Chapter 18 – Neve
Chapter 18
NEVE
T wo days of quiet had passed since we’d seen the queen leave Lord Riis’s rooms.
No Courting Festival events had taken place. No one had sought me out. Nor Vale.
We spent each morning practicing with weapons and then spent the afternoons either together or in a private lounge with Saga, Sayyida, and Vale’s friends, laughing, playing nuchi, getting to know one another, and lying low. I loved those hours. In that time, I felt free, like nothing bad was coming for me.
What a joke.
We’d recently finished our morning training session. I’d already showered and dressed, and now Vale was showering while I lounged on the bed.
On the nightstand next to my stack of books was the Mind Rond potion. Remembering that I hadn’t taken my daily dose yet, I lifted the flask to my lips and took a swallow. Every time I drank the potion, it reminded me of another brew flowing through me. One that continually weakened and put me and Vale in jeopardy.
In six days, I’d be able to feel my magic, but at a cost. I’d no longer be able to lie—a quality that had saved my life many times since being at court. Would I be able to twist truths in a way that other fae did naturally? If not, and I said the wrong thing, I was dead.
As it had every time I’d considered such a terrible outcome, my heart raced. Though it was the last thing I wanted to do, I’d considered asking Vale if he could procure the same potion for me. That meant I wouldn’t know what magic ran through my veins for yet another moon cycle, which would be devastating, but I’d feel more secure. More safe.
The door to the bathroom opened, and Vale stepped out, a fluffy towel wrapped around his hips and his bare chest glistening from his shower. Steam followed him, bringing a fresh scent into the suite.
I swallowed. For the three days, we’d remained platonic, but it was growing more difficult. In stolen glances and moments of flirting that seemed to just happen when we spoke, it had never been more obvious that we wanted one another.
“Should I request a painting be commissioned?” He ran a finger down his tattooed chest. “That way you can gawk whenever you’d like.”
I hurled a pillow at him. “I was not gawking.”
“Could have fooled me.” He caught the pillow one-handed, and I silently cursed him for being so effortlessly handsome. His long black hair was still wet, and he looked delicious. When I stepped out of the bathroom, I looked like a drowned bandicota.
“I was daydreaming. About this,” I lied as I held up the book on the top of my pile, the one that had been Roar’s brother’s favorite. I had intended to read it while he showered, but I’d become lost in my thoughts instead and hadn’t even cracked open the storybook.
“Oh? How far into it are you?”
I sensed a trap. “I’ve read about five chapters.”
“Has a troll shown up yet? I always loved reading about trolls.”
“You’ve read it?”
“As a youngling.” He came closer, but as he passed the spot on the wall that led to the hidden parts of the palace, he paused. Glanced at it with longing.
Besides spending time with friends during our free days, we’d tried to get into the hidden part of the palace. Four times we’d made the attempt. None of them with any luck. Apparently, when Vale was with me, the palace decided I wasn’t in danger.
It was difficult to be upset at that, even if we were both dying to delve deeper into Queen Revna’s diary.
After spying his mother leaving the Lord of Tongues’s chambers, Vale had not told Lord Riis about the king’s suspicions. That choice was eating him up inside.
Vale wanted to do the right thing, but he also wanted to understand Lord Riis better. Obviously, everyone had a past and the new information we had, combined with Lord Riis’s past, made Vale question quite a lot.
In the past, the Lord of Tongues had taken many lovers. I had been stunned to learn that Luccan, Arie, and Thantrel were far from his only children. They were simply the only ones at court. The only ones legitimized by King Magnus and hence, able to take part in the Courting Festival.
Had the queen been one of Lord Riis’s lovers once?
If so, how would that change Vale’s opinion of him? If at all?
I didn’t think even Vale knew the answer to that.
“Any glowing?” Vale nodded to the door, perhaps sensing that my thoughts, like his own, had wandered.
“None.”
“Pity.” Vale came closer and perched on the edge of the bed. “So what is your favorite part of that book so far?”
“What?”
He smirked. “I should put a shirt on if you’re going to be so distractible.”
“You’re so full of yourself.” I rolled my eyes, and desperate to get off the subject of my ogling him, I pressed the book to my chest. “Like I said, I haven’t read much, but I also like the bits about the troll. I can see why you did too. You don’t read about them often in stories.”
