The Princess's Servant

40. The Looking Glass

Sybil withdrew from her looking glass. Even without it, she could see Marcus's tiny form make its way across the waving fields — alone. This was too much for her to bear. She yanked her velvet curtains shut and cast herself onto her feathered bed.

Hot tears stung the corners of her eyes. She took in shaking breath and held it. Her chest burned. Her thoughts screamed. Tears melted into her silken pillows, and gradually, gradually Sybil began to rock with silenced sobs.

She had raced to her room upon her return with Sebastian. She had wanted to witness the arrival of her servant first hand, the way other princesses waited windowside for handsome suitors and treasures from far lands. Her head bobbed up and down as she scanned the horizon, checked her scope, scanned the horizon, checked her scope...

And when she's spied the Wardian wriggling in the back of Marcus's cart, her entire inner world had lit up like a chandelier.

There will be parades in your honor, she'd thought of Marcus. She had never been so fiercely proud of her guard. I'll have them name constellations for you and put up statues and paint grand murals. I'll grant you the highest rank and I'll give you your pick of the fields on which to build your manor. I'll give you naught but the finest foods and clothe you in softest linens. Nobility is too light a word for what you will become. For what you've done for me, I will make you a god.

Is what Sybil had initially thought. But then Marcus paused just a little to long on the border of the wood. She dismounted her horse.

Surely she was fixing a wheel or securing some knots, Sybil told herself. But watching Marcus's expression, the princess felt an odd feeling churn in the pit of her stomach. Something wasn't right, she knew. They were talking, Holden and her, and Sybil couldn't read lips. Were they talking about her? Perhaps. Were they talking about—? No. Marcus would never. She would never even think to—

Sybil's eye caught steel! The winking flash of a blade! She gripped the bronze glass hard and watched as her loyal guard cut loose her only servant. Her only Wardian. Her only—

And Sybil watched as he — like a wobbly baby deer — stood from the cart and smiled at her guard. She pulled away. But she had to know how it ended! She spied again as Marcus turned her back on the servant boy and as he turned his back on her. And she watched as her only servant, her only Wardian headed into the wilderness, the last tippy tip of his backmost heel disappearing from view.

Water dripped from her eyes. She watched that empty space for a long time, as though he might reappear. No such thing occurred. She withdrew from the looking glass in total devastation, grappling for life with that feeling she had felt but once before:

Complete betrayal.

She would kill her.

She'd kill her.

She'd kill her. She'd kill her.

She'd kill her she'd kill her she'd kill her

She'd kill her she'd kill her she'd kill her she'd kill her she'd kill her she'd kill her she'd kill her.

She would wrench out her throat with her teeth.

She'd kill her.

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