“I intend to. Good night, March.”
I wasn’t sure whether his comment was a promise or a threat, and was just as unsure about the response it evoked within me. I nodded in reply and clattered down the stairs.
But I had a vague feeling I had not seen the last of Blacklake’s prime.
Treace clucked over me like a mother hen as I stripped off and climbed back into bed. She swung the nearby machine over me to check that I’d done no damage to either my hand or my leg, then reheated my meal and made I sure I ate it.
“You need to build your strength, young lady, not be wasting it willy-nilly,” she said at one point.
I smiled. “I’m fine—”
“Yes, I’m sure you are,” she said, with a roll of her eyes. “Nevertheless, you will stay in this bed until Mace gets here, won’t you? Because I will tie you down if I have to.”
I grinned. “And how many of your patients have said ‘yes please’ after such a threat.”
She laughed. “Far too many, I tell you. Sleep tight, lass. We’re just outside if you need anything.”
And so were the guards—one on each door, in fact. Trey Stone was certainly determined that I would remain exactly where I was supposed to. As the lights dimmed in the room, I shuffled down into the bed and dragged the sheet over my shoulders. The strange awareness had finally begun to fade, even if my body still hummed like a fiddle too tightly strung. I closed my eyes, drew in the silence and peace of this place, and slept.
And if I dreamed of green eyes and earth, I had no clear memory of it.
Mace visited me the following morning. After checking my wounds, he muttered something about wishing he could harness the healing skills of the Sifft for the greater good of all, and ordered me to keep the brace on my finger for one more day. Treace then brought a hearty mid-morning meal, the news that I was cleared to leave Winterborne, and a demand from Saska that I come and see her immediately.
I showered and dressed, then clipped the bracelets onto my utilities belt and strapped on the blaster and gut busters. The rifle I slung over my shoulder. I wasn’t about to leave anything here—not when doing so would involve all manner of paperwork and deputations when I got home.
Last night’s guard had been replaced by a slender, dark-haired woman. She gave me a friendly enough nod, but didn’t say anything as she led me into the inner bailey and across to a long, sturdy-looking building I presumed were the State Apartments. It was interesting that the commander had his quarters over the great hall rather than here. Maybe he simply preferred to keep the apartments for visiting guests—Blacklake might be an outpost, but he was still a member of a ruling family and a male at that. I doubted he’d be left out of family events or decisions.
Saska’s quarters were on the second floor and were a vast, comfortable space that not only possessed a four-poster bed, but also several couches, a private eating area, and an open fire. There were no tapestries on the whitewashed walls here, but rather paintings depicting landscapes and farm buildings. I wondered if they were meant to represent Tenterra as it had once been.
Saska sat near the fire, but turned as I entered. The look she gave me was remote and regal. The woman who’d sworn at me like a soldier had obviously been well and truly leashed.
“Neve,” she said, voice cool. “I’m glad you could make it before we were shipped out.”
It wasn’t like I really had an option but I merely stopped and did the required half bow. “I’m glad to see you appear to have recovered from your ordeal, Lady Saska.”
“Indeed.” She raised one eyebrow. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was in amusement or disdain. “Aside from the troublesome lack of memory of how I managed to get there, I’m surprisingly well.”
“Good.” I unclipped the bracelets and held them out to her. “These are yours.”
She didn’t take them. In fact, something close to fear or revulsion rolled across her face before she got her expression back under control.
“They were never mine. The first time I saw them was out in that desert.”
I frowned. “I thought you said the queen gifted—”
“I said no such thing.” Her cool tone hinted at anger. “And I will not have you spreading such lies, do you hear me?”
The wind that stirred around me contained a similar frosty bite, but also a warning for me to hold my tongue—that it wasn’t worth antagonizing her just yet. The wind rather unusually seemed to be on my side rather than hers right now.
“I hear.” Whether I obeyed was another matter entirely. Although, who would I tell? It wasn’t as if anyone would take my word over hers.
“Good.” She waved a hand dismissively. “You may do with them what you wish.”
“But—” I hesitated, my gaze falling to them. They were heavy in my hands and obviously pure silver. Selling them would go a long way to ensuring I had a good sum of money behind me come retirement—if I made retirement, that was. That wasn’t always a certainty in either the Night or Daywatch. But I couldn’t in good conscience accept them so readily. It wasn’t right—not when they might be some kind of family heirloom. Their design was certainly old enough. “You asked me to save them because of their value. This is far too much of a reward when I was only doing my job.”
“Then give one to Stone. I care not.”
She picked up a nearby mug and took a drink. I couldn’t help but notice her hand was trembling. There was definitely something about these bracelets she wasn’t passing on.
“So be it.” I clipped them back onto my utility belt. “Is there anything I can do for you before we leave?”
“No. I merely wished to express my thanks for your actions yesterday. I’m told I’d be dead were it not for you.”
I smiled. “That’s not entirely true. Both you and the wind contributed to our survival.”
“Indeed.” She paused, her gaze returning to mine. “My husband intends to give a masque to celebrate both the rising of Pomona and my return. I wish you to be present.”
Pomona was a festival dedicated to the goddess of the same name, and was both a celebration of the end of summer and an entreaty for a successful harvest. While Tenterra might have been made a wasteland after the war, the Gallion farmlands—which lay just behind Winterborne—hadn’t been as fully drained, and had quickly become plentiful again. The Pomona Masque was a big celebration, even in the outer bailey. Guard duty was restricted to a bare minimum, drink flowed, and the coupling rooms were never empty. I really didn’t want to waste such a celebration feeling awkward and out of place in some highborn’s house.
“I appreciate the honor, Lady Saska, but—”
She raised a hand, halting me. “You will come. It is only fitting that my saviors are appropriately presented to those who gave up hope.”
I wondered if one of those people was her husband. Wondered what he really thought about his long-lost wife being found. I guessed I was about to find out.
I bowed in acquiescence. “As you wish.”
“Good. I will arrange the appropriate invitation once I return home.”
“Thank you.” I hesitated. “Will there be anything else?”
“No.” She turned to the fire, dismissing me physically if not verbally. I retreated from the room. The dark-haired guard waited for me in the main corridor, and escorted me to the outer bailey, where two troop carriers waited.
Blacklake’s commander stood in front of the first one. My escort led me to him then, with a nod from Stone, retreated.
His gaze skimmed my length before returning to my face. “How are you feeling today, March?”
“Better, thank you, sir.” I unclipped one of the bracelets and held it out to him. “The lady Saska asked me to give this to you, as a token of her appreciation.”
He took the bracelet and studied it. “This isn’t the work of the smiths of Salysis.”