Chapter 2 #2
“Who was that?” she whispers with a wide grin, as if she wants to taste him as much as I do.
“I’ve never seen him before, and he was fully dressed.
I don’t think he works here.” It’s not uncommon for guests to find pleasure with each other, but it’s usually the courtesans willingly offering the service.
“That is a good question…” I mumble.
“Oh, join me, please. I haven’t seen you in ages, and I need all the details of what that male did that has you looking like… that.” She points to my face, leaving me to chuckle after her.
I stride through the curtains and flop down, sinking into the lush pillows that rest on the large circular bed settled in the center. She secures her curtain with a hard flick, then hands me a glass of wine, a grin on her face.
“How was your trip to Nymara? Did you find anything?” she asks, her green eyes holding mine as she sits on my left, and I prop an elbow.
I shake my head, sipping. “Not yet, but I feel like I’m getting close. Turns out, not many know much about who my parents could be. Either one could have been human, but there’s really no way to know which one—or if my name is actually my own.”
Since I came from the orphanage, it’s impossible to know if my name was given to me by my parents or those at the orphanage. And without names to give them, searching for my parents has become… a challenge.
Dim light flickers in the room, casting streaks of orange along the walls as I silently sit with my words. Bess remains unaware of my real name as a part of the brothel’s rules, frequently calling me by common pet names like darling.
The names don’t bother me, but I find myself wishing I could tell her more, as she only knows slivers of my life.
Since the brothel rules only apply to masks, names, and weapons, Bess knows that I work for King Elion.
Only I’ve told her that I remain in the castle as a house maiden as a way to keep my identity a secret.
Her brows suddenly pinch, as if not finding my parents is as painful for her as it is for me.
She frowns. “I’m sorry. I wish I could do more. Have you tried searching further north? I hear there are a few orphanages along the way to Eldryn.”
I shrug, taking another sip. “I’m not sure King Elion would allow me to leave for so long.”
Which is partially true. King Elion hasn’t sent me that far north yet, and Eldryn is almost two weeks away. The terrain is harsh, as it’s settled beyond Mount Pyre, but you have to travel through the two mountain peaks to arrive.
And there are only a few weeks out of the year when the weather is decent enough to make the trip there safely, as it’s coated in burning ice.
It’s why Kiev and Selphira Blackwyth—the duke and duchess of Eldryn—hardly visit.
It’s too much of a risk. But not only is the journey there rough, the Twin Valley sits between Eldryn and Alvonia.
A valley that comes with its own difficulties when traveling.
“Maybe you can ask the king if you can take a temporary leave,” Bess says with an arched brow. I know she tries to offer whatever help she can, frequently suggesting more options.
I huff with a shake of my head, knowing that King Elion would never allow me to leave to search for my parents. Not unless he intentionally sends me north on a mission for fear of said distractions.
Luke, Malrik, and Ren are typically the ones sent on missions that long, since they’re some of the few full Aetheri in the brotherhood. Their tracking capabilities are superior as two Healers and a Stone Shaper, but they haven’t been on missions that long recently.
“I know what the king would say if I asked. Plus I need the money. I can’t be gone for that long without work.” I shrug.
“You’re right. Even if you are a house maiden, I’m sure he’d deny your request just because he could and then withhold your pay,” she says with a disgruntled huff.
Money’s never been a problem, as King Elion requires hefty payments for his services. But I know why he pays us so well—he craves information. And as long as the brotherhood exists, he’ll continue to collect secrets and requests from the realm’s most elite.
The dukes and duchesses of Elderheim are the same high-ranking families on Elion’s council.
They help run the cities, but when it comes to dirty work, they keep their hands clean by paying Elion to send his guards.
Though none of them have actually met us or knows who he sends—it’s always private.
And because of that, King Elion has become the greatest threat to Elderheim.
Bess sets her glass down with a clink, facing me as she settles herself deeper into the pillows.
“Here’s what I think,” she says, tucking a pillow beneath her as a devious grin lines her mouth. “I think we should set this aside for a while so you can relax and take your mind off it, because I want to know who that male was in the hall.”
A carefree laugh suddenly bubbles out of me as I playfully nudge her even though I know just as much as she does. “How much detail do you want?”
She chuckles. “All of it.”
A few hours go by with what feels like only a blink when I finally bid her goodbye. The wine’s buzz courses through me, head heavy, feet stumbling as I exit Bess’s chambers with a small giggle while she waves.
I only make it a few steps before something dark and shiny catches my attention on the floor. My eyes flick to the ground. A black coin, looking as if it might have belonged to the male that was with me earlier as it rests right where we were lingering.
I bend to pick it up.
The coin feels solid in my grasp—perhaps heavier than it should be—made of a heavy material similar to stone. Though I’ve never seen a coin quite like this one, it almost feels warm to the touch. Like an energy is imbued within the material itself.
I stride down the hall and flip it through my fingers a couple of times before mindlessly placing it in my pocket.