Page 39 of The Twisted Throne

Her maid looked up with a start from the garment she’d been mending. “Oh, he’s very handsome, my lady. The muse of many artists, or so I’ve heard. Once you are wed, it will be a blessing to sit across the breakfast table from him every morning.”

Bronwyn started coughing, and Taryn barely suppressed her laughter behind her hand.

“I’ve no doubt.” Ahnna shot both of her friends a glare. “But I am more curious as to his character.”

“Oh!” Hazel looked down at the needle and thread in her hands. “Well, of course he’s very princely.”

“Of course,” Bronwyn murmured, and Taryn elbowed her in the ribs.

“Everyone speaks of his great wit,” Hazel continued. “A tremendous conversationalist. Very popular with his fellows, for he is always surrounded by others.”

“So just like his brother?” Bronwyn said with a straight face.

“Oh, they are nothing alike at all, my lady,” Hazel answered, then made a face, finally hearing Bronwyn’s sarcasm. “Do not hold Prince James’s taciturnity against him. He spends most of his time with soldiers, whereas William is at court, and therefore more comfortable in the company of ladies. It’s an unfair comparison.”

“So I’m coming to understand.” Bronwyn glanced out the window, then her eyes met Ahnna’s. “You might need to pick another argument if we are ever to hear a word out of him again.”

Ahnna’s cheeks warmed. “I’ll pass. Silence is preferable.”

Bronwyn grinned and said, “I don’t foresee that as an option.”

A rap sounded against the glass, and Ahnna nearly started out of her skin. James had reined his horse close to the coach without her noticing. She slid open the window. “Is there trouble?”

“No, we’re here. As we round the bend, you will get your first glimpse of Verwyrd and the Sky Palace,” James said, his eyes forward. “You mentioned an interest in seeing it, and this is perhaps the best view now that the clouds are clearing.”

Here. Already.

Ahnna swallowed hard, her heart racing. Not in anticipation of seeing the Sky Palace for the first time, but because very soon, she’d be meeting the prince she was to marry.

A sudden surge of empathy for her brother filled her for how he must have felt on Southwatch the day Lara had arrived, knowing nothing about the woman he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with. Yet as that long-ago moment rose in her mind’s eye, Ahnna was again struck with the anticipation her brother had radiated as Lara’s ship had docked. As though every unknown about the Maridrinian princess made her more, not less, desirable.

Ahnna wished anticipation filled her stomach, but the feeling was all-too-familiar dread. Not because William was an unknown to her, but because she was an unknown to him. Beyond her name, no one in Harendell knew anything about her, and in her heart, Ahnna knew that she would not elicit the reaction Lara had when Aren had first set sights on his new wife.

Ahnna was too old, too tall, too scarred, and she couldn’t help but remember what Keris had told her about Queen Alexandra.She didn’t choose you, which means no matter what you do, you will never be good enough for William in her eyes.

And then Verwyrd appeared.

All Ahnna’s thoughts of her own inadequacies fled as she stared out the window. Next to her, Bronwyn whispered, “Fuck me, that’s something.”

The road had curved to run along a ridgeline, which offered them an unobstructed view of the river valley below. The vast Eldermoor River split into two, creating a large island that contained the city of Verwyrd, which was surrounded by towering walls that provided additional protection on top of the swiftly flowing waters. Twin bridges joined the island to the mainland,both heavily fortified, with towns sprawling on both the east and west banks. All of which would have been impressive if not for the structure dominating the center of the island. It rose like a massive tower, perfectly symmetrical, and yet even from here, Ahnna could tell that it had not been made by the hands of men. Nor was it a natural formation created by the earth.

No, much like the bridge that had dominated her life, the Sky Palace had surely been created by God or some higher power, the massive column of smooth rock seeming to touch the clouds. Carved in its side was a spiraling path that led to the top, on which a palace made of gleaming white stone was perched, the stained-glass windows of its spires sending rainbows of color dancing across the sky as the sun struck it. Colored banners hung from the sides of the tower, all royal purple to indicate that the monarchs were currently in residence.

“How do you get to the top?” Taryn asked, pressing her hand to the coach window.

“I usually walk,” James replied. “However, there are small carriages pulled by mules accustomed to the heights that transport those who don’t wish to subject themselves to the exertion. It takes about half an hour to climb.”

“Not particularly convenient,” Bronwyn muttered. “Imagine all that effort to get up and down every day.”

Ahnna barely heard, her eyes all for the reach of the tower and the view one must have from the top. She’d always gravitated to the peaks of the mountains in Ithicana, or even to the bridge top, for seeing the vastness of the world around her had always put her at ease. Reminded her that she was of little consequence to the earth and sea and sky, just a speck of creation. “It’s beautiful.”

Sensing eyes on her, she turned her head to find Jamesregarding her. He looked away as their eyes met, gaze fixing on the Sky Palace. “You don’t agree that your home is beautiful?”

“The Sky Palace is one of the great wonders of the north,” he answered, though it was no answer at all.

Ahnna returned to her examination of the tower and the palace atop it, though curiosity burned through her at James’s response. His face was impassive, but the slight tightening of his grip on the reins suggested his thoughts were less than calm.

Which was perhaps fair. The journey to retrieve her had been disastrous, a ship lost and dozens of soldiers killed, as well as theVictoriataking significant damage. As the most senior officer, he’d be held accountable for the losses, and though there was nothing James could have reasonably done to predict or prevent any of what had happened, a reprimand might be in his future. And of course, there wasthatwhich she prayed would remain unspoken.

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