Kingdom of Scourge and Shadow (The Sightstone Series #1)

Chapter Twenty-Six: Judith

"A good ruler needs a good general; how else can they rule well?"

-from the Codices of Saint Caroline the Heretic

***

 To Judith's surprise, they didn't go back to General Stark's office in the main building. When they reached the innermost of the palace's four walls, Judith faltered. Elizabeth had said that, except for the grand ball that was thrown on Midwinter, witches were hardly ever allowed into the palace itself. The way she'd talked about it, it was an occasion rarer than a blue moon.

As she trailed General Stark through the gates, Judith got her first glimpse of the royal palace, and her breath caught in her throat. Beyond beautiful, elaborate gardens, the palace rose up, a confectionery of white marble, with delicate turrets jutting out above the blue slate roof. It was u-shaped, with two wings flanking a wide courtyard, where tidy flowerbeds ringed a marble fountain, and a cobblestone driveway circled around the beautiful centerpiece. The Caedish flag flew from the highest turret, flapping and flailing in the stiff breeze.

"You know," General Stark said pensively, and Judith jumped. She'd been so absorbed in her study of the palace that she hadn't noticed the general fall back to walk with her. "The first time I saw the palace, I hated it, but it's grown on me."

Judith frowned. She couldn't imagine not liking the palace. It was beautiful, like something out of the fairytales her mother used to tell her, like the kind of place where a princess might get her happily ever after.

"It was... narrow-minded of me," General Stark admitted, shaking her head ruefully. "I was rather determined not to like it, so I looked for any reason not to."

Judith had to smile at that. "I think I may have done that with the Sanctuary," she found herself admitting. "After my mother..."

"I noticed," General Stark said dryly. "I wouldn't let on to that in front of the queen, though."

Judith felt her cheeks flush. "No, Madam General," she mumbled. "I won't."

To her surprise, General Stark didn't rejoin the queen, but stayed by Judith's side as they made their way up the cobbled drive to the palace doors. As they passed, guards stationed in dress uniform along the road came to attention, but, to Judith's surprise, the gardeners at work on the grounds didn't so much as look up as their queen passed by.

Instead of entering through the grand main entrance, Judith followed the queen and General Stark to a slightly-less-grand door to the left wing. They passed beneath a towering archway, and a pair of guards in the uniforms of the queen's personal guard–a dark blue jacket with silver shoulder straps over white breeches with a silver stripe up the sides, and polished black boots that shone in the weak morning sunlight that was just starting to cut through the silvery mist–pulled the ornately-carved double doors open to admit them.

They stepped through into a beautiful entrance hall. On the floor, a tile mosaic depicted a scene from, Judith was shocked to realize–the legends of the Old Gods. She recognized Rowanne, the moon goddess, with her trio of wolves–one white, one silver and one gold. The pale, paneled walls were ornamented with creamy wallpaper patterned with silver and gold flowers, vines and birds. A curving marble staircase climbed up and up, spiraling beneath the massive dome that had been painted to look like a pale, clouded sunset. Hanging from the dome was a massive chandelier that spilled golden light over everything.

Servants in pale grey and cream livery bowed or curtsied as their queen swept past them, and Judith was surprised when she smiled at each of them, and even spoke briefly with some of them. Somehow, she hadn't expected a queen to know or care about her staff. But it seemed Queen Sara was determined to keep surprising her.