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

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Judith

"The Church claims that Sightstones change their wielders, that certain stones can corrupt their wielders. They claim this is what happened to the one they now call the Unnamed Saint, that he was twisted by the power he wielded. I posit that this is untrue. The stones do not change you, they only amplify the qualities that are already within you."

-from the Codices of Saint Caroline the Heretic

***

 Judith stifled a yawn as she and Elizabeth made their way up from the Sanctuary. Darkness had fallen hours ago, and, despite having slept for the whole afternoon, Judith was bone-weary. Something about knowing her day was just starting when, normally, it would have been ending was absolutely exhausting.

For the first time since training began, she and Elizabeth wore their dress uniforms, immaculately pressed and having passed Sergeant Burns's strict inspections. They each carried their writing kits with them, Judith's plain and simple and kept in a utilitarian wood box, Elizabeth's far more ornate and carried in an elaborately-carved oak container.

When they reached the royal palace, they handed their medallions over to the guards on duty, who studied them carefully before waving them through the same door the queen had led Judith through earlier.

In the grand entrance hall, Judith hesitated. "Where do we go from here?" she asked Elizabeth.

"Upstairs," Elizabeth said confidently. "Second floor, directly above the Receiving Room."

Judith nodded and headed for the stairs, trying to ignore her lavish surroundings. She'd seen them already, so why did they still take her breath away? It was like the majesty of the entrance hall couldn't be diminished, and she wondered if the people who lived here saw it that way too.

When they reached the second floor, Judith fell back to let Elizabeth lead the way past a pair of royal guards in their blue and white uniforms, through a pair of lacquered doors, and into a long, official-looking corridor. Here, like the floor above, guards lined the hall, but, unlike upstairs, royal guards stood side-by-side with Royal Army soldiers, their dress uniforms consisting of grey jackets over black trousers.

Judith ran a hand down her own jacket. It felt strange, wearing her dress uniform for the first time. The black trousers that they wore over lace-up boots were loose-fitting and cropped to mid-calf, with a silver stripe running up the sides. The dress jacket was dark blue, with silver braid on the cuffs and hems, and silver shoulder straps denoting their rank. Silver buttons ran up the front, with matching buttons on the sleeves, and a silver patch on the left breast denoted what type of witch they were. As uncomfortable as Judith was in it, standing next to the well-dressed guards, she was grateful for how fine it was, how high-quality the fabric, how fancy the silver trim was.

Elizabeth, strikingly beautiful in her dress uniform, seemed to catch the eye of every guard along the hall, and they all goggled as she strode confidently up to a door with a silver plaque that read Royal Guard Command and knocked. As the guards–men and women alike–practically drooled over Elizabeth, Judith felt her confidence wither. Next to Elizabeth, she always seemed to feel rather like a poor country relation.

"Enter," a gruff voice called from beyond the door, and Elizabeth stepped aside to let Judith precede her into the room.

Judith fought down a grimace and took the lead. She was supposed to be in charge tonight, and she knew it irked Elizabeth that the queen had asked Judith and not her to be Night Watch Commander. To be honest, it irked Judith too. Elizabeth seemed to her like a much more natural leader, and she didn't know why she'd been singled out above her.