Chapter 22 Ariah
ARIAH
Benny likes the bottle, cigars, and singing, both when he is and isn’t intoxicated.
With his short stature it didn’t take much to get him drunk, but he still manages to hold his own.
And he never sings around the princes though, but on occasion I can pick up on his humming.
It is discreet, so much so that I don’t even think many have noticed it. I suspect it to be a coping mechanism.
Benny is also wickedly smart though he doesn’t show it.
It is something a person has to observe from a distance.
It is in the way he speaks and the instant answers he has to most questions, even if they aren’t directed to him, and even if he mumbles the responses to himself.
He also always carries a book in his pocket.
One I caught a glimpse of titled, The Bargain by Thiely Devonport, if my eyesight didn’t fail me from a distance.
He opens it every time he finds himself alone, even when walking from one point of the castle to the next.
He is the first person Chana instructed me to follow after our observations in the sanctuary. Leading up to dinner, after the fox hunt, he had wandered the grounds and had one lengthy conversation about Farella Isle with a man I discovered to be Rolley.
Rolley’s role here has remained a secret, that is, until I opened Iann’s letter.
Truthfully, invading someone’s privacy left me feeling guilty, but my fear of the Queen is a stronger emotion.
The letter had gone on about a brother who is missing, but judging from the tone, he is a bit of a drifter—the odd one out in the family, who will eventually turn up when he needs something, or perhaps runs out of money.
The King never mentioned any of that, but I felt it there, between the lines.
Another reveal, and one of the utmost importance, is that Rolley appears to be the King’s confidant. His very own Fox of sorts, within Haymel’s castle walls.
Chana says she will be the one to watch Rolley and my next target is Eli, the individual seemingly closest to Prince Iann.
Once Iann leaves with Marcel to the sundown room, I sneak back into Iann’s room and tiptoe across the floor, pressing my ear to the bath chamber door. Footsteps draw closer, and I fling myself back just in time, before Eli swings the door open and nearly crashes into me.
“Lady Ariah,” he says startled, and rushes to shut the door behind him. “I thought you went with the Prince.”
“No.” I point my hand aimlessly at the exit. “He left with Prince Marcel already. I was just about to go.”
He squints, and I watch his eyes drift over my frame. “Hm. If you’re not too busy, can you do me a favor?”
“Of course.”
“Do you have any parchment and lead? Or even a pen. Anything will work.”
Just his luck, I dig into my pocket and find lead and a scrap of parchment. It was meant to be for the Queen’s sketch, having been the only dress I can’t seem to envision, but now the supplies are his.
“You just carry these around?” He takes the items and gives me that same cautious glance.
“I am the Queen’s seamstress and designer on occasion.” I give him a little fib. “I’m prepared at all times. “Do you need anything else?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “This will do. Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” I dip my head and take my leave, feeling his eyes on me from the moment I walk away to the moment I get to the doorway, I turn back one last time. “Oh, I almost forgot. You and Benny are invited to a party tonight. I’m sure the Prince will tell you more about it later.”
“You got Iann to go to a party?” A smirk stretches upward and I’m uncertain if he’s realized that he addressed the Prince so casually. “Maybe I do like you after all.”
“Did you not before?” I squint, wondering what I could have possibly done to make him dislike me.
“I’ve never thought highly of a person from Haymel, including the women, and I love all women. You might be different though.”
Insulted is what I should be, but his comment forces out a laugh. “I’ve never trusted a Saden man, but one has proved to be most kind, and now it looks like there might be two of you.”
“We’re full of surprises.” He tosses me a wink and pushes the door open with his foot. “Us Saden men will see you tonight for a party.”
Enough of the lilac scent escapes from the bath and slowly creeps its way into my lungs and disrupts my breathing. Once my shoulders start rising and air becomes harder and harder to get enough of, I dig for my spray and release two quick spritzes as I rush out of the room.
In the hall, I rest against a column and let the mixture do its job.
From afar, across a small area of grass, flowerbeds, and two benches, I spot Sky in the hall. He looks angry and argues with a figure hidden behind a pillar.