Vale’s lips curled up into a smirk. “No. Not even in the pages of that book.” He winked. “I guess I am that distracting.”
I gaped. “Stars, I hate the way fae can twist truths!”
Vale burst out laughing. “Well, you’d better get used to it. Soon you’ll have to do the same.”
My stomach clenched .
“About that.” I set the book on the side table. “I was thinking, maybe I should take the potion again? I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s the same one the vampires force-fed me every full moon?” The words burned leaving my throat, but if continuing to smother my magic for a while longer would save my life, then I’d do it. “It is possible to get here, right?”
“We call it the Liar’s Salvation,” Vale said. “It’s illegal.”
I swallowed. “Well, what do you think I should do, then?”
He shook his head. “I’ve been wondering that too. We’ve been lucky these past days, with no events, but tomorrow we’ll have to go to the theater.”
We’d received the summons this morning that our peace would soon be ending. Normally, the idea of going to the theater would fill my heart with joy. I’d always wanted to experience such a spectacle. But after two days with no drama from the Courting Festival, I wasn’t ready for it to start up again.
“And it’s likely that events will take place more often,” Vale said. “Father might have needed time to cool down after our wedding and everything else that happened with Lord Armenil and Lady Virtoris.”
“Or he was planning something to make a scene again.”
“Or that.” The prince turned my way. Pointedly, I didn’t look at his chest, no matter how beautifully it gleamed in the midday sun coming in through the window .
Stars, the male needs a shirt!
“How do you feel about an outing?”
I blinked, not expecting that, but up for it after spending three days in the castle. “Sure. Where to?”
“You need the Liar’s Salvation. There are only two places we can get that.”
“And they are?”
“The Black Market”—he paused—“which would be difficult as I’m recognizable. No one would sell it to me because that’s an admission that they brew it, and they can be tossed in prison. The other option is better—especially seeing as I have a friend on the inside.”
“Are you ever going to tell me? Or continue to listen to yourself talk?” I jabbed him in the shoulder with my finger.
He snorted and gave me a light, playful shove in return. “We’ll take a trip to the House of Wisdom.”
“Where the scholars study?” I sat up straighter. “Can we see their library?”
“Maybe. I’ll ask my friend.”
I shifted off the bed, excitement trilling through me at the thought of a library as large as the royal one. “Get a shirt on and let’s go!”
Two Clawsguards followed as we approached the House of Wisdom.
It had surprised me to learn the House of Wisdom was incredibly close to the palace, only a ten-minute walk, but in a direction I had not yet ventured.
Unlike the Tower, it was closer to the less fortunate parts of the city, where the homes were smaller and the clothing thinner, more ragged. The soldiers guiding us had offhandedly called the fae who lived here dregs, and I could see why. They were the unwanted. The lowly. The poor. At the sight of those fae, pity rose in my chest.
In the last days, the winds raged, and the temperatures had dropped even further. We hadn’t noticed the cold, cozied up in Vale’s chambers that morning, but these people would have felt Winter’s bite. I fingered the fur lining my cloak and contemplated giving it to a far too thin female of around my height before she turned down an alley and disappeared.
I exhaled, painting the air white and wishing I’d acted sooner. A few minutes of being cold wouldn’t kill me, and I could get as many cloaks as I wished when I returned to the castle.
Vale caught me eyeing one home that was little more than a shack as we walked up to the gates of the House of Wisdom. “Not everywhere in Avaldenn prospers like those in Lordling Lane.”
I had known hunger and cold myself. And of course, since I’d been in Winter’s Realm, I’d met a starving goblin and seen beggars on the streets of Avaldenn, but this was so much more. And somehow, it stunned me as I took it all in.
How, in a few days of living at the palace, had I almost forgotten that these types of places, people in these circumstances, existed everywhere? How had I put where I’d come from out of mind?
I scanned the area again, trying to commit it to memory, to make sure I never forgot again, when my attention snagged on a boarded-up building. It was larger than the rest, at least double in size. Someone had painted a red symbol on the door: a horizontal line with a tipped over V drawn bisecting it.
“Is that building condemned?” I pointed to it. “Is that what that symbol means?”
Vale cleared his throat. “It’s not in use, but that’s not what that means.”
The way he spoke, so solemn, made the hair on the back of my neck lift.
“What is it then?”
“That’s a sign of the loyalist rebellion. The soaring white hawk of House Falk.”
