Chapter 16
CHAPTER
Upon exiting Gia’s suite, we were greeted by another young female in all blue. She dipped into a courtesy at the sight of Gia. “My lady, they are expecting you in the Great Hall. I am here to escort Miss Talok to the servants’ quarters.”
Gia scoffed. “I will arrive when I’m good and ready, and I don’t care why you’re here.
” She stepped around the poor servant like she was nothing more than furniture.
I watched as she moved swiftly down the hallway, the soft fabric of her gown swaying delicately behind her.
As soon as she was out of earshot, the servant turned to address me.
“Hi, I’m Eladir, but you can call me El.”
In a completely unexpected gesture, she held out her hand to me, palm facing up.
It was a greeting I had not encountered in such a long time.
Maybe not since initially meeting Gia. It was a friendly and welcoming Fae custom, usually recognized in introductions amongst friends.
The gesture was a sign that the female before me was perhaps gentle and good-natured.
I lifted my hand and placed it atop hers, our skin barely grazing.
Her hand felt warm and clammy, but soft like it had not been forced to perform manual labor.
“I’m Cress Talok of Caano.”
“Yes, I know! I’m from Damas—not that it matters, the whole of the kingdom is just a bunch of sand anyway.”
Her practical attitude further reinforced that she was comfortable in my presence. Was she like this with everyone, or did she just innately trust me? Either way, I was content to have a friendlier face at my side.
“Shira instructed me to escort you to the servants’ quarters when Lady Gianna was finished with your assistance, and to show you the ropes. Well, actually I offered…since I’m your roommate!”
She said the last part like an excited child. Her use of the old sailing adage left me nostalgic for conversations with my father.
Her zealous expression led me to believe she was younger than me, perhaps even more so than Nori.
Her optimism and joy seemed a strange thing for someone in servitude, hailing from a poor village like Damas.
As she paced us away from Gia’s door, I followed closely behind but continued to make note of my surroundings.
“The guard already delivered your belongings to our room,” El prattled on, like the two of us were old friends, dishing the dirt about this and that.
“It was silly of Shira to make him carry them all the way up to the fourth floor when we’re all housed in the lowest levels of the castle.
I’m not sure if she likes to abuse her power and watch them sweat, or just finds it amusing to make someone perform pointless work. ”
Her penchant for gossip would benefit me, as she seemingly had no filter in sharing her observations.
I would not have expected any of the servants to question Shira’s intentions aloud, and the others probably didn’t.
I’d wager this was unique to El, and I wondered if it had already gotten her in trouble once or twice before.
She led us farther down the torchlit corridor until, finally, she stopped in front of an unassuming wooden door.
“This is a servant’s door. All of them look like this, so you’re safe to open them. Just make sure they look exactly like this!”
She reemphasized the point to warn me, making me think she had already learned from that mistake once before. When we entered the doorway, it was nothing but stairs in both directions. Narrow halls dimly lit by torchlight with no windows. She began to make her way downward, and I followed.
“These were built all throughout the castle to allow the staff to move freely and quickly between their duties. Some of us are given very little time between shifts, and don’t get me started if one of the guests has an emergency.”
“Why did Shira and the guard take me up the grand staircase if this exists?” I questioned, trying to understand the rules of the castle while still getting as much information about these hidden stairwells as I could.
El continued to make the trek down and answered my prying questions thoroughly, but also with a twinge of annoyance.
“You weren’t in the middle of duties, so the main staircase is acceptable. Do you think the nobles want to see us servants carrying around dirty bedsheets, linens, and chamber pots at every turn? We use this staircase to hide the existence of our work here in Nasallus.”
Now it made sense. It was not considered beautiful or luxurious to witness the labors, so they largely took place behind the scenes.
The air was warm and thick in the stairwell, and soon a sheen of sweat broke out across my skin. When we finally arrived at the bottom, there was a maze of hallways and doors that made up the servants’ quarters.
El continued on like an enthusiastic tour guide.