His hand grasps at the air, trying to grab whoever he argues with, but catches only air.
Moving from behind the pillar, Vera storms off angrily and wipes a hand at her face.
Coming my way, I spin along the column to face another direction. The last thing I need is to be accused of snooping on them.
Foxes spy on others, but on each other seems off limits, even if it is by accident.
Footsteps come closer and my heart races from the mixture working and the panic of coming up with an excuse when Vera finds me.
Times up, she walks past but only gets a few feet ahead before spinning.
“What are you doing?” If she had been crying, the tears are gone and sad eyes are replaced with suspicion.
“I was having trouble breathing. Just waiting for my medicinal spray to set in.” I wave the spray for extra proof.
She comes closer examining the bottle in my hands. “I saw the dress you did for me.”
She changes the subject much to my pleasure, and I ease off the column feeling back to normal. “And?”
Vera’s dress was the easiest to make. The vision for hers was so clear.
“I don’t hate it.” She remains straight-faced until one side of her mouth twitches upwards. “It might be better than I pictured. I’m sure the Prince will enjoy it.” The slight pleasure she holds vanishes, and her eyes become distant, lost to thought.
“Did he do something to you?”
Her eyes turn hollow, and she looks like a secret is on the tip of her tongue just waiting to be released, but she sucks in a breath and straightens her shoulders.
“Don’t be a sucker, Ariah. It’s a role we must play.
I’m sure your prince will desire something of you soon.
They always do.” She moves a stray curl from in front of my eyes.
“They’re always so kind at first. If he wasn’t a prince, I would have sliced off each finger, and maybe a head, or two.
” Her lips curl up. “I’ve had worse though and can’t say it’s entirely without perks. ”
We stand there for what feels like minutes not speaking, until the sound of voices carries to us from down the hall.
“Looks like you need to go,” Vera whispers.
Turning, I see Benny and Eli making their way past the courtyard. Probably heading back to the library.
When I look back, Vera is already gone, her figure dashing around the corner and disappearing.
The rest of the day goes slowly, granting me enough time to finish Chana’s dress.
While working, my mind replays my recent conversation with Vera. Was Prince Marcel the reason she was crying or did something exchanged between Sky and her melt some of her stony exterior?
Vera’s words echo in my mind. Iann seems kind enough, but if royals are all the same I question if Iann is as nice as he seems, or if his demeanor is just a facade.
“It’s a map.” A voice pulls me from working on alterations.
Chana walks up, not in her usual black, but instead a deep burgundy, a few shades off from black. There is a heart-shaped cutout, revealing flesh, just above her chest, and then more material around her neck. Gold beads decorate the fabric and form a belt around her waist.
“Thank you,” I tell Dara, the woman helping me with the dresses. “That will be all for today.” She nods, never speaking as usual, and takes her leave. “What’s a map?”
“The item they tossed in the bath. It’s enchanted.” Turning away from her I fix a button on Sky’s overcoat. “And I didn’t know you were allergic to lilacs.”
How long had she been watching us?
“Yes, amongst other things.” Finished with his piece for the day, I move back and examine the collection. Three pieces are nearly done with another to finish for the ball in a few short days. Turning to her, I see her inspecting the outfits. “I didn’t know you were watching us.”
The scent of fresh rainwater invades my senses, and hints of sweetness fill the air, reminiscent of watching lily pads float on the most tranquil pond. Chana never wears perfume, but tonight is Lady Arranella’s party and she’s treating herself.
“You should always know when someone is watching you.” Approaching her dress, she runs her fingers along the feathers near the arm straps. “Tonight, I need you to figure out what the map leads to and where they got it.”
“Should be easy enough, though I suspect the answer is Farella Isle.”
She spins. “Your reasoning?”
“That’s what they’ve been studying in the library. The artifact supposedly belonged to Fraya Vellen. A replication of Kailaric’s Anchor.”
“Have you told the Queen any of this yet?”
“No. I was waiting to collect more information.”