“I think it’s best we both retire for the night,” he said, voice clipped. “We’ll adjourn tomorrow evening for your next lesson, so try not to get into too much mischief before then. You are dismissed.”
Nodding, I fled the room, anxious to put some distance between us so I could sort out the confusing jumble of thoughts jockeying for position in my head. It wasn’t until I’d gotten back to my room that I realized I was still wearing his robe. I spent the rest of the night with his scent clinging to me, in and on and all around me, and ached for something I didn’t even think I wanted.
Chapter Fourteen
It took me most of the night to fall asleep, and I didn’t wake until the early afternoon sunlight struck my eyelids through my bedroom window. I sat up, rubbing my gritty eyelids as I tried to gather my muddled thoughts, and froze at the sensation of cool silk gliding against my skin. Looking down, I groaned as I saw that I’d fallen asleep still wearing Iannis’s blue robe – I was not going to walk around the rest of the day with his scent clinging to me.
I quickly changed into a pair of cotton pants and a loose fitting shirt, and trotted down the winding staircase toward the East Wing so I could grab a bath. On my way down the corridor, I ran into Fenris.
“Sunaya!” Fenris smiled. “I was just coming to find you.”
Dread pooled in my stomach. “What is it now?” Couldn’t I ever have a day to myself?
Fenris chuckled at the pained expression on my face. “Don’t look so sullen, Sunaya. I’ve simply come to show you to your new quarters.”
My eyebrows winged up. “New quarters?”
He nodded. “As the Chief Mage’s apprentice, that dingy tower room isn’t appropriate for you anymore. He instructed me to help you get settled into your new room.”
“Oh. Well then.” I made a grand gesture with my arm. “Please, lead the way.”
I followed Fenris the rest of the way to the East Wing, a bounce in my step. Maybe this whole apprentice gig wasn’t so bad after all. He led me to the end of the wing and showed me into a corner room at least four times the size of my tower cell, with a huge four-poster bed draped in green silk dominating the far side and a sitting area with a fireplace directly in front of me. The room was decorated in pale greens and earthy browns, with a generous amount of light spilling in through three rectangular windows framed with gossamer curtains. The glossy wooden floorboards creaked beneath my weight, covered strategically with plush rugs in certain places, but otherwise left bare to gleam in the natural light.
“Wow.” I couldn’t help the grin that burst across my face. “This is definitely a step up.” I threw open a pair of double doors, then froze at the sight of all my clothes hanging neatly from the racks of the biggest walk-in closet I’d ever seen. My attire took up perhaps a quarter of the available space, and boxes stacked neatly in the center of the room took maybe another quarter.
“By Magorah,” I whispered. “You… you had my stuff delivered?”
Fenris shrugged. “Iannis suggested that I look into it, actually. Good thing, too, because your landlord was preparing to have you evicted. Two servants brought your things over this morning.” He grinned as he produced a set of keys from his sleeve and tossed them to me. “They even managed to recover your steambike.”
Tears stung the corners of my eyes, and I flung my arms around Fenris’s neck. “Thank you so much,” I murmured, so ridiculously grateful to have my things. I would be able to wear my own clothes again, and if the servants had brought over everything, even carry a weapon!
Fenris stiffened briefly, but quickly relaxed and patted me on the back. “It’s no trouble at all,” he said. “I’ll leave you to get acquainted with your room.”
I spent the next few hours organizing my things, unpacking all the stuff in my boxes and rearranging my clothes until they were on the racks the way I liked them. I filled the empty bookcase that stood by one of the windows with my books – a combination of martial arts theory, history texts, and novels that were strictly for pleasure reading – and the second one I filled with my smaller weapons, such as knives and throwing stars. The bigger weapons, such as my staff and swords, had to go in the closet.
Finished at last, I took a long, hot bath, dressed myself in a pair of leather pants and a long-sleeved red top, and tucked two knives into my boots. As an afterthought, I grabbed one of my short swords, similar in style to the ones the guards used, and secured it around my waist with a belt and sheath.
Yep, I thought as I gazed at myself in the full-length mirror installed in the walk-in closet. My curly black hair tumbled around my shoulders, and my tanned skin glowed with good health. I was finally starting to feel like my old self again.
“Going somewhere?”
I nearly stumbled as I walked out of the closet – Fenris had popped his head back in.