Page 101 of A Reign of Embers

She has more help than I’d like even here. We’ve just turned the corner when a few urgent voices peal down the street.

“Tribune Valerisse is following Sabrelle’s will! Her army is coming to set the empire to rights.”

“We must all show our proper dedication rather than supporting the false empress!”

“Those who turn against the godlen of war will fall to her blade! Don’t you know where your loyalties should lie? She’s already punishing us!”

My teeth set on edge. A few of my guards push toward the civilians, who I suppose are Sabrellian dedicats, but I call for them to halt.

I clamber onto a stack of crates so more of the passersby can see me. “Sabrelle wishes for bloodshed and violence. I don’t claim to be an empress by birth, but I’m here to protect all of you as well as my daughter, the imperial heir, until she’s of age. I stand for peace, and so does my godlen. Let us support each other and strive toward a future that’s bountiful for us all!”

Several of the nearby civilians clap. Many others avert their gazes and hustle away.

My stomach sinks with my scramble downward. The illness might not have gotten too deep a hold on my people’sbodies, but it’s given Sabrelle another in-road into their minds and loyalties.

How much longer can this treacherously subtle war continue before I’ve lost without swords ever clashing?

By the time I make it back to the palace, the smells of the coming dinner are wafting through the halls. I mean to head straight to Coraya’s apartment before anything else, but as I pass the parlor, I spot a familiar head of sleek black hair ahead of me.

Bianca catches sight of me at the same moment. Her posture goes briefly rigid, as if she’s not pleased to have been noticed.

She’s kept to her rooms the past few days, supposedly still recovering. I didn’t want to impose. But if she’s well enough to be on her feet now…

I don’t think I can leave this uncertainty simmering between us any longer.

I stride toward her. “Vicerine, it’s good to see you so well. I’ve been asking after you.”

Bianca inclines her head and takes a small step back. “I appreciate your concern more than I can say. I didn’t want to add to your responsibilities with so much else going on—I was never overly unwell.”

“Checking in on a friend is a pleasure, not a responsibility.” I hesitate and motion her to a nearby sitting room where we can speak more privately. “Would you give me a moment?”

“Of course, Aurelia.”

Among the armchairs, neither of us seems to feel comfortable sitting. Memories of the aggressive shouts among the city folk ring through my head.

Surely Bianca hasn’t changed her views of me completely?

Would she admit it even if she had?

It seems simplest to cut to the heart of the matter. “You’ve been awkward around me in the past couple of weeks. Sometimes even avoiding me? If I’ve offended you in some way?—”

Bianca’s eyes widen. She lets out a sputter of a laugh. “Offendedme? You should never—if I gave that impression?—”

She halts as if she can’t find the right words. Her astonishment sounded genuine enough that my worst worries subside.

“Will you tell me what’s the matter, then?” I ask gently.

“I only…” She sighs and rubs her temple. “After it became so clear that Sabrelle is acting against you, I started thinking— You’ve been doing your best to gain the favor of the gods, and here I am dedicated to Prospira but with no interest in having children or really any kind of family, so often focused only on myself.”

Her gaze lifts to meet mine. “If I’ve let down my godlen, I don’t want any ill favor to rub off on you through association.”

“Bianca.” My lungs constrict so tightly it takes a moment before I can breathe again. All this time, she was fretting about my security.

I rest my hand on her arm. “If I’ve learned anything from my communing with the gods, it’s that there are so many ways to show our devotion. Prospira doesn’t only cultivate families and that sort of fertility but the other sorts of abundance you talked about. I can’t see why she wouldn’t approve of you making the most of the rewards you’ve gained, the wealth you’ve come into.”

The vicerine shakes her head, but her posture has relaxed. “You may be right. I didn’t want to take the chance.There’s so much at stake. I’d hate to be an obstacle in your way.”

She’s been taking that responsibility on herself just as I’ve considered myself responsible for the lives of everyone in the empire. With a swell of compassion, I step closer to her and give her a quick hug.

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