Chapter 4 #2
‘I… Lily, no. I’ll send the men regardless. There’s no need for any other arrangements. Besides, I need to leave. Sana and I have a meeting to attend at the mansion,’ Irsha muttered, fumbling his words like a dolt.
It wasn’t a transaction, you idiot, I wanted to scream. Instead, I stood silently, hoping his insecurities didn’t cause a storm of epic proportions.
‘Right. Did it ever occur to you that I simply like your company? That not everything in this house is for sale?’ She pressed a fist to her temple, the other gripping the edge of the table so hard her knuckles turned white.
‘I won’t ask twice. If you must go, then go.
I’ll send you a contract and the money later today. ’
Irsha, confused and suddenly floundering, looked like his heart had been ripped out and had no idea why, but that wasn’t something I could help him with.
‘Lilliana, I want to stay. I just can’t tonight,’ he said, his tone firm while he reached for her hand.
Lily pulled away, and I watched his confidence crumble after her rejection.
‘Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.’ Irsha turned away, walking towards the door, shoulders so stiff that his gait was stilted.
‘I’ll lock you two in a windowless room until you resolve this senseless misunderstanding,’ I muttered, turning towards my friend. ‘He had to go because Boyan named him his successor. He has to prepare.’
‘I’m glad for him. You should go too, Sana. I’m tired,’ Lily said, standing up.
And just like that, I lost my temper. ‘Sit down and look me in the eyes,’ I said, grabbing her hand.
Lily stared at me, shocked. ‘Lilliana Ordon, you’ll tell me what’s going on, or I swear to the gods above and below that I’ll get Reynard to close this place down.
’ Lily tried to pull away, but I wouldn’t let her.
‘I mean it. The wards, your attitude, how you treated Irsha… Who or what is bothering you? We’ll face it together, just tell me. ’
I didn’t expect it, and I would never have believed it could happen – until it did. The strongest woman I knew crumpled to the floor, sobbing. A chill ran through my body as I knelt beside her, pulling my dearest friend into a fierce hug and rocking her like a child until her cries subsided.
‘What aren’t you telling me?’ I asked gently when her tears finally slowed. ‘Irsha told me you’d received a message. Tell me who I should be killing for making you cry!’
Lily looked at me, guilt written all over her face. ‘Let’s go to my room first. And Irsha… I need to talk to him.’
She took a deep breath, reaching for my hand. We crept into her room like two teenagers hoping to avoid the back of their mother’s ladle. I grabbed some wine, and as we sat on the bed, I turned towards her.
‘Now talk,’ I said calmly, determined to get to the bottom of everything.
‘My husband found me… and he isn’t a man to be trifled with.’
I sat there, dumbfounded. In all the time I’d known her, I’d only heard rumours of Lily’s past. And not even one mentioned being married.
‘How… What does he want?’ I asked. The aethereal wards and hiring of more guards finally made sense. ‘Is he a mage? Did he threaten you?’
Lily sighed heavily, sipping from the goblet, her body tensing again as she started talking.
‘He’s a Light Fae equerry in the Royal Court of Lumivitae, and he’s displeased that his wife is a whore.
He sent an ultimatum today. Either I return voluntarily, and he, in his kindness, will forgive my eccentricities, or his men will drag me back to the family estate in a turnip sack. ’
‘Oh, I’ll see him try,’ I said through clenched teeth. I didn’t care who this bastard was. If he came to take my friend, I’d return his bloated corpse to the royal court on the back of a manure cart.
‘He’s already tried. While you were away, I received a request to meet someone seeking an unusual arrangement.
It happens sometimes when clients want something more…
adventurous. I was ready to go, but my entertainer overheard a strange conversation and warned me that the meeting was suspicious.
’ Lily paused, sipping her drink. ‘I looked into it, and it turned out to be my husband’s retainer. ’
‘You escaped his trap, but what next? How can I help?’ I asked. Gods, I wish Rey were here. He could suppress the Lumivitae fae’s activities with his mere presence.
‘That’s why I went out. I sent a message to my father, threatening to reveal that the daughter of the Seneschal is whoring herself out in Dagome if Nirsen continues harassing me.’
‘Daughter of the Seneschal? Wait… Nirsen? You are the wife of the Lumivitae herald?’ I had trouble processing that the woman I knew so well, who’d stood beside me through so many trials and tribulations, was a fae noble.
‘Yes. My father was so eager to marry me off that he forgot to check if his chosen groom even liked women, or at least treated them well.’ She stood up and walked to her wardrobe, pulling on a thick house-gown.
‘I suspect Nirsen’s known about me for years, but since the king of Dagome started frequenting the House of Lillies, and I visited the court, he can no longer pretend his fragile wife lives in seclusion at the family estate. ’
‘Just ask, and he’s gone,’ I said. ‘It won’t be easy, but between Irsha and me, we’ll ensure he never bothers you again. Just say the word.’
It was a reckless promise. There was a vast difference between removing a scorned lover and killing the Lumivitae herald, whose prowess as a warrior was whispered of in taverns the world over.
I looked at Lily, my eyes hardening. She had knelt at Reynard’s feet, begging for my life as a powerless courtesan who had nothing to bargain with. Court politics be damned. I would tear down the sun and moon to protect my heart’s sister.
‘No, Sana, let’s see how my father responds.
It’s just… I like this life. I built it with my own two hands, have helped…
’ She stopped by the mirror, her shoulders slumping in defeat, making my heart tighten in my chest. ‘Irsha… I just wanted him to hold me. Please don’t tell him about this. I want to tell him myself.’
‘Of course. Lily, this is Irsha. He won’t hold this against you. We all have a past that–’ I stopped before I said too much. Whatever was growing between them wasn’t mine to fix, but I knew how to nudge my Blade in the right direction.
‘Really?’ she asked, her voice a vulnerable whisper as she readied herself for bed.
When she was done, Lily picked up a pillow and buried her face in it.
‘He slept here, didn’t he?’ When my eyebrows shot up, she chuckled.
‘Since you told me how crazed Reynard was about your scent, I started noticing things. Irsha always smells like burnt caramel… even if it’s occasionally tainted with blood.
The pillow smells of him,’ she murmured, and I looked at the dishevelled lounger.
My friends were circling each other like two hedgehogs, both acutely aware that the other could hurt them, but even a blind person could see how deeply they cared for each other.
‘You should rest. Cuddle your pillow, and I’ll ensure Irsha is knocking on your bedroom door first thing tomorrow, even if I have to drag him here bare arsed and cursing,’ I said, and her eyes brightened.
‘Just don’t let any parts get frostbite.’
I came closer and sat on the bed, wrapping her delicate frame in a hug. ‘Sleep well, Ice Queen. And don’t worry; whatever troubles are brewing on the horizon, I’ll be there to help you.’
She sighed, her body relaxing against mine as if a heavy weight had lifted from her shoulders.
I understood this feeling, but I knew how to fight off my enemies.
How many years had my friend lived in fear, always looking over her shoulder, expecting her good-for-nothing husband to turn up on her doorstep?
Yet she’d survived and even thrived, building her little empire, helping me to keep my sanity, despite all the trouble.
I needed more information – needed to discover how a delicate fae noble became the Ice Queen of Truso, but that could wait. There were two things I knew for certain: first, that I trusted Lily with my life, and second, that Blade only acted like a fool when he was in love.