Chapter 15 Ariah
ARIAH
The road from Foxhead to the castle is an easy one and doesn’t cause an ounce of trouble. The Queen must have ensured it this way so she could travel across Haymel comfortably. Hell, if I had her power and financial resources, I would do the same.
Accompanying me on the trip are Yanz, the driver, and Haya, one of the Queen’s ladies.
Yanz is a quiet man who is clearly only here to do as he’s instructed.
Every attempt I make at starting a conversation with him is shut down, and he walks away without a care for any of my questions.
Haya, on the other hand, is a chattering beast and gossips nonstop.
My mind tries to keep up with all the names she throws at me, while the information isn’t useful now it may prove to be so once I’m at court.
When Haya isn’t talking, sometimes even when she is, my focus sinks into the newness outside the carriage windows. For the first time, I get to witness scenery beyond my village.
All of nature’s colors bleed with a new vibrancy. Forests hold glorious canopies, each with pockets of iridescent light, and I’m certain magic runs through the streams. The water is far too turquoise and refreshing for it to be ordinary.
The number of times the thought of running off to find out exactly how far the mountains in the distance are, or to know the feeling of a sea breeze coating my being, are alluring dreams I’ve had many times.
But the deal I made with the Queen is set, and she doesn’t seem like the type to care about my desires, so running away seems like a death sentence.
On the second day of traveling, Haya is in the middle of telling a story about her sister who is ill, when the road beneath us changes.
It goes from smooth dirt to bumpy terrain, as if rolling over an unending number of cracks.
Looking out the window I realize the forest disappears, and we are now traveling through busy city streets.
Growing up, I thought the council building was the largest building in Haymel, but the castle perched on the hill up ahead is nearly ten times its size. No singular person should be allowed to own something of such unnecessary stature.
“Gorgeous, ain’t it?” Haya stops her story when she catches me suddenly hypnotized by what we’re casually passing through. “Wait until you see the inside.”
Lush reds and oranges cover the city, accenting the white castle.
Once we stop, Haya leads me inside where I discover she isn’t exaggerating. The outside is nothing compared to the grandness of the interior. She takes me through several corridors before showing me into a room with tall, wide windows.
“You can wait here, in the study. I’ll go see what the Queen would like to do with ya.”
She leaves through one door as another door to the right of me opens, and three people make their way in.
“Who the hell are you?” asks one who wears a venomous-red lipstick and pearls in her long, voluminous curls.
She circles the room of the study, holding on to the sight of her prey, and I don’t dare look away.
She moves in a manner that sways her hips, drawing attention to her shapely frame; and if that hadn’t captured my gaze, her use of bright colors that complement perfectly brown skin surely would’ve.
Confidence seeps out in the way she moves, the way she speaks, even in what she wears.
“Play nice, Vera.” A man wanders to the desk, cracking open a book, never giving me the time of day. Occasionally, I catch his lake-blue eyes glancing up at Vera, landing on her chest or hips, but he never stares for too long.
“Did you know about this, Skyleen?” Vera folds her arms over her chest. The man, who I assume is Skyleen, gives her a simple shake of his head. Vera’s attention then turns to the woman, off to the right side of the room. “Did you, Chana?”
Chana leans against a wall playing with a string between her hands and intertwining it between all her fingers.
She wears mostly black, her deep purple lipstick almost just as dark.
Her skin is swarthy and rich, and I assume she isn’t originally from Haymel.
A fringe swoops over her forehead and her hair is chopped right below the ears, barely grazing her shoulders.
I catch sight of a dagger in her boot and when she follows my gaze, all she gives me in return is a smirk.
“She’s the newest recruit,” Chana finally gives Vera a reply. “The fifth Fox.”
“She’s no Fox,” Vera spits, seemingly disgusted by the thought of new blood in her precious group.
Chana also said fifth, given there are currently four of us in this room, I wonder where the other is.
The doors suddenly swing open, and it is my first time seeing the Queen since Luna’s wedding.
Everyone stands up straight, even Skyleen, who slams the book shut and tucks it into his coat, before offering a bow.
The Queen’s dress is cerise, like it has been immersed in blood, with gold beads trailing over the swirling patterns on the corset and over the hemlines.
