The Red Cloak Society

Chapter 7

Ciella

Ciella sat in her garden, surrounded by beautiful violets and lilacs and closed her eyes. She had decided to leave her room upon the news that the King had released the prisoner. She donned a lavender floor length chiton dress. It accentuated her curves beautifully but more importantly for her, its back hung low. While she had allowed the healer to correct most of the lashes she left some as a reminder that the king was a cruel man and to garner sympathy. She would need the sympathy if she were to gain the untrustworthy boy as an ally. Certainly she knew that if the king saw them, it would result in more punishment, but she refused to be a coward any longer. Besides, she had set the scars with a salt salve so that not even the most talented of all healers could repair the web all over her back. She closed her eyes to take in the smells and heard the sounds of footsteps, signaling someone's approach. However, her hearing had always stretched further than most people so she kept her eyes closed until they came closer. When she could sense that they were finally in her sight she turned her head and her gaze hardened as she saw Claden walking with a man who towered over him. She blinked as his features became clearer, clean from the previous dried blood that was there the night before, and tried to remember why his face seemed so familiar. The man held a confident gaze, and if he did meet her prior to their encounter last night he didn't show it. Claden stopped before her and gazed at her hungrily.

"Your Highness" he rasped, licking his lips. Ciella turned her face up in disgust

"Sir Viskoff," she replied coldly

"You look ravishing today," he told her, his eyes sweeping over every inch of her body. Ciella shifted uncomfortably and the man pushed Claden away slightly before he bowed deeply in front of her.

"I apologize, your Highness, if his words have offended you," the man said, his voice sliding over her like velvet. It no longer cracked due to dehydration. That voice..she had heard it before. She nodded slowly, enthralled.

"I'm Sir Jamele Kabren," he told her

Ciella blinked, immediately breaking out of her trance. She stared at him blankly as she waited for him to continue his introduction. As if sensing this he went on,

"I'm in the running to be the next Captain of the King's guard"

My father truly did make him into a toy, I expected this much, she thought to herself.

She remembered all of her etiquette training and tilted her head up high, looking down at him. She could tell he didn't like being looked down on as his eyes hardened at her gaze.

"And what happened to Erikson?" she mused, even though she knew the answer.

"It appears that I may have went too far in a bar fight, sadly it cost him his life" James replied

"So you killed Erikson and took his job." she responded, more of a statement then a question.

"I do not occupy his job at the moment, I am simply in the running."

"Then it wouldn't be appropriate for a man with no position in the palace to be conversing with the princess then wouldn't it?"

"I would not be fully aware of the etiquette of the court, I am simply here on the King's urging."

"Ahh so my father sent you here"

Claden stared at them as they talked. Ciella wanted to ensure that he didn't suspect anything between the two. She took in his appearance yet again. He was definitely handsome, but again also oddly familiar. More importantly, she could tell by his speech yesterday that he never worked in a court before, but he still had a noble air around him, conducting himself with an unexplainable grace..