor before we left. The more magically inclined both of us are, the better off we’ll be, so what if we stay here for your three months of training, then we escape?”
My stomach fell. “So I stay and complete the Trial’s tests?”
“Either that or we escape just before them.” She frowned, tapping her chin. “Although, it might be better if you complete the tests. You’re going to be watched heavily between now and then, but after the Trial finishes . . .” She let her words hang.
My lips parted in understanding. “I won’t be watched as closely.”
“Exactly, and you’ll hopefully have mastered your affinities enough by then to know how to effectively use them.”
“That plan will work as long as the king doesn’t immediately marry me off the second the Trial’s done.”
She shrugged. “Even if he did, there’s no reason we can’t still escape and leave your new husband behind, especially if your new husband is the crown prince.” She sneered.
“Do you think we should go to the Lochen or Nolus continent? A part of me thinks we should flee to the Lochen. Drachu did say I was welcome on their shores.” I quickly explained who Drachu was and the encounter I’d had with him. “I don’t think we’d be turned away from the Lochen, but the Nolus—” I shrugged. “It would be a gamble with them.”
“The safest bet is probably the best bet.” Cailis squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out when the time comes. We have three months to prepare. For now, just concentrate on mastering your affinities as much as possible. The more powerful you are when we need to flee, the better off we’ll be.”
CHAPTER 5
The faint sound of the chime timer I’d set the previous night roused me from sleep. I opened my eyes, staring bleary-eyed at the clock ticking on the wall before remembering why I’d set the timer. I lifted the covers and hurried to turn it off as a beat of excitement ran through me.
Once my teeth were clean and I was dressed, I crept to the door.
In the hall, Sandus looked freshly bathed with his beard recently trimmed. “Why, good morning, love. You’re right on time. Eager to start learning?”
“Very much so.”
“In that case, let’s get to it. Should we go to the training room?”
I made a face. I had no idea what the other females’ schedules were, but the last thing I needed was more watchful eyes and snickering comments while I floundered with yet another new skill.