The Deathsinger: Book 2

Ch. 41: Good Morning

The celebrations went long into the night, and by the time Iona led me to a room in the manor, I could barely keep my eyes open. Every turn and step made me groan, and I caught myself several times, almost telling my aunt I would be happy to take any room. Even one in the servants' quarters. I didn't need one of the suites in the main part of the house, but then I reminded myself that I had to act like a queen now. At least in front of everyone. They were so happy I had returned. They needed to believe I was capable of ruling.

There were worse things about being queen than being forced to take a nicer room and bed. Especially when a few bells ago, I had been prepared to sleep on the ground. The manor wasn't that big, and nothing could be as bad as my room at the palace in Edresh. I used to swear the queen put me in that tower room just to enjoy my misery whenever I had to climb the stairs after a night of dancing and drinking.

Dante was in worse shape than I was. Though he might be a Lord, no one had been concerned about getting him off to a proper bed. The last I'd seen of him, he'd been sleeping on a bale of hay, a half full tankard of ale spilling slowly down his hands. His head would surely be hurting tomorrow, and any other time, I might consider teasing him about it.

But not this time. We had earned a bit of revelry. After far too long, we were not only in our homeland, but we were welcome. It felt good. After all we had been through, we deserved a little bright spot in the darkness.

A pair of eyes peered at me from a cracked door as we walked by. As soon as she realized she'd been caught, she pushed the door shut with a decisive click. It would seem that not everyone shared the same sentiment about my return, a fact that I should be accustomed to by now, but this stung a bit more than the betrayal of the Napali. This was my cousin.

"Aunt."

"Hmm," she answered drowsily.

"Is there a reason Ailsa is upset by my return?"

She straightened, and the scar on her face pulled tight as she frowned. All traces of sleepiness were gone when she said, "Whatever do you mean? She's overjoyed."

"Then why did she not speak to me after I announced myself, and why did she not participate in the celebrations?"

"Oh, but she did. You must have missed her in all the chaos."

"No. I'm certain I didn't see her, and you didn't ans–"

"Here we are," Iona exclaimed, pushing open a bedroom door at the end of the hallway. "It'll need a little sprucing up, but that's a job for tomorrow. I'm sure you'll find it far more comfortable than the rock pillow you originally intended to sleep on. Clean or not."

"I'm sure it's fine, but–"

"Tomorrow, dear."

She pushed me into the room. The air here was stale, and the pale rays of dawn's first light made the dust motes in the air sparkle. Sheets covered the furniture, and when I pulled the one covering off the bed, a cloud of dust exploded, sending me into a coughing fit.

Iona waved her hand in front of her face and cast me an apologetic smile. "Certainly not fit for a queen. Yet."

Did I detect a bit of a harsh edge when she said queen? Surely not. It had to be the sleep deprivation making me hear things. If she had qualms with my claim, why would she have brought me back to the manor and to my people?

"It's perfect, thank you."

"Good." Her warm smile soothed away the last of my suspicions. "I'm going to see if I can get a few bells of sleep before duty calls. I don't foresee many starting their day with the sunrise today, but please do not feel compelled to get up before you are ready. We need you at your full strength."

"Oh no. Please don't let me sleep the day away. A few hours will do."

A few hours were all I wanted. Just enough to keep me going. Anymore and I might risk dreaming, and it might break me to see Yoko's beautiful face.

"Nonsense."

"Please."

The smile faltered. "If you insist."

"I do. Now that I am here, I would like to discuss a few things."

"I'm sure we can discuss those things after you've relit Vyta. You said you wanted to be on your way as quickly as possible."

"No...I mean, yes. We do need to leave quickly, but I'm concerned by the lack of security you have here."

She had laughed away my concerns earlier, but there was no humor in her expression as she looked at me now. "Our way has served us well for more than ten years. It will be fine for a few more sun cycles."

"Perhaps." It would have been best to shut up then, but my mouth opened. "But I do not want Estrellum to remain vulnerable. We must be prepared to protect ourselves when the thorns come down."

"I will have the cooks put together a bag of food for travel, and I'm sure someone has some riding clothes that will fit you. Dante as well." She walked to the wall and touched a thick blue cord hanging from the ceiling. "Ring this when you wake, and someone will bring you hot water for a bath."

"Iona." My temper flared, and my starlight flared so bright it shone through my tunic.

She flinched and stepped back. "Goodnight, my dearest niece."

Then I was alone.

With a growl of frustration, I threw myself onto the bed and glared at the velvet canopy above me. Had my aunt always been like this, or was she still struggling with treating me like a grown woman? I'd like to think it was the latter, because the memories I had of her had been so pleasant. Then again, time and trauma could easily distort the truth.

And what was with my cousin? Was she intimidated by my presence? Little Ailsa had been intimidated by very little, and the woman I saw today didn't strike me as timid. She carried herself like a warrior. Honestly, with her muscles and grace, she intimidated me a little.

That meant the alternative was dislike, and since she had not seen me since she was little more than a babe, someone had cultivated that dislike. But who?

Rolling to my side and drawing my knees up, I closed my eyes. Worrying about this right now served no purpose. It wouldn't resolve anything, and I needed to get some sleep. In a few bells, the sun would sit high in the sky, and regardless of Iona's attitude about building defenses, I intended to address it with the leaders here.

She may have been regent, but I was the queen.

At some point, I must have dozed off. When I opened my eyes again, sunlight poured through the windows, creating golden rivers on the pale gray stone floors. I threw my legs over the side of the bed and pushed back my irritation that no one had come to wake me as I'd requested. It helped that I felt far more refreshed than I had in a long time.

I walked to the window and peered out. A laugh bubbled up in my chest. All across the grounds, elves still slept off last night's celebrations. A few were waking, looking disheveled and confused, and even fewer went about their chores, their movements slow and labored. The last of my irritation drained away. Iona probably hadn't woken me because she herself was not yet awake.

Well, I was awake now, and thankfully, I had possessed the wisdom to stay away from the ale last night. All I needed now to be ready for the day was the hot bath my aunt had promised. Crossing the room, I pulled on the blue cord and screamed when dozens of hard objects dropped from the ceiling. They pummeled into me, and I could do nothing but cower as they rained down. When the last one fell, I pulled my arms away from my head and looked at the floor.

Bones. Femurs and fingers and skulls. Of all sizes and races. The empty eye sockets of the skulls glared up at me accusingly, and I spied a roll of parchment attached to one of the larger femurs. Rubbing at a sore spot on my head where I'd been struck, I warily reached into the macabre pile to retrieve the paper.

It unrolled easily, and the ink was so fresh I could smell the sharp bite of charcoal. A single word filled the page. Each letter was smeared and dripping, but I could still read it.

Traitor.