My lips parted in recognition. The V represented the wings, and the line was the body of the bird.
“I’m surprised the crown lets that stand.”
“I suspect the building was recently discovered. They’ll burn it soon enough.”
Burn it? When it looked larger and far sturdier than half the surrounding homes? What a waste.
“What’s this area called?” I asked as we reached the gate separating the House of Wisdom from the seedy neighborhood, and one of our Clawsguards began speaking to the attendant at the entrance.
“Rall Row.”
“They called the people who lived here dregs.” I gestured to the Clawsguards, who were too busy speaking with the attendant and being on watch to notice.
Vale cringed. “That’s a slur for those who live in this part of the city. I’ll speak with the guards about that later.”
“A good idea,” I said, glad that Vale didn’t use the same terms. “And the House of Wisdom is here among the poorest fae. That seems odd to me.” I gestured to the great black gate separating the row from the elaborate building that resembled a small castle.
“The Row grew around the House of Wisdom. Healers train here and many in the Row seek their services for free.” Vale watched a youngling kicking a ball down the street.
The child had long white hair, and despite that being a common enough color among the fae, I caught myself wondering if he was one of my blood relatives. If so, this could have been where I’d grown up.
“This area wasn’t always like this.” Regret laced his voice. “The Row began developing about ten turns ago.”
A decade after the rebellion. I understood what he was cryptically saying. These fae were among the first to be affected by the slow decline of Winter’s Realm.
The poor and downtrodden were always the first to feel the downfall of society.
“Prince Vale, Princess Neve, this way.” The Clawsguards ushered us inside the gate. “The attendant has informed a vishku of your arrival and will see to you now.”
Vale winced. “I’d rather speak to L?rling Duran. ”
The attendant at the gate shrugged. “I’m sure the vishku will take excellent care of you.”
Vale scowled but didn’t argue as we passed through the gates, down a long path lined with tall evergreen trees, to the vast double doors that looked more intimidating than welcoming.
From the outside, the House of Wisdom reminded me of a smallish, rectangular, sandy-brown castle with towers in every corner.
One tower appeared to be newer, whiter, and brighter than the rest of the building.
“What’s that?” I pointed to the tower.
“The White Tower,” Vale answered. “Healers train and live there. Though there is a small portion that the rest of the scholars use—mostly for potions.” He arched his eyebrows.
So if all went well, we’d be going there.
“They separated healers from other scholars?”
“To a certain degree, every sect of study is separate, though healers are an extreme. The Masters and the teachers live at the top of the White Tower.”
“Hmm,” I mused. “Have you been here often?”
“A few times.”
“For what?” He read but not like I did. Then again, few read that voraciously. I wondered what he was interested in reading or studying.
“Rhistel is a kl?r, a level below the vishku, the highest honor one can achieve in the House of Wisdom. He’s studied here since we were young—a perk for the heir. Most have to wait until they’ re adults to study in the House of Wisdom. I used to visit him.”
“Oh.” That Prince Rhistel did anything besides antagonize others and spout lewd comments astonished me.
The double doors opened, and Vale directed all his attention to the older, plump female dwarf sweeping toward us. She wore white flowing trousers and a top to match. A white cloak atop kept her warm.
“Prince Vale, welcome to the House of Wisdom,” the female said, her deep-set black eyes blinking with interest.
“Vishku Sindri. It’s an honor to be here.”
“And what, might I ask, brings you here today, Prince Vale?”
“I came to speak with a friend and introduce him to my wife,” Vale replied. “Princess Neve.”
“Yes, I’ve heard that congratulations are in order.” The vishku curtsied. “A pleasure, Princess Neve. And who are you here to see?”
“L?rling Duran Urgi.”
The vishku’s face fell. “Ah. I see.”
“Is he here?” Vale pressed, which only made the vishku’s frown lines deepen.
“He is. Though, I wonder if now is a good time.”
“For us, it is,” Vale replied. “Is he busy?”
“He is being disciplined.”
I swallowed. That didn’t bode well, considering we were about to ask Vale’s friend to break the law for us.
“I’d rather not reward him with a visit from the prince,” the vishku continued. “So?—”
“I’m dying to meet him,” I interrupted, hoping to push on through. “And we won’t be able to get away from the palace for a very long time. Not with the Courting Festival going on.” I gave the vishku a winning smile, and her shoulders softened as her resolve crumbled.
