“How is that the bright side? And why do you look so happy at that possibility?”
“Have you learned weapons yet?” Sandus raised an eyebrow, bypassing my question entirely.
I huffed. “Weapons? No. I was warned not to touch the weapons. The prince told me that all of the weapons in that room contain their own magic, and I’m not to hold them without proper instruction. Instead, I learned how to find my magic today. That’s it.”
“Well, have no fear. The prince has instructed me to begin your physical training, and with time, I shall also teach you weapons.”
My jaw dropped. “What?”
“I’m to train you in combat. Prince’s orders.”
My eyebrows rose, and for the first time a flutter of something positive, something tangible, flowed through me. To be able to defend myself without magic meant that I would never be vulnerable again to someone such as Vorl. In all likelihood, it could be the only blessing that came out of the next three months of pain and misery.
“You’ll truly help me learn to fight even if I can’t master my affinities?”
Sandus grinned. “Of course. The prince felt it was only fitting since I’m to be your personal guard for the foreseeable future. And even though Matron Olsander may be the best tutor in the entire continent, when it comes to fighting and weapons, myself, and the prince’s guards are the true masters.”
Cailis and I were sitting on my bed an hour later, several trays of food between the two of us as I told her everything that had happened at training while stuffing my mouth. I was inhaling the food. Roasted duck, citrus-marinated hen, buttered squash with nuts and cranberries, herbed potatoes, sautéed vegetables of every variety, bite-sized cheese and fruit kabobs, and flaky pastries that melted in one’s mouth were only a few of the items. I was starving. And exhausted. But mostly starving after the rigorous mental and physical day I’d had. Matron Olsander hadn’t been kidding. Food was needed to replenish one’s magic quickly—a lot of food.
When I finally finished, ending the meal with a thick slab of chocolate cake covered with berry ganache and whipped cream, I lay back and placed a hand over my belly.
Cailis sighed and did the same, flopping down on the mattress beside me. “You’re right. They really do have far too much sustenance in this castle. I can see why you’ve gained weight.”
I smiled guiltily. “It’s extravagance to the extreme, isn’t it?” Nobody from our village ever got to eat like this.
“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.”