Page 3 of Mistress of Hours

She had made her journey from Ichorna’s northern neighbor, Beitar, as a teenager, continuing a centuries-long tradition of diplomatic marriages between the two nations. Just like the consort before her, Léhiona had made a vow of silence regarding her homeland that was magically enforced by Beitar’s king before she came to Ichorna. Evienne thought the custom was bizarre, but it had been that way for as long as anyone could remember. The consorts came to Ichorna and had a fresh start, cutting all ties with their homeland.

“Evi, did you eat dinner?” Léhiona’s voice fluttered through the space, catching on the hard marble in soft echos.

“I’ll eat after our meeting,” Evienne answered too quickly, and Léhiona’s eyes narrowed.

“When was the last time you ate?”

Evienne grimaced, her dark brows tipping up in guilt. “Breakfast…”

Léhiona rolled her eyes, her chuckle flitting through the room. “I’ll have something brought, and no, I will not hear any arguments about it.”

Evienne smiled at her friend, slumping back into the cushionsin acquiescence.The thought of food was too wonderful to put up a fight.

Léhiona moved to ring for the staff just as the massive wooden door swung open, and the human tempest that was Queen Aldith strode into the room.

She was a force of nature. No matter where she was going or what mood she was in, Aldith commanded every ounce of attention. She was fearsome to her enemies, and respected by her people. She had earned their obedience early and often, and now she commanded their fierce loyalty.

Aldith was crowned queen very young. Her father died when she was just twenty-four, and Aldith had taken his place the very same day. Her mother—who had been from Beitar—followed the king in death soon after, falling victim to a mysterious wasting illness.

Six years later, and Aldith’s wild mane of curls was still mostly black as night, but a few silver strands now peeked through. Her eyes were the darkest brown, her complexion sun-kissed. She always wore black.

“She forgot to eat again, didn’t she?” Aldith’s silky alto voice met Evienne’s ears.

“Of course, but we’ll rectify that momentarily,” Léhiona called from the other side of the room.

Aldith approached and took her place across from Evienne, on the chaise. She and Léhiona always shared the reclining sofa during these meetings. Though theirs had been an arranged marriage, it was not a loveless one, from what Evienne could tell.

Aldith and Léhiona were opposite as night and day, yet somehow they seemed perfect together. Aldith’s steel was tempered by Léhiona’s grace. Though Aldith was Queen Regent, she respected Léhiona’s opinions on matters of state more thananyone else’s. Léhiona was more than a Queen Consort in practice, if not in name.

Once a maid had hurried in with a serving cart of delicious-smelling food and a steaming pot of tea, Aldith and Léhiona situated themselves on the chaise side-by-side. Evienne made herself a plate of tender beef and savory vegetables before sitting back in her chair and eyeing the queens expectantly.

“Beitar has sent word that they plan to send a delegation for the celebration of the new millennium in a few weeks, and we’d like you to keep an eye on them while they’re here,” Aldith said smoothly.Léhiona watched as her wife spoke, her impossibly long lashes brushing her high cheekbones.

Evienne froze with a bite halfway to her mouth, eyes wide. “Beitarans are coming? Did they say why?” Evienne’s questions fell from her like drops of rain at the start of a downpour.She found herself glancing at Léhiona to gauge her reaction to Aldith’s declaration.

“They didn’t say why, but they are sending a nobleman, as well as his travel companion, a scholar from Sgùrdruid. I think perhaps their magic has finally all gone, and they’re coming to ask for some sort of aid,” Aldith answered, her face a smooth mask of indifference.Léhiona sat at her side, no apparent emotion on her lovely face.

It did not escape Evienne’s notice how odd it was to sit here in front of Léhiona talking about the Beitarans as if she was not one herself, but one of the conditions of the marriage alliance with Beitar from centuries ago was that the consort would be magically bound into silence regarding anything related to their homeland. Léhiona could try to share, but speaking on certain topics would physically hurt her. From what Evienne understood, if Léhiona veered too close to a topic concerning Beitar, she would experience a searing pain in her sternum akin to the sensation of burning. It had never made much sense toEvienne to set up a diplomatic marriage and then bind someone into silence; they could not speak or act in the interest of Beitar because of the magical gag. The arrangement seemed to rather one-sidedly benefit Ichorna. Evienne didn’t know what to make of it, but it wasn’t her place to pry.

“What sort of aid could we offer? And if they knew they would need our help, why be so incredibly distant all these years?”

“Who knows what they want, but they are always invited to these sorts of things, so I suppose it was to be expected they’d eventually make an appearance. I’m just surprised to see them crawling to us in my lifetime. I suppose we’ll have to wait for their groveling to start to learn more,” Aldith mused.Evienne was taken aback at how brusquely Aldith spoke of Léhiona’s homeland in her presence. Aldith had always been direct, but this seemed harsh even for her. Evienne stowed her unease at the display and attempted to stay focused on the conversation.

“Well all right, they’re coming. Did they say when they will arrive?” Evienne was trying to process this information. The celebration for the turn of the millennium had been announced last year, and all of the important leaders across Domhan na Rùin had been invited to attend. Ichorna had hosted a similarly grand celebration at the last turn of the century, so it seemed it may become a tradition.

Everyone attending would gather here in Lucinne for a month of festivities. Diplomatic summits, balls, tournaments—all manner of spectacle—would take place during the final month of the year. Many had already responded to signal their attendance months ago, but a few last-minute changes to the guest list could always be expected. To hear about visitors from Beitar, though, was extremely unexpected—they would likely be the talk of the event.

“They’re set to arrive in three days’ time,” Aldith answered. “We’d like to put you in charge of keeping an eye on them.Nothing too obvious—you can mask it as hostess duty or personal interest—but we are wary of their intentions. There is no one we would rather have to handle any threats than you.”

“Of course, I’m happy to stay close to them. Thank you for trusting me with your safety and the safety of our people.”

“Who else would we ask? They’ll be flattered that the High Sangviere has taken such an interest in them. Who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy their company!” Léhiona laughed a bit, her expression too pleasant to be natural, and rose from her seat to pour herself a cup of tea from the cart the staff had brought.

Evienne knew it likely wouldn’t get her anywhere, but she had to ask. “Léhiona, are these emissaries people you knew before you came here?”

Even from where Evienne sat behind her as she added sugar to her tea, Léhiona’s shoulders visibly tensed at the question. “I uh,” she started before taking a deep breath. “I met Lord Solon once when I was a girl. He came to visit the court at Sgùrdruid for a season. The scholar, Professor Doehlan, I know nothing of.”

Aldith snagged Evienne’s gaze and pursed her lips, disapproving of Evienne’s prying. Answering such questions could hurt Léhiona, and she was very protective of her wife’s free and gentle spirit.

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