23. Lenna
23
Lenna
I t had been a couple of weeks since Lenna had told Jake to fuck off. A couple of weeks without panom lessons and feeling like shit at the thought of not being able to progress further than Giving and Taking at a basic level. A couple of weeks that her Panom Guidor had used to send her ink at random times of the day. The morning after he had faked to burn her book of Cause, while she was still in bed:
One post meridiem when she was hanging out with Ciaran, Sasha, Indianna, Brendon and Carson at the apartment the last two shared:
Last night while she was removing her makeup:
His perseverance was almost admirable. Lenna would admit that. But his assholeness was something else. And Lenna had decided that she would only accept a full, explicit and whole-hearted apology. She deserved it. In the meantime, maybe she was enjoying seeing him chase her at different times during his very busy days. And nights.
Finishing arranging the front strands of her red hair into a small bun at the back of her head, Lenna grabbed the smutty book she had to return to Sasha. She had devoured it in one sitting until very late hours last night. Because nothing was as motivating as some indecent, dirty reading when her own sex life had been reduced to pretty much zero since her arrival to Corentre. Something she was determined to change as soon as fucking possible, thank you very much.
She closed the door to her private chambers and started walking down the corridor towards the Dawn Gate, her steps echoing across the marble thanks to her high heels. She heard Ayla bossing around someone before she saw her.
“And of course if you can wash my clothes properly, because I don’t exactly know what they think they do here but they are destroying my silks,” Ayla’s high-pitched voice was a confirmation of her very well practiced I-am-a-Brachyan-and-you-obey-me. Rolling her eyes, Lenna almost felt sorry for whoever was receiving the orders of her sister. She was about to take a different corridor to get to the Dawn Gate just to avoid her beloved twin when Ayla turned a corner with somebody else.
“What is she doing here?” Lenna asked, pointing at the lady wearing the dark brown uniform of the North House.
“Good post meridiem to you too, my dear sister,” Ayla’s chin lifted, as if she had realized that she had caught Lenna by surprise. “I’m guessing at this time of the day you are not going to the Atrium. Poor you, missing out on all the fun that is learning the four powers.”
Lenna tried to ignore the invisible punch in the gut. Cardinals knew how much had Gabrielle taught Ayla so far, if she was already referring to the four powers. She had barely managed two, and didn’t even know when she would learn any further at this pace. There was not even a pace, actually. Just a pause, because she was too damn proud to go back to Jake without his apology. Even if he had shown no intent to apologize at all.
But Lenna was definitely not giving her sister any reason to mock her. Plus, she truly wanted to know, so she repeated, “What is Lidia doing here?”
“Well, Lidia has proved her value all these years as my personal assistant back home, and the servants of this House clearly don’t meet my standards. So I requested for her to be brought here, and they obliged.”
Lenna didn’t even know where to start. If it was even worth starting. Lenna had sought Clara’s help twice since their arrival at the Organ House and she had always proved both efficient and resourceful. But she knew perfectly well that Ayla’s definition of “personal assistant” was closer to “personal slave”.
It was a miracle that the North House still employed Lidia and she hadn’t quit or pretended that she was very sick during her time assigned to Ayla. But if Ayla had permission to bring a member of their service to the Organ House…
“Who allowed her to come here?” Lenna asked almost breathlessly, a spark of excitement already in her chest.
Ayla shook her head slowly, narrowing her eyes as if she was worried about why Lenna was so dumb. “The Organ Mandor, obviously .”
Lenna turned on her high-heels, heading towards another part of the House, golden sparks on her hand as she sent ink to Sasha:
The hall in front of the Organ Mandor’s office was bright, the rays of the sun across the glass windows on each wall and ceiling intercepting each other playfully. Four roixers dressed in cardinal red stood guard by the double wooden doors.
“I need to speak to the Organ Mandor,” Lenna said, her voice decisive as it always was.
“He’s busy. Do you have an invitation?” one of the roixers on her left asked, stepping forward.
“Not a formal one, but I am a guest in this House.” She lifted her chin in that bossy way she had seen Ayla do countless times. “I am the heir of the North House,” she added. Surely that had to count.
“We know who you are, miss Lenna Brachyan,” the roixer said as he stepped back in line. A silent dismissal.
Lenna put her hands on her hips, frustration already on her face as she was trying to find a way around speaking with the man. The wooden doors opened in front of her and Jake came out of the room, closing them behind him. And he halted in front of her, slightly lifting his eyebrows.
“I’m starting to think that this is your favorite posture,” he said as a way of greeting. He made a signal to the roixers, “You will excuse us for a moment.”
The roixers marched out of the hall without asking a single question. So they listened, when they wanted. And here she was with precisely who she had avoided for days.
He swallowed, as if he was hesitating about what exactly to tell her. “What is it you want from my father?” he asked.
“His permission to bring one of my staff from the North House,” Lenna said. She was not in the mood to talk to him. Not at all, and not yet. But if he could help her with this, talking to him might be worth it.
“Permission granted,” he said, walking past her and brushing her arm with his. “I wouldn’t bother him for small things like this, by the way. He was not happy with your sister pretending to be a distinguished person because she needs someone to wipe her Very Important Ass.” And with that, he was gone.
Lenna almost choked at the thought of Lidia wiping her sister’s V.I.A. And her face lit up with a grin. That had been way easier than she had expected. And damn her if she wasn’t excited to bring Theon to the Organ House.
Lenna was pretty convinced that the long distance between the Organ and the North Houses would make sending her ink to Theon a stupid option. But luckily, and unlike her, Ciaran knew a great deal of how her own magic worked.
“Don’t overthink it.” His blue eyes fixed on the cards in his non-metallic hand. “The possibilities that it reaches him are way bigger than the opposite.”
Sasha raised her finger in the air with worry on her face, making everyone on the terrace look at her. “So sorry, lovelies,” she said as she put her dice on top of the card face up on the table, making Ciaran and Brendon immediately be creative with their swearing. “You can go cry in that corner.”
She winked at a laughing Lenna and did a small dance, shaking her shoulders and full breasts that had the potential to stop some hearts and resuscitate some cocks. Elsewhere, that would be, because the two men in front of her were desperately finding some valers in their pockets to pay her fifth-in-a-row win. And they didn’t seem very content with it.
“Another round?” Sasha said, grinning and gathering the cards and dies spread on the table as well as coins. Lenna had been watching a few times as they played CoreCode and still was not sure she understood all the rules. Only that it always involved a huge amount of teasing and swearing.
Ciaran and Brendon looked at each other, as if having some internal conversation about which one of them should tell her they were so done with the unfairness of life.
Sasha started shaking the dies, lifting her brows. “Aren’t you tough, tough men? Already cowered by a poor young lady that only wants to have some fun?”
Lenna snorted. “Where is that poor young lady? The only lady I see here is a badass bitch.”
“Only because badass bitches recognize each other.” Sasha blew her a kiss and turned to the boys again. “So?”
“I’m not sure my hurt male ego can take it anymore tonight,” Brendon said.
“Or my empty pockets. You are going to ruin us.” Ciaran stood up, stretching his arms on top of his head. “And Lenna, for Cardinals’ sake. Just send him the damned ink.”
All Lenna wanted was for her message to Theon to come across as an invitation to the Organ House, and not as he didn't have an option. But without giving him an actual choice, if that made any sense. So after a while, she sent her ink:
Followed by:
Lenna grinned, imagining Theon swearing out loud at the short notice and how early he had to get up. But he would come. She had no doubt. And she couldn't wait.