Queen Of Glass

Book 2 Chapter 18

PART TWO: CHAPTER 18
Celaena Sardothien looked at Leighanna and Stephaenya, her brows raised in expectation. A platter of assorted cheeses and spring fruits lay between them on the kitchen table, and Celaena helped herself to a few slices of everything while waiting for their response.
Stephaenya spoke first. "I don't think you understand how much a suit of armor costs. Even if we were to give you some amount of money, how would that come close to the selling price?"
"I went into town today and asked the blacksmith," Celaena replied, "and he told me that he could make Luca a decent suit of armor for fifty gold pieces."
"For a dishwasher, you certainly have a lot of time on your hands," Leighanna said, a crooked smile on her face. "Is that where you go off to for hours at a time? Into town?"
"Haven't you heard?" Stephaenya asked the old woman, her doe eyes twinkling. "Elentulyai spends her spare time gallivanting around the woods with the Fae! Luca even believes that a Fae prince is courting her!" The young woman turned towards Celaena, "Don't believe that we haven't noticed your disappearances and the frequent presence of a silver falcon and a grey horse—we're not as simple as you might believe us to be." She smiled at the assassin, and Celaena did her best not to laugh.
"Gallivanting about the forest? Me? I've never heard anything so ridiculous!" Celaena grinned.
The two other women stared at her, their eyes wide, urging her to give further explanation.
Celaena took another slice of cheese—sharp, dry, and filled with a spice that made her nose twitch—and cleared her throat. "Yes, I spend my time with the Fae, but it's certainly not frolicking around the forest." She didn't really know what lie or truth to tell them, especially if any of them would sound plausible. Celaena shrugged her shoulders. "I've got a few ties to the Fae of this area, and I guess you could say that I'm trying to make my peace with them."

Leighanna nodded, but Stephaenya still looked confused. "Unless the Fae want something to do with you, you wouldn't be welcome in their part of the forest."
Celaena flipped a lock of her golden hair across her shoulder and cocked her head to the side in sarcasm. "Well, perhaps my story isn't as simple as it seems," she said, smiling at the young woman, who returned it with a small laugh. Celaena fiddled with the ring on her finger. "But it will have to wait to be embellished until further notice. I need to know how much you each would be willing to give me...Luca gave me all he had..." Celaena emptied the contents of the brown leather pouch she had placed beside her on the bench, and counted the coins on the table. "... Which comes to...eleven gold coins, and seven silver ones."
The women were silent, and Leighanna stood up to leave the room. Celaena smiled at Stephaenya, but the girl remained silent, her eyes upon the money on the table. She seemed deep in contemplation, and the assassin sat in awkward silence as she waited for the old woman's return, picking at the fruit and cheese.
Leighanna returned a moment later, a small purse held in her hand. From the way the purple sides sagged inwards, Celaena could tell that there wasn't much inside. Nevertheless, the woman produced five gold coins and two silver ones, leaving a few others in her purse to jangle around.
"I've been saving up some money on my own for years, but I figure that my time will come soon, and there's no need for this money if I'm dead. It will be used better on the future than on a decaying body."
Touched and slightly disturbed, Celaena took keen notice of the deep wrinkles and lines on her tanned, sun-worn face. It didn't really occur to her that Leighanna might once have actually looked, well...young.
"Thank you," Celaena said, resisting her growing urge to make sure her face was still smooth and unmarred. Balling her hands into fists, she turned to Stephaenya, hoping to find the same reaction.
The young woman's gaze was still on the pile of money, her face partially shielded by her thin curtain of brown hair.
"Stephaenya?" Celaena asked, leaning forward across the table. Was something wrong? Had she insulted her earlier?
"What I still don't understand, and what I am still attempting to figure out," the girl said in a low voice, "is why you are so involved in this situation." There was a sudden hostility to her voice that surprised Celaena and Leighanna, and the old woman interjected.
Where did that come from?
"I don't believe that Elentulyai has bad intentions—she merely wants to help."
"Help? Help with what?" Stephaenya's eyes were dark and cold. "What kind of help do you think she'll have given him when he's humiliated in front of the entire province? What is some competition going to accomplish, save for a few broken bones and bruises? He'll be mocked even more than he was before this stupid thing, and he'll give the Baron's boys another reason to taunt and torture him! You might have good intentions, but the consequences of whatever you're trying to prove through Luca, through my Luca, are too much!" Her voice was now shrill, her nose crinkling up in anger.
Celaena didn't really know how to reply—it was all entirely possible, and she hadn't even considered it until this moment.
"He might win, for all we know," Celaena tried, her shoulders rising up in a feeble smile.
What an awkward situation! Ah! Ah!
She didn't like having someone yell at her, especially when that person was years younger than she was, and had attacked unprovoked.
"Win? Win? With what? Cheap armor and a month's worth of training?" Stephaenya was as mad as she had been those many nights ago when she had initially learned about Luca entering the tournament. Celaena moved her hands to her lap and picked at a hangnail on her thumb, ripping off the rough skin in painful installments.