Page 10 of Mistress of Hours

Soon enough, they arrived at the entrance to the palace complex and—surprisingly—were admitted immediately without so much as a hello from the guards. Orion looked at the central building in awe; it was truly massive, and the most elegant structure he had ever seen. The reality of where he was hit him fully then, and all sorts of emotions tumbled through his heart—excitement, anxiety, determination. Above all, he felt grateful for this chance to experience the world.

All thoughts left his mind, however, as he felt a tug on his sternum. He shifted his gaze to find the most beautiful woman he had ever seen standing across the courtyard at the top of the steps to the palace. Her figure was full, all soft curves, and her dark hair was stark next to the ivory of her complexion. Her face was fixed in a polite, neutral expression, but even from this distance he could tell her eyes were sharp and intelligent. She was the most beautiful person Orion had ever seen. A rush of emotions filled his mind at the sight of her; he felt compelled to be close to her, felt as if he’d known her his whole life. He didn’t have words for what he was feeling, but goosebumps covered his arms as he stared at her. He didn’t know why, but this woman, whoever she was, was important to him; he belonged with her.

Chapter Six

Evienne had alwaysfound the dining hall to be one of the most breathtaking spaces in the palace. Impossibly high ceilings and tall, lean windows thirty feet high framed the room. Bronze metalwork adorned the space, outlining the windows and plating the beams arcing across the high ceilings. Warm white walls and dark wood floors gave the space a cozy, friendly feeling despite its massive scale. As in most places in the city of Lucinne, bold jewel tones danced around the room as the stained glass of the windows made their mark on the space.

Long mahogany tables arranged in two rows filled the cavernous space. The room this afternoon was bustling, but nowhere near as full as it would be for dinner. Evienne’s gaze quickly found Cecelia in their usual spot by one of the many tapestries adorning the walls. This particular piece depicted Ichorna’s first ruler and original Sangviere greeting the Tuanadair King of Beitar, Ichorna’s northern neighbor.

Cecelia was taking another bite of a sandwich, her nose buried in a massive book. She was so absorbed that she didn’t even stir as Evienne approached. Evienne sat down next to her friend and helped herself to a cup of coffee, adding a healthy pour of cool cream.Coffee wasn’t lunch, but she had slept in, so it sounded good.

“What’s got you so engrossed?” Evienne softly nudged her friend with her elbow.

“Well, I’ve started going through the books in that hidden room we found, and this was one of them. Extremely interesting.”

Evienne lifted the cover from where it was resting on the table and peered at the book’s title.

“A Complete History of Beitar and its People, Vol. I,”Evienne read aloud.

“Mhm. I know we have some of their histories in the main collection already, but this one starts much further back. It even has some of their creation folklore!” Cecelia’s eyes were bright with excitement as she finally looked up. Crumbs covered the front of her black dress.

“Well tell me about it, what part are you reading about now?”

“It seems their culture is very concerned with balance, almost to the point of treating it as a religion. Back before they lost their magic, they believed their shifted forms were a necessary half of each whole person. They haven’t mentioned it explicitly yet, but it seems like they even had some sort of god that they celebrated with a festival at winter solstice.”

“Interesting; and we really didn’t know any of that about them before?”

“I’m sure someone did at some point, but over the past century or so, as their magic has faded, they’ve become a much more secular society it would seem. But you know we hardly hear a word from them, let alone see any of them, so it makes sense that we’d sort of lose touch with their customs and beliefs,” Cecelia’s brows creased slightly as she considered this. “It’s a shame, really. I’ve seen the illustrations and read the reports from the last diplomatic visit there when they went to collect Léhiona; Beitar sounds like a beautiful place.”

Evienne had always taken a particular interest in cultural studies. Their own culture was so focused on scientific and magical industry that the idea of something so completely different sparked her imagination now as she heard her friend describing it.

She knew that the magic of the Tuanadair had been fading overthe past several hundred years. All reports said that the youngest generation didn’t have a single person left who could free their beast form and shift. As a magic-wielder herself, Evienne felt a deep sadness over this loss.

Cecelia caught her wistful stare. “What are you thinking about?”

Evienne sighed. “Oh, I just think it’s rather sad, don’t you? That all of those people have slowly lost their connection to magic. What a tragedy.”

Cecelia hummed her agreement. “I’m glad I can help us learn a bit more about their history, at least. It seems that lots of those books from the forgotten room have a similar theme. I’m sure they were just lost to time as they became less relevant. Beitar has barely had contact with us in any official capacity beyond sending consorts whenever a new king or queen takes the throne. What an odd arrangement,”Cecelia mused.

Before Evienne could respond, a guard strode up to their table and cleared her throat. “High Sangviere, the Beitarans have entered the city. They will be here in a few minutes.”

Evienne thanked the guard and rose. “Let the celebration begin, I suppose,” she sighed as Cecelia looked up from her book.

“At least try to enjoy yourself, Evi. I’ll see you soon!” Cecelia said.

Evienne set off then for the main courtyard in front of the palace complex to greet her charges for the next month with a lightness in her step she hadn’t felt in ages.

She reached the main doors and strode out into the filtered light of the day. Moisture hung in the air; Evienne could feel the tiny droplets as she inhaled deeply, steadying her breath after the quick walk. The scarlet velvet gown she wore wasn’t warm enough to be outside for long, but she didn’t want to waste time going to fetch her cloak.

The sound of horses’ hooves on the pavement soon filtered into her awareness. The lookouts had sent a messenger to say the delegation was arriving on horseback, but Evienne had expected more than the two lone horses that trotted through the gates.

A strikingly handsome man, lean and noble, sat astride a white gelding. His skin was a rich brown, his dark hair braided in many strands and gathered into a massive twist on his head. His features were sharp, his countenance reserved. Next to him, on a dappled gray mount, sat another man—willowy and graceful, with cheekbones so sharp Evienne could see them easily from where she stood at the top of the palace steps.

As they drew nearer, she was struck by his piercing, cool green eyes. They were the same shade as young grass coated in the winter’s last frost, somewhere between green and teal. His hair was an inky black and fell in soft waves to his smooth, pale cheeks. He looked otherworldly.

Evienne jolted when she saw the ethereal man’s mouth quirk up at one side; she had been staring at him as he and his companion came to a stop near the foot of the stairs. The pair of them made quite the imposing sight. After taking them in for a moment, she launched into action, smiling broadly as she descended the steps.

“Welcome to Lucinne, gentlemen. We are honored you made the long journey to join us for this celebration,” Evienne spoke as she approached them. They gracefully dismounted their horses, handing off the reins to stable hands who hovered nearby.

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