The sleeves are long and puff out at the shoulders.
Her red hair is pinned up tight, and she enters carrying what looks like a kit, asleep in her arms.
“Ah, good you’re here. I see you all met Ariah Tyddle.
Ariah’s parents, like yourselves, were once some of my most trusted Foxes.
” Skyleen looks at me for the first time, his eyes burning holes in me.
“She will be taking turns training with each of you. You will show her all your ways, exactly how I like them.” The Queen spins in my direction.
“There is another Fox, but I’m afraid I sent her off to Ethmay to deal with an urgent matter.
You’ll meet her when she returns. Chana will be your mentor of sorts.
You can work out times for your lessons with Vera and Skyleen.
We have company arriving in a few days and I need you ready.
” She leans in close, the scent of azalea wafting off of her.
“Remember, you need not only succeed for yourself, but your parents too.”
Most of the lessons come from Chana, who on my day of arrival, showed me every inch of the castle, including select hidden places few people know about. She also showed me my new room, which is bigger than I imagined. Definitely more spacious than my room back at home.
Over the next four days, I’m at her mercy. Chana is what I would call a watcher, and unlike Vera, who does most of the mingling with court guests, Chana prefers to be in the background. Not just because it gives her a better vantage point, but because she seems to prefer it.
Every day she gives me names of various advisors, lords, ladies, servants—anyone we pass—and any information tied to them.
Today isn’t any different. “You’ll learn who everyone is soon enough,” she says, sorting through a stack of letters without her name on a single one.
“One of your many jobs will be to observe everyone associated with court. Any abnormal activity is to be investigated. Most actions lead to nothing serious, but if anything in any way involves the Queen, you are to report to me.” Pulling a blade from her pocket, she slices one of the letters open.
“Last year, we caught a lord planning an assassination attempt on the Queen. You’d be surprised what fools think is safe in a letter. ”
My finger slides between the collar of my dress and my neck. Heat suddenly fills the room. I make a mental note to be discreet in my letters home.
She tucks away the letter and rolls her eyes, seeming unamused by the contents.
My mouth opens wide and before I can stop it, I suck in a deep breath and try to hide my yawn. “Not used to staying up late?” Chana snickers at my yawn.
“Not at all. I would usually be waking up in a few hours.”
Chana looks at the wall behind me. “Crap. I forgot about your lesson with Sky.” She swipes her arms in the air, pushing me out. “He’ll be waiting by your room. Hurry!”
Rushing out, I race to my chambers trying not to look suspicious. And just like she said, he is in fact, waiting.
“I’m sorry.” My hands go to my hips, the stance somehow making it easier to breathe. “Chana and I were…”
“I didn’t ask.” Sky starts walking away. “Keep up.”
We move out of the corridors and pass the gardens, not stopping even when we hit the boundaries of the woods. He moves quickly and I almost have to run to keep pace with him.
At the start I think I’m going to meet my end, or far worse, be taken advantage of. But like all the other times I’ve interacted with him, he mostly ignores me. That’s until we reach a massive tree that would have taken four of me to wrap my arms around the trunk.
“It’s a tannum tree,” he says, dropping his bag.
It is the first time I’ve heard him speak a full sentence.
The bass in his voice startles me. “The roots rise up and stick out of the ground just before dawn.” He points to a sea of upright roots that emerge from the soil.
“They are strong enough to cure the deadliest poisons. I add some to most of my antidotes.”
Antidotes was a lesson my father didn’t have time for, and I wonder if this root can be found in any of the books he gave me.
“Are they only native to Haymel?” I pick at the thin, long roots then cut with one clean swipe of my blade and shove them into my bag.
“No. This tree was imported from a forest near the kingdom of Ethmay. The locals near there call it the Forest of Thornes. The Queen had to pay a hefty price to get it here. Don’t grab the bent ones!
” he warns, seeing me going for one. “Those are rotting, and the healing properties fade with it. Some contain dangerous toxins.”
“Good to know.” I move on to another that is sticking upright. “Do they heal everything?”
He shakes his head. “No. They have their limits like everything else. But they are a great antidote to most poisons your body may be exposed to.”
“So, you’re an apothecary?”