“Only a quick visit.” Vishku Sindri waved us through the double doors.
We stepped out of the biting cold and wind. The foyer was void of anything save for a few spherical faelights to illuminate the space and mark the closed doors leading deeper into the House of Wisdom. It was spotless, but smelled like parchment and old home, as if no matter how much one scrubbed, they’d never quite rid the building of every speck of dirt.
Vishku Sindri rubbed her hands together. “It’s wicked out there today.”
“The cold is setting in early,” Vale replied. “I cannot imagine how cold it will be around Winter Solstice.”
“One of our vishkus trained in following weather patterns claims that the end of this turn will be one of the worst in a long while. They say it will seep into the next turn.”
“Hopefully, the wind will be calm, though. It adds to the bite.” I rubbed my arms beneath my fur-lined cloak.
Before arriving in this kingdom, I’d rarely been cold, but the Kingdom of Winter was a different beast entirely. I could still tolerate quite a lot, but the gales flying off the Shivering Sea pushed me over the edge into discomfort.
“Indeed,” Sindri said. “There will be a hearth blazing where you’re going. You may warm yourself there, Princess Neve. Your Clawsguards, however, will have to stay in the foyer.”
Vale didn’t press for the Clawsguards to follow, not that the vishku waited to see if he would. No, the moment she’d laid down the boundary, Sindri motioned for us to follow her through a door on the right. Vale told his guards to remain, and we trailed her through the door, then down an unadorned, windowless, gray corridor lit with faelights that hovered near the ceiling, casting an eerie glow upon the stone. Like in the foyer, each door we passed was closed, cut off from the rest of the world.
Why in all the nine kingdoms would a place brimming with knowledge be so plain? So boring? The only reason I could fathom was that austerity did not distract the apprentices and scholars from their studies. Still, how dismal it would be to live in such a place.
We passed at least twelve doors before the vishku halted before a door that looked like all the others.
“Here we are.” She opened it and a fresh scent of soap wafted out as we stepped into a vast space littered with wood tables. On the far wall, windows opened into what must be an interior courtyard and multiple hearths burned on each side wall.
Sindri scanned the area, eyebrows pinching together. After no one appeared, she raised her hands and clapped. “L?rling Duran! Where are you?”
At the far side of the room, a strawberry-blond head popped up between two long tables. “Vishku Sindri! I didn’t hear you enter!” His cheeks turned red, making his short beard look blonder .
“What are you doing?” the vishku barked, inferring guilt as I had.
“Scrubbing the floors, as you requested,” Duran replied as Sindri barreled forth, Vale and me behind her.
Duran popped back down, out of sight. I swore I heard faint cursing and the ruffling of pages before he rose again, patting his long white tunic down as if trying to be presentable.
“L?rling Duran!” Sindri admonished. “Were you reading?”
The dwarf’s face fell, and I smothered a laugh. Vale shot me an amused glance.
“No, Vishku. I?—”
Sindri was upon him, hands reaching into the folds of his tunic. From them, she extracted a small leather-bound book and waved it around. “Then what’s this? It’s not helping you with your duties.” She tossed the book on the table and shook her head. “I should send Prince Vale and Princess Neve from the House of Wisdom. But I’ve given my word and would hate to disappoint the new princess.”
The dwarf threw his hands up to reveal misshapen fingers on each hand. “Only here could someone get in trouble for studying!”
“You’re meant to be serving the House of Wisdom for a prior offense.” Sindri scowled. “Shall I add another punishment for not doing your job? This one with a chaperone.”
“Skies, no,” Duran murmured. “I won’t do it again. Promise.” He picked up the book and handed it over. “I apologize, Vishku Sindri. ”
For a moment, the vishku said nothing, and when it seemed like she would deny him, she took the book. “I want this room done before dinner.”
“Th-that’s too soon!” Duran sputtered.
“Prince Vale and Princess Neve wish to speak with you. After they leave, you’d better work quickly.” Though Sindri’s tone was strict, I caught a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. “And see them out when you’re done, Duran.”
Vale and I nodded our appreciation, and the vishku left. The moment the door to the corridor shut behind her, Duran let out a frustrated whine.
“I should have been a blacksmith!”
“You never would have lasted.” Vale laughed. “Your father would have been tough on you—tougher even than Vishku Sindri—and you wouldn’t be able to spend hours and hours just reading.”
