Chapter 10
AIMILIA
Aimilia didn’t stay away from the gossip for long. As annoying as it was to be the topic, she preferred that it be because of her rejection of Nikias. She needed to stay abreast of any news regarding the queen’s suspicions on foul play in the king’s condition.
Since apparently Aimilia had not been who the queen had been speaking of, that meant someone else was in danger of taking the blame for Aimilia’s crime.
It would be far worse if Aimilia’s name came up there.
At least she knew Nikias clearly didn’t suspect her, otherwise, he would never have proposed.
But why he was determined to keep her in Areator, she still didn’t fully understand. Why didn’t he want to ship her off to the far edges of the kingdom?
The current rumor was that the queen seemed to be more focused on King Nero’s condition itself than investigating with the entrance exams for the Academy approaching. Apparently, King Nero was supposed to make his first public appearance since the treaty was signed by coming to watch the exams.
Other than information gathering, Aimilia kept her head low, focusing on reading up and refreshing her memory on the entrance exams rules. With only a week before they started, she didn’t have long to ensure she was prepared.
She’d reluctantly seen her mother off when she left to return to the estate, a few last attempts to convince Aimilia to start groveling thrown in with threats that Aimilia’s grandfather would be hearing about this. Uncle Cyprian had left her alone, thankfully.
She took a break from her preparations for judging the exams halfway through the week when it was time for Turpis to leave. For Aimilia’s post. Fine. Not her post, never her post, but it should have been her post.
Still, he’d helped her sneak out, and he’d been decent to her, so she supposed seeing him off was the decent thing to do in return.
She reached the courtyard to see Turpis checking his saddlebags as Commander Prisca was engrossed in conversation with—
Nikias.
If she’d known he would be here, she would have thought twice.
Still, she could probably exchange pleasantries with Turpis, and ask him to send word to her if anything happened at House Mitis—she didn’t trust her mother to write a letter to her that wouldn’t contain Nikias’ name anymore—and then be back inside before Nikias was finished.
She headed straight for the lieutenant, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nikias’ gaze land on her without breaking his conversation with the commander.
“Aimilia! There you are I was getting worried I’d have to leave without getting one last look at you before I go.” Turpis abandoned his saddlebags as Aimilia reached him.
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, there will be plenty of tall, freckled red-headed mages where you’re going. You might not even realize I’m not among them.”
“No, believe me, I’m definitely going to be aware none of them are you.” Turpis’ eyes skimmed over her before landing back on her face.
She laughed. He never changed. The boy couldn’t help but flirt with any pretty thing that spent more than two seconds in front of him. “It’s a shame I won’t be one of them. I wish I was going with you.”
“Really? I wish I was staying to watch the entrance exams. You’ll have to write to me about them. It’ll be the first time we have the Sordes no-names, seeing them and how they fare against our no-names.”
He had a point there. Aimilia said, “We’ll have to see, but it won’t be the same as if we had any of their proper clan mages.
At the end of the day, a no-name mage is still a no-name with the vitae and skill that goes with it.
I don’t expect our own no-names will impress me, much less the clan mages’. ”
“Still, it’s historic, and the king is supposed to appear to watch. I’ll be off traveling, so I won’t even get to see if he’s as bad as rumors are purporting him to be.”
“I really don’t think you’re going to miss much,” Aimilia said, fighting to keep her voice steady even as her heart rate increased like it did every time King Nero came up.
“The ambitious will fight for a spot on the command track, those who fail and those who know their limits will show their skills in combat, healing, and rune theory, and they’ll be sorted accordingly.
All His Majesty has to do is sit there and stay awake. How hard can that be?”
“Then it’s a good thing it’s going to be such an easy task. That gives you plenty of time to train and stay sharp for when you have to fight for your own position again.”
“When you put it that way, I suppose I couldn’t ask for a better task. Hopefully it’s not for a long time yet.”
Turpis glanced over his shoulder and Aimilia followed his gaze to where it landed on Nikias, listening to Commander Prisca. Well, Aimilia hoped he was listening, but it was impossible to be sure since he was watching her and Turpis with a distinct focus.
“Commander Prisca told me about your grandfather’s health, and a few years sound about right for him. But as for the king?” Turpis whispered, shifting closer so no one could hear him. “I’m not certain he’ll last even to the end of the year.”
Aimilia ignored Nikias’ piercing gaze, leaning in as well so she could whisper, “Is the king really that bad? I’ve heard little recently other than that Queen Clelia is focusing on his condition.”
“I’ve got a cousin, really skilled healer, he’s been working on His Majesty since they returned from the negotiations.
So, yes, I know it’s bad. My cousin for the life of him can’t figure out what caused him to fall so ill in the first place or why he’s continued to decline.
If it were anyone else, they’d take risks to gather the data for future solutions, but with the king, their hands are tied.
They’re just trying to keep him alive. No wonder Nikias is looking to get married and fast. He’s probably going to be crowned within the year. ”
“They really have no idea what caused it in the first place?” Aimilia asked, hoping he took her breathlessness as concern and not betrayal.
How much did Clelia know? What made her think it wasn’t natural in the first place? Did they have any evidence that could come back and haunt Aimilia?
“Not a clue. Of course, Queen Clelia has forced them to investigate all known poisons. Given the timing of it all, it’s suspicious of course, and the Sordes benefitted greatly.
But even with what we know of the Sordes’ abilities and poisons, it doesn’t match or provide any relief.
