2. Sage #2
“I’m twenty-one,” I said, rolling my eyes but letting her hug me anyway.
“I know, but you’ll all always be my babies.”
She leaned away, looking me over. “Is this dress new?”
I shook my head, feeling suddenly sheepish. “I just added some embroidery to it.”
“I love it,” she said. “You’ll have to do one for me. It made it look completely different.”
“I will.”
The door opened again, Sorcha and her husband, Zarios, entering. Her arm was hooked in his, the two looking radiantly happy. The joy looked good on my sister, though the jealousy I felt about it hadn’t quite gone away.
“Sorry we’re late,” Zarios said. “There was a tree down in the path.”
Sorcha hummed. “The horse was too scared to hop over it. Zarios had to pick it up and fling it out of the way.”
“The horse, or the log?” I asked.
Sorcha held back a laugh while Sybil rolled her eyes.
“The log,” Zarios said, like I hadn’t imposed an absurd question.
“That must have been heavy,” Sybil commented.
He shrugged. “A bit.”
Moons, he was large, and imposing.
He was perfect for my sister.
“Where’s Mother?” Sorcha asked, also noting her absence.
“She had a last minute meeting,” Mama said, pursing her lips. She hated when one of us wasn’t in attendance for family dinner. “She’ll be here when she’s done.”
We all sat in our usual spots, Mama at the head, with an empty chair, Sybil to the right, Sorcha—and now Zarios—to the left, and me next to Sybil, who always felt like my babysitter.
Holland stood back against the wall with all the other guards once we started.
My mothers had asked him to come sit on multiple occasions, but he always turned them down.
Dishes clanked between us as things were passed around. This quiet, peaceful part of the evening was always my favorite.
Conversation started, mostly around Sorcha. Since she wasn’t here anymore, there was much more for her to discuss. And though everyone tried not to treat these dinners as work, the fact that a marital alliance had been formed when Sorcha and Zarios got married couldn’t be overlooked.
Sybil and Zarios were in the middle of discussing… something about trade, when the doors opened and Mother walked through. Her mouth was pressed in a hard line, making it obvious that the meeting didn’t go well.
Mama sensed it instantly, and seemed to let go of whatever anger she had about her missing attendance earlier.
She still went over to hug Sorcha and sat down alongside her partner, whose hand she squeezed very tightly.
Really bad meeting then.
“Anything of note?” Sybil asked.
Mother licked her lips, taking a sip of wine before answering.
“I was speaking with Count Todley of Brieshire,” she said.
Brieshire… why did that name sound so familiar?
“I thought we weren’t meant to correspond with them until tomorrow?”
The heat on my head told me my Mother was staring at me. Was there something on my face?
“We were,” she confirmed. “But it seems both of his sons went to the Thurndra Estate last night.”
My eyes shot wide, sudden memories flooding back. I took my own long sip of wine.
“Okay,” Sybil said, trying to get the rest of the information.
“Would you like to regale us of your night, Sage?”
The entire table turned to look at me. I hated that. It felt like my skin was flayed and laid out for everyone to examine closely, like one of those dead dried bugs people pinned to frames.
“I… yeah I was at the ball, so what?”
“Do you remember what you did there?”
I tried to recall the night. It was all a bit… hazy. “I danced with Paige,” I said. Made out with some guy. “Had a few drinks and chatted.” Hooked up with someone else in their carriage. “I think they served fish at dinner.”
My mother’s jaw was so tight I was sure she would crack a tooth. “And you don’t recall a makeout session with Colin Brieshire?”
“Nope.” I ran my fork through the mashed potatoes on my plate absently.
“No? Or following Alexander Brieshire back to his carriage?”
Oh.
“I can’t recall,” I said carefully.
The table slamming on the end made me jump and actually look at Mother.
“Yvee,” Mama tried, using her nickname to soothe her.
“No,” she said. “You can’t keep doing this, Sage. We’re supposed to be in alliance talks with them this week, and instead, I needed to get pulled into a meeting with them to discuss a potential marital alliance instead.”
That caught my attention. “Marriage?”
“You think pursuing two counts we’re actively trying to form a treaty with wouldn’t make them assume we’re trying to form a different kind of alliance?”
“I didn’t know who they were!” I insisted. “I don’t want to marry either of them.”
“I figured as much,” she said. “But now the idea has been planted in their head, they’re very insistent in trying to give you an opportunity to court.”
I scrunched my nose. “Tell them I’m not interested.”
“That’s not how it works,” Sybil jumped in. “You planted the idea in their heads.”
“If anything, I’m the victim here,” I said. “Horrible kissing must run in the family.”
“Is this funny to you?” Mother asked.
“No, but what do you want me to do?”
“I’ve already decided what you’re going to do,” she said.
A pit dropped in my stomach.
“I told them that you had a previously scheduled trip, so you wouldn’t be available for any meetings this week.”
My mouth dropped open. “I’m being sent away?”
“For a week,” she clarified. “You can go back with Sorcha tonight, and return once they’ve left.”
My eyes turned to Sorcha, as if she planned this betrayal, but it was clear she was being thrown under the carriage right now too.
“I uh… that’s probably fine. Right Zarios?”
“I don’t mind,” he said. “There’s plenty of room. She’ll have to ride on the horse with you while I walk.”
“I’m not going with Sorcha,” I insisted. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Wrong or not, we can’t deal with this this week. You have to go. Unless you want to be courted.”
I was sure I was going to pop a blood vessel. “You can’t just send me away as punishment!”
Mama jumped in, always trying to keep the peace. “We’re not sending you away to punish you. It would be… more comfortable for everyone, including you, if you went.”
“And it’s only for… a month,” Mother said, as if that made anything better.
Here everyone was again, trying to sweep me under the rug for some wrongdoing. No matter what I did, it seemed I was asked to leave, or get out of the way, or whatever other way they wanted to say ‘you’re a screw up.’
Before I could argue more, the memory of the invitation I had in my drawer came to mind. “Fine, I’ll go. But I already did have plans to leave.”
“You did?” Mother asked.
“I was invited to Octavio Kalfin’s going away soiree, and I planned to attend. I leave tomorrow with Paige. I’ll just… stay a bit longer than planned.”
I had no such plans to go to that party, but it was better than spending a month away with my sister and her husband, who I’d probably be in the way of as well.
“Fine,” Mother said after some thinking. “Just please don’t cause any more trouble while you’re there.”
I gritted my teeth. “I’ll do my best.”