Duran shuddered. “You’re right. Plus, the forge is hot. Stars, I hate that.” His annoyance seemingly out of his system, Duran turned his big blue eyes on me. “So, you’re the new princess? You really chose him ?”
A laugh burst out of me. “I guess I did.”
“A delight, fair Princess Neve. Seeing you with this lug tells me that there’s hope for me yet.” Duran winked at Vale, who shook his head as though he expected nothing less than the dwarf’s sass.
“We need your help, Duran,” Vale said.
“I assumed so,” the dwarf replied, palms up and his eyes to the sky. “I’m always getting this one out of binds.”
“What a tall tale.”
“It’s been true—at least twice. ”
Vale cocked his head as if reaching farther back into the recesses of his memory. “Yes, well, this request has to do with my new wife and must be kept secret.”
Duran’s countenance shifted. The playfulness dimmed. “Secret, eh? Why?”
“Because,” I piped up, “it’s illegal.”
The dwarf opened his mouth, but I cut him off.
“And before you ask, I cannot tell you why I require it.”
He shut his mouth, then opened it again. “Do you possess mental magic?”
“No.” It wasn’t even a lie, not as far as I knew. “It seemed a natural thing to ask, after being confronted with illegality.”
“Hmm, she’s far too clever for you, Vale.” The dwarf used Vale’s given name. Only those in the Aaberg family and Vale’s other close friends did the same. Well, and Sayyida, but she didn’t adhere to many social norms.
“She’s cleverer than you know,” Vale replied, and as heat rose in my cheeks, I looked away to gather myself. “Now, about why we’ve come. Are you willing to help us, even if there are legal ramifications?”
Duran took a moment, his right hand fiddling with his long white tunic before nodding. “You’re lucky I love you like a brother.”
“That I am.” Vale inhaled. “Duran, can you acquire a dose of the Liar’s Salvation potion?”
The dwarf’s eyes widened. “Why would you need that?”
“We can’t tell you,” I repeated .
“Right . . . of course.” The dwarf swallowed. “Well, we have all the ingredients to make the potion here. Whether there is some already brewed and bottled, I cannot say.”
“Can you check?” I was hopeful we’d get to leave with a dose today. That would mean one more moon of being able to defend myself from anyone prying into my past.
“Not with you in tow.” Duran gave a humorless chuckle. “Most potions are brewed and stored at the base of the White Tower. I’ll have to go there to check. Which I can’t do until tonight—not without rousing suspicion.” He gestured to the mop and the bucket not far away, forgotten by him, not even noticed by me.
“And if there isn’t any in stock? How long does it take to brew?” Vale asked.
I stiffened. I hadn’t even considered that might be an issue. The vampires had always had the potion on hand, but what if it took an entire moon cycle to create the potion?
“I believe it takes around a week to mature.”
Too long. I had six days. I shot Vale an alarmed look.
“Check to be sure, will you?” The prince placed a steadying hand on my shoulder.
“Yes. And if I need to, I’ll brew it in secret.” Duran’s gaze flicked to the door before returning to Vale. “I can look for it in the storerooms tonight and send you a message tomorrow? To the castle?”
“No, I’ll have Filip come here and take the message from you,” Vale said. “This can’t get in the wrong hands.”
Duran shrugged. “Whatever you want. ”
“Thank you, friend.” Vale inclined his head. “I think we should go. Wouldn’t want to keep you from your work for too long. Vishku Sindri wouldn’t approve.”
Duran rolled his eyes. “If only I could make you help as payment without rousing questions, I would.”
The pair hugged, and Duran took my hand and kissed it. The hairs of his short beard tickled my skin before he lifted his face to grin at me. “You wouldn’t happen to have a single sister, would you, my princess?”
Though pain sliced through me at his question, one that I’d been wondering more often of late, I smiled. “Not that I know of.”
“A shame.” Duran released my hand and bowed. “I’ll send word, and perhaps a dose of your brew, tomorrow. Should I show you out? Or do you know the way?”
Vale pressed his hand into my lower back. “We can handle it.”
We left Duran to his work and found the long, gray hallway empty. I exhaled. “Hopefully, they have it on hand.”
“Agreed. If not, though, Duran will find a way to brew it.”
I prayed to the stars that he was right.