My cousin knows Prince Nikias is investigating foul play on his mother’s orders, even if it’s an unknown poison, trying to find out who could have gotten access to the king and his food and drink around that time. ”
“You don’t think they’ll accuse the clans of having anything to do with it?” Aimilia whispered. If Clelia hadn’t been referring to Aimilia that day, did she suspect Hypatia? “That will destroy the treaty and send us right back into that bloody war.”
“I have no idea. If the Sordes did…” Turpis shook his head. “Personally, I’m hoping my cousin and the other healers find out it’s some disease or rare condition.”
Aimilia was hoping for that too.
“Well, that turned into a rather somber parting conversation.” Turpis let out a soft, awkward laugh.
Aimilia took a deep breath.
No one was looking her direction. Yet.
Right now, all she could do was get through judging the entrance exams, focus on her own training, and accept whatever post Nikias would give her afterwards and bide her time until the day came she would fight for the head of House Mitis.
And maybe in the meantime she’d ask Marcella about the whole praying thing she did and Aimilia might take that up in the hope no one ever discovered out what she’d done.
“I’m sure we can find something lighter to part on,” Aimilia said, giving him a grin no one would ever know was fake.
They were still huddled together, one of Turpis’ hands resting on his horse’s flank. But then he pulled it away, moving closer. “Oh, I can think of quite a few ways to salvage this goodbye.”
Aimilia laughed and started to move back, ready to warn Turpis not to try any of his flirting with any of the mages at the Mitis estate, otherwise he might leave a string of broken hearts and end up with angry brothers coming for his head.
However, before she could get a word out, a hand was on her shoulder.
“Lieutenant, your commander needs a word with you.”
Nikias was between her and Turpis faster than she could blink, and yet he was as rigid as marble.
Turpis shifted back, blinking at Nikias for a moment. Then he clicked his tongue and dropped into a respectful bow. “Of course, Your Highness.”
Once he straightened up, he took a few steps back until Aimilia could peer around Nikias and then he said, “Goodbye, Aimilia. I’ll be sure to write, so long as you reply.”
“Commander.”
Turpis turned back at Nikias’ voice. “Your Highness?”
Aimilia shook her head, spotting the servants and the other Runai in the courtyard watching the scene Nikias was making. If he wanted to make a fool of himself, fine, she wouldn’t stop him.
Nikias’ frigid voice cut through the air. “That’s Commander Aimilia to you, Lieutenant.”
“Of course, Your Highness.” But Turpis didn’t address her again, he just kept walking over to Commander Prisca.
Nikias finally turned to face her, and she crossed her arms and glared up at him.
She hissed, “What is wrong with you?”
Nikias, however, was unfazed by the scene he’d caused. “I don’t know what you’re referring to. The boy was summoned by his commander and didn’t address you with the respect your position owes you. Commander Prisca has her work cut out for her in shaping him up, that’s for sure.”
“He was one of my classmates. If you insist I call you by your name when we’re—” She paused, trying to find a word appropriate for such a complex and fraught dynamic as theirs.
When she came up short, Nikias simply raised an eyebrow. “What exactly are we?”
“My point is, he has every right to be familiar with me, considering we were classmates and now friends.” She narrowed her eyes, her next words biting. “Which the two of us certainly aren’t. Now you’ve gone and made all of this look like something it wasn’t.”
“What have I made this look like?” Nikias’ lips twitched into a grin.
Heat rushed to her cheeks and she lowered her voice to a sharp hiss.
“Like Turpis was seriously flirting with me when he was just having a laugh, and I was too. It also made it look like you still have any involvement with me beyond a strictly professional capacity. Whether you give them any weight or not, you will have to deal with rumors and what people think, especially when you select your next unfortunate target. You should stay as far away from me as possible so she doesn’t think something foolish. ”
“Thank you for the advice, I will take it into consideration. However, I didn’t come over here simply because the boy has much to learn about how to behave.
I was going to come see you anyway after this.
” Nikias then reached into his bag and pulled out a small stack of papers.
“For the entrance exams. The profiles on all of the novices you will be assigned to score. I expect you will be able to familiarize yourself with them quickly.”
Had she just heard that correctly?
Had Nikias thanked her? He had. Was it sarcastic? It had to be. He never valued her opinion, at least not on the subject of gossip and how to best navigate it.
She took the stack from him. “You still could have come and found me afterwards and then we wouldn’t have a scene.”
Nikias finally pulled his gaze away and as he looked over the servants and mages, they all scrambled to look busy or as though they hadn’t been observing their interaction.
He turned back to her. “Let’s think of it as doing them a favor.
Now they have something to talk about for the next few days until the exams start. ”
“You hate people talking about you.”
Nikias grinned. “But not as much as you hate them talking about you.”
Was that why he was doing this? Was this his revenge? Keeping her in the rumor mill for a little longer?
It was rather tame for a man who’d tried to kill a girl for looking like someone else.
But she failed to see how this was particularly damaging to her, other than connecting her and Turpis romantically. While not an ideal match for her as a commander, he wasn’t the worst she could do. If anything, it only made Nikias look worse.
Like a jealous fool, which he most certainly wasn’t. Jealous at least. The verdict on the fool part was still out.
Aimilia just turned on her heel, waving the stack of pages at him as she went. “I better get to work then!”
He made her head hurt.
“I’ll see you soon, Aimilia.”
She looked back over her shoulder, and he just watched her go, a strange guarded look on his face.
What was he up to?