“This is the basement; we are below ground level, so there are no windows. You’ll have to get daylight and fresh air during your breaks, should you so choose.
” As we moved toward our destination, I could hear chatter and movement behind every door.
“The males are down that hall.” She pointed while continuing past one hallway.
“At the end of that corridor and to the left is a mess hall. The staff who live along that strip have the fortune of getting to smell everything coming out of our kitchen—and that’s not a good thing. Lucky for us, we’re nowhere near the wafting scents of day-old stew and fermenting fruits.”
I breathed a sigh of relief, although my stomach was beginning to grumble now at the mention of food.
“What of the Kingsguards?” I prodded, trying to determine if there was any chance in the three moons of Demir that I might run into Cairis, or by some stroke of luck be in close proximity to him.
El came to an abrupt halt causing me to almost crash into her backside. She turned to face me; her nose already scrunched with displeasure.
“What concern do you have with the Kingsguards?”
This was the first reaction out of El that made me feel the need to tread lightly.
“Oh, I just always feel safer when they are in close quarters. I had a good friend who was a Kingsguard and promoted recently. Will they be stationed nearby?”
She let out a snort of disbelief. “You feel safer when those smelly barbarians are around?”
“I guess so,” I muttered.
“They are on the same floor as us, but located on the far west side of the castle basement. They have their own dormitories and mess hall.”
I dropped the subject, unsure of why El had taken issue with the Kingsguards, but not wanting to hit any sore spots.
We arrived at a door that looked like any of the countless others we’d passed, and I was almost certain I was going to struggle to remember which one was ours.
El must have seen the concern in my expression.
“They aren’t numbered, which is a bit silly, don’t you think?
I made this little mark on the doorhandle with a dinner knife so you’ll always be certain it’s ours; just look for this little scratch here,” she pointed at the blemish on the brass knob.
Perfect, I thought to myself. Friendly and resourceful. I already liked my roommate.
The cramped dormitory was not unlike those in Basdie. There were two beds, likely better suited to accommodate children, one of which was laden with my belongings. Most disappointing of all, however, was that there was no private washroom.
“Well, it’s small but it’s ours, and I’ve missed having someone to talk to since…”
El cut herself off, recoiling into silence.
“Since what?” I pried.
Her expression turned somber.
“Since they took Kaya. My former roommate. She became sick, and they were convinced she was contagious.”
The sad silence sat between us. I was unsure what comfort I could offer her, since I was almost certain Kaya fell ill at the behest of the Imperi.
“Since you’re here…” she continued flatly, “I’m guessing that means Kaya did not survive her ailment. She was good at her job, truly. I miss her. That extra blanket was hers. But I guess it’s yours now.”
El’s confession was a confirmation of her soft heart.
That, paired with her unguarded words, had me concerned.
But, if someone like her could survive in this role, then certainly someone as meticulous as me would be fine.
Taking the chance to endear myself to her and make a quick friend, I placed my hand gently on her shoulder.
“I am sorry about your friend. I appreciate you volunteering to meet me and show me around. I hope my banter will live up to Kaya’s.”
El gave me a warm, watery smile and nodded as she tried to keep in a sniffle.
Trying to sway the subject toward a lighter topic, I asked, “So, what’s the special party this evening?”
She let out a small snort followed by a giggle, discreetly wiping away a tear.
“I don’t know what household you served before Nasallus, but Silas doesn’t require a special occasion to throw a party.
There’s usually a dinner celebration, or something even more extravagant almost nightly here.
” She paused, catching her train of thought, “At least, until Silas is hungover and needs to nurse himself for a couple of days.”
In the hour that followed, El showed me more of the quarters, ensuring I could recall which staircases led to each wing of the castle.
The mess hall was modest, what you’d expect.
Rows of long wooden tables and benches, not even individual chairs.
A large hearth and fireplace for warmth, with a long chimney running up through the very top of the castle.
Not like Basdie, where every fireplace was imbued with magic.
Idris would never have signs of smoke over the Elorns giving away his secret stronghold.