All's Fair in Revenge

Chapter 48: A New Season

After hours of arguing and hushed yelling between Ma'ma and I, then Liv and I, and finally Ma'ma and Liv, the early morning of the wedding arrived along with the return of the call of white-winged hawks initiating the first day of Ideostara. The birds of prey and rich purples of near dawn rose with me, all of us sleepless in the rise of a new season. Covers tucked to my chin, one leg free of the sheets, I stared at the canopy above and imagined everyone back home in Srisset waking early to prepare for the Ewe holiday; one festival I never found interest in. Yet that morning it brought on tears of longing.

I had tried my best not to think of Srisset, but something so simple as the awareness of the feast brought on a deluge of recollections of how long it had been since I last saw a thatched roof, breathed in a real wood fire, or sipped on the hot elderberry tea Ma'mir garnished with a sprig of mint. The thought of Ma'mir alone, her gray braid swinging over her shoulder as she padded through her herb garden, her azure eyes shining in the morning sun, brought on an onslaught of misery I swallowed whole. Images of the prior night twisted with the memories, and I tried my best not to wretch over the bed side.

"You can do this," I reminded myself, then vomited in the vase on the nightstand.

The sour smell of sick quickly filled the room. I flung open the balcony doors and breathed in the foggy Ideostara air as Liv padded in. She joined me at a window seat, gripping on her robe like a cloak. "How are you feeling?"

"About as good as can be expected, I suppose," I said into a steaming teacup. Brix, who waited at the door listening for signs of life, had handed each of us the tea without a word. She hadn't said much of anything since the night before and I hadn't anything to say either.

Liv smoothed the tablecloth. "When will they start dressing you?"

"Sometime after breakfast, I expect."

"Would you hate me if I asked one last time for you to change your mind?"

"No." I gave her a half-smile over a ceramic cup. "Do you think Sune baked his Ewe spice bread?"

"We're changing the subject then?" Liv blinked her irritation away. "Right then. He'd have better."

"Will you have a slice for me?"

"Or you could come home and have one yourself."

"I'm staying, Liv."

A soft chuckle left her. "Can you blame me?"

"Only for bribing servants."

She scratched her neck, a swath of blotchy red lines appearing under her skin. "I won't apologize."

"I know better than to expect it."

She picked a loose string off the table. "You know I'd do anything for you, right?"

I leaned back, folding my arms. "Short of murder?"

Liv sucked on her teeth, the accusation leaving her unbothered. "Are you asking if I murdered the king?"

"I'm asking if he deserved it."

"Without a doubt." Liv's hand patted mine twice as she rose, and I noticed a thin cut across her knuckle. "I must get ready. Alona and Sybil are already with Thorne. So, unless you've also changed your mind about me staying..."

"I'd rather burn at the stake," I said as Liv pulled a lacy white gown from the wardrobe.

"You'll make a lovely bride. I'm sorry I won't be there to see it." She admired the material for a minute then lay it on the bed. A tender smile tugged at one side of her lips. Liv opened her arms for an embrace. "See you soon?"