Page 32 of In the Ravenous Dark
I’ve already endured a parade of endless servants arriving to clean and serve me, as well as tailors sent to me without invitation and who don’t leave as demanded. They’re apparently plaguing me by order of the new king, to make sure I’m properly outfitted in my new environment.
Broodmare, I keep hearing in my mind. And then Tyros’s worse threat:Think of her mother.
I can’t stop thinking about her. If I can’t make progress anywhere else, at least I’ve been pretending to cooperate, for her sake. Never mind that the woman sitting across from me makes me want to tear out my hair.
“In writing,” she declares, “you address the king’s second cousin with the third honorific I mentioned—”
“I told you, I can’twrite.” There are gold-whorled plates and glass goblets shaped like opening blossoms laid out in front of us, but without food or drink. They’re for demonstration of proper usage only… except for my orange-streaked goblet shaped like a lily, which I don’t allow to go dry for long.
“That should soon be remedied,” the woman says, scribbling on a piece of paper in front of her. I don’t know her name. I’ve made a point of not remembering, since it’sbad etiquetteand it piques her. It’s the same tactic I’m using with the dead man. “You’ve already been appointed tutors in reading and writing, have you not?”
Oh, I have, and they’re almost as insufferable as her.
“You shouldreallystop drinking so much,” my etiquette instructor says. “It’s unbecoming.”
My mother. Think of my mother.It’s a chant that keeps me going. I drain my cup, and then barely stifle a burp with my hand. “Excuse me. You were saying?”
I can almost swear I hear a dry chuckle from among the columns behind me. Have I amused the dead man?
The woman’s lips pinch even tighter, which is a feat. “I am quite sure you heard me.”
Without even a twitch of a finger, I weave my favorite sigil,move, into a pattern that I force into reality. A stream of wine rises from the half-full pitcher, curls prettily through the air, and refills my goblet. I lift my cup.
“The one benefit to this whole mess is that I have an endless supply of wine, thanks to the royal cellars, and I’m not about to give that up. It’s the only thing that makes your presence bearable. So, cheers.”
“Howdareyou?” the woman says. “After all the king has done for you, this is how you respond to his favor? As much as I’d like to leaveyou to drown in ignoranceandin your cup, it is my duty to fulfill the task assigned to me. You must be ready.”
“Ready for what?” I ask, nervousness churning in my belly withperhapstoo much wine.
“About that,” Japha answers, sweeping into the dining room unannounced—a common occurrence of late, but one I appreciate. At their arrival, in a bright yellow peplos patterned in golden sunbursts and paired with a wide belt of bronze disks and matching bracers, I think,Thank the goddess, until they continue, “There is a grand ball tonight that everyone but me and my royal cousins were made aware of ages ago. It’s a surprise party for us, apparently. I’ve only just received word.” They sound none too pleased.
“It’s not the good kind of surprise?” I guess, my stomach dipping further.
Japha plants hands on hips as they come to a halt before me, utterly ignoring my etiquette tutor. “Not only do I have no time to plan my outfit, but no, I can’t imagine it’s the good kind of surprise. I’d guess, given my age and the lack of warning, it’s the sort that ends up with me betrothed to someone I detest. The same fate likely awaits Kineas and Lydea, since they’ve been equally kept in the dark.”
“Betrothed? All of you?Now?” It’s hard to imagine Japha and Lydea married off, just like that, especially against their will. I couldn’t care less about Kineas, but if I’m about to be deprived of Japha’s company, I’m not sure how I’ll manage. And Lydea… I want to think less about why I’d rathersheremain unengaged.
“I don’t know for certain,” Japha says, “but my hunches are usually right. Lydea suspects the same. I haven’t bothered to ask Kineas what he thinks.”
It strikes me as odd to be so secretive about an arranged marriage. “If you don’t have any say in the matter, why do they care if you have warning?”
Japha waves a hand. “Oh, there have been dramatic protests in the past. Locking oneself in one’s room, swallowing hemlock, running away in the dead of night with a lover, that sort of thing. The latter would only work in dear Kineas’s case, since he’s the only one of us without a guardian shadowing him. If our guardians didn’t report our whereabouts at a time like that, thentheywould be in trouble with whatever underworld authority they answer to.”
I should be focused on the horror of their imminent betrothal, but I can’t help asking, “Whodothey answer to?”
Japha shrugs. “I’m not sure. I would guess a king or something like we have. I don’t see why the pattern would change just because they’re dead.”
The dead mandidsay he lived in something like a palace in the underworld, so that would make sense. Especially if this king of his was once a living king…
I remember my father mentioning that the royal gallery is forbidden, and that the question as towhywas a good one. Maybe there’s some clue there to how the whole guardian system works. I make a mental note to investigate.
Maybe even try to break in.
“I see,” I say, pondering. “But why announce your betrothals now, of all times? Seems like a rush after Old King Neleus was only just interred in the necropolis.”
Japha shrugs. “The time is right for Kineas and Lydea and overdue for me. They’re twenty. I likely would have been betrothed by twenty under normal circumstances, but no one thought I was worth marrying off until I received the bloodline. And then, since my sister’s death, I’ve been stalling. We’re allowed a few years to mourn in extreme cases, but I think King Tyros has decided my time is up. I hear it’s common with new leadership for a few things to change in a hurry.”
I don’t like the sound of that, especially considering the typeof man the king is. But at least the focus isn’t on me for once. Not that I want Japha to be in that position.
