Luminous

102 - The Fall

Morning seeped in through the window beyond the bars of Lasralein's cell at the top of the east tower. A new day had dawned, but Lasralein wasn't impatiently waiting for her enemies to return with an invitation from the king. Jaise and Hadrian could threaten Hyacinth all they liked. The fact remained that they and their precious Greeneyes would be the first to starve. So long as she commanded the loyalty of the women of Hyacinth, she had nothing to fear.

The door swung open with an oily screech, followed by the lone, heavy footsteps of her warden. Lasralein had become familiar enough with its weight, she could tell without looking. The warden stopped before her. The air smelled the same—she hadn't brought breakfast.

"Have I been freed?" asked Lasralein, eyes still closed.

"No, my lady. Lady Agnesia Graye wishes to see you."

"Lady Graye?"

Muttered Lasralein as she rose, then nodded with a smile of derision. She wondered if the silly girl simply wanted to plead for her sister's eyes, or if Coris Hadrian believed Lasralein would take his threats closer to face value if he spoke through a woman. Either way, there was no risk to her. So she allowed the warden to lead her down the spiral stairs, the bare tiles of half a dozen hallways, then finally through a door that was wooden and full, not metal bars.

The warden sat her on a cushioned chair, then swept away. The moment the door swung shut, a voice spoke,

"Good morning, Lasralein." it said, "I believe you remember my voice."

Lasralein took care to not let her thoughts show on her face. There was something familiar about the voice, but it sounded distorted, fake. Whether it was Agnesia or not, she couldn't tell. She couldn't recall a voice she'd heard just once with crystal clarity. Not to mention with all that was happening then, the memory had slipped her mind.

But should she sneak a peek, there was a half chance she'd find herself staring into glowing green eyes, and her secrets would be laid bare. For all she knew, it could even have been a ruse to pry open her eyes. So, she stretched her back taut and turned her face away from the sunlight tempting her eyelids.

"If you seek your sister's eyes, my offer for Lord Hadrian stands," she said flatly. Lady Agnesia made no noise. No uneasy shifting, no sharp draw of breath. Could she be nodding?

"Seems I'm fortunate, then." Agnesia replied. It appeared she was. "I can secure you an audience with the king, but I'm afraid by the time I've laid bare my offer, you might find you no longer wish for it."

Lasralein frowned. Even before her supposed death, Lasralein hadn't heard much of the Lady Graye aside from her budding beauty. What was more, the girl's words reeked of Coris Hadrian. Her guess was right—Coris was behind this.

"Are you familiar with The Axel?"

Lasralein froze. That was unexpected. The first in days, even. Agnesia took her alarm as a yes,

"Very well, then you know how dearly His Majesty would love to have it in his grasp at last." Fabric rustling, a waft of perfume—Agnesia had leaned close, "For over two hundred years it has made hostage of king after king. Raised a clan of lowly blacksmiths to lord over the richest croplands in Latakia."

Lasralein pursed her lips. She had guessed where the girl was headed,

"My sister's eyes hold the secret of The Axel's hiding place." Agnesia's voice was a hiss of ice wind at her ear, followed by soft, hollow laughter, "What do you think His Majesty values more? A pile of eyeballs, or the key to the Hadrians' downfall?"