Chapter 15 #2
She showered quickly and said a quick prayer by her little altar nightstand before venturing back out.
Vera would be there in the morning, and Corinne would be able to speak with her about Queen Erina.
She would have no further shame to conceal from Vera or any of the other Lightguards.
She’d finally fallen into a pattern of self-discipline these past two weeks that was painfully rigid, and if Vera asked her about any of the people here, Corinne could confidently say she’d stayed the course.
On their way to the council meeting, Aryel caught the door from the breezeway before it swung back on Corinne, and she stopped short as he blocked her way through.
“Just so you know, you are a terrible actress, and I’m not falling for this pretense of cold indifference for one second, Sunshine,” he said, his eyes locked on hers.
Corinne stared at him, heart in her throat, but he didn’t wait for a response, just turned and kept on his path.
Stay the course. Corinne jogged after him. It wasn’t a pretense; it was her finally disciplining herself. What did he know, anyway?
When they arrived at the council room, Queen Erina requested Corinne’s presence, just as Aryel had warned her. In addition to the six councilors, three additional nobles were present. Corinne recognized them from around the castle but didn’t know their names.
“Good people of the council,” Queen Erina said, barely suppressing a smile as the door shut and the last councilmember was seated. Captain Ekhana stood opposite Corinne, just as he had the night of the attack in the city. “We have news of the would-be assassins’ place of origin.”
The councilors and nobles all began speaking at once, and King Theo held up a hand. He motioned to Captain Ekhana, who cleared his throat, hands clasped behind his back.
“They hailed from Cara Talle,” he said. Corinne’s blood froze in her veins. “We are sending a dozen city guards there to investigate the entire locale.”
“Given the sensitive nature of this information, we have not informed the monastery,” Queen Erina said, her eyes landing on Corinne. “Too risky to attach it to a dove that may end up in the wrong location, or in the wrong hands. Your contact is due to arrive in the morning, no?”
Corinne nodded, pushing past her shock. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Excellent. Please relay this information to her. I’m certain the Lightguards have a few of their own stationed there, if not nearby. We would greatly appreciate their assistance.”
“I’m certain they would be eager and honored to do so,” Corinne said.
Queen Erina’s answering smile was tight, but soon her attention returned to the council, and they discussed the plan for the guards departing for Cara Talle.
Why, of all places in Ashera, did the men who tried to kill her and Aryel have to come from her home village? Helaera must truly be testing her resilience.
Just an afternoon, Corinne told herself. Just an afternoon and a sleep until she could speak with Vera.
“Cara Talle isn’t particularly close to the Boundary, is it?” Councilor Dresden asked, reaching for the map of Ashera on the table and sliding it closer to himself. “Is it possible for Nightrender sympathizers to have breached so far into our borders?”
“We certainly can’t rule it out,” Councilor Toro said, frowning. “Which would be concerning.”
“It could point to a far greater problem, and a far more complex plot than we first anticipated,” Queen Erina said. “Which is why we must uncover the truth as quickly as possible. Captain Ekhana, how soon can your guards be ready to depart?”
“As early as first light, Your Majesty.”
“Good. And the Lightguard messenger comes quite early as well.”
Corinne breathed as evenly as she could throughout the rest of the meeting, trying and failing to focus on the conversation at hand.
She was even more glad she’d been wearing long sleeves recently—it also meant none of them could see her Cara Talle tattoos.
It was unlikely for someone to know their origin, but on the off chance… .
She remembered little of living in her home village, and had only visited once to receive her tattoos when she’d turned eighteen.
It was nestled in the woods to the north, near the smaller mountains of Ashera, and Corinne had traveled the additional day on horseback to gaze upon the sea for the first time.
She’d watched the Lightguards at the nearby Boundary station place their hands upon the sand, just where the tide washed in, and send a pulse of magic into the earth.
The entire shoreline had sparkled with a warm glow for several moments, a rippling wave of light reaching for the heavens, gleaming in the darkness of the night.
She’d never seen anything so beautiful, and it was when she’d decided that was the posting she’d hope for.
Imbuing the very earth of Ashera with her magic to keep her people safe…
there could be no higher honor, no greater beauty.
“…And with the monastery’s support, we could be rid of these threats as early as the prince’s birthday.”
Corinne’s attention returned to the meeting, which was now nearly over. Thank the Goddess. All that remained of her day was Aryel’s pianoforte lesson, which was more just him playing on his own for an hour or two. If he had an instructor, Corinne had yet to meet them.
Neither Aryel nor Corinne said anything on the trek to the music hall.
Corinne’s mind raced between Vera’s impending arrival, Queen Erina’s displeasure with the Lightguards, and the assassins’ connection to Cara Talle.
Perhaps the progress on discovering more about the assassins would appease the queen somewhat, but Corinne still needed to bring it up to Vera.
She’d need to address it carefully to ensure it didn’t sound like she was blaming the Lightguards for a lack of information.
It wasn’t Corinne’s place to question the Priestesses.
An emotion Corinne couldn’t place crept up the back of her neck as she recalled what had occurred nearly two weeks ago in the Hall of Mothers.
Hopefully Vera wouldn’t bring that up, if she even knew about it.
A familiar melody drifted from the music hall, pulling Corinne’s thoughts back to the present.
Aryel was playing that same piece he had the first time she’d heard him play, the one that had moved her to tears.
She fought them again as the music swelled.
If only she could sing something so lovely, just to be able to hear it whenever she wanted to.
Footsteps echoed up the stairwell at the far end of the hallway, and Councilor Toro Mykotas emerged, his sweeping charcoal robes billowing behind him. He approached Corinne with a smile—the same smile Danai always offered her.
“Hello, Corinne,” Councilor Toro said. “I hate to be a bother, but is Prince Aryel in there?”
She nodded. “He is, Councilor.”
“I would like to speak with him, but I don’t want to startle him. Could you…?”
Corinne took a deep breath and turned, peeking inside the door.
The pianoforte stood at the center of the hall on a massive dark blue rug.
The light of the setting sun streamed through the window behind it, casting a soft yellow haze around Aryel as he played.
His brow pinched slightly as he played through a rather intense passage, his mouth lifting on one side.
It looked like Helaera herself was blessing him.
He finished the song with a flourish along the highest keys, then noticed Corinne. He raised an eyebrow.
“Apologies, Your Highness,” she said, forcing the words out as formally as possible. “Councilor Toro is here and would like to speak with you.”
“Oh,” Aryel said, placing his hands on his lap. “All right.”
Corinne quickly turned back to the corridor, motioning for Councilor Toro to enter. He stepped past Corinne with an appreciative smile.
“Your Highness, forgive the intrusion, but I had a few follow-up questions after our conversation earlier this week, regarding the complaints several farmers in the east put forth…”
Stay the course, Corinne. Meeting with Vera tomorrow would help her keep her eyes on the path, and if she were honest with herself, she desperately needed a friend. A safe, familiar friend whom she could trust.