Page 38 of Only Cold Depths
CHAPTER TEN
KYRION
VesperandIfollowedLady Verona and Asterin through the castle.
We passed several servants going about their chores, along with more guards, who were stationed in almost every corridor. The guards were clad in green polyplastic armor and equipped with blasters and shock batons, just like the warriors I’d spotted outside the estate. A few Hammers were also roaming around, all armed with traditional war hammers.
Something was wrong.
Nervous energy surged off the servants and saturated the air like a storm cloud, and far more guards and Hammers were on duty than were necessary to secure the estate. I’d been an Arrow a long time, and I knew all the warning signs.
Aldrich Collier was worried his home and people might be targeted.
I noted the placement of each guard, along with each entrance and exit, creating a mental map of the castle. If the worst happened and someone attacked, I wanted to be able to escape as quickly as possible.
I didn’t keep up with Erzton politics, so I didn’t know who might be threatening House Collier, and I didn’t care. Not after Aldrich had revealed he’d knownexactlyhow Holloway had been torturing my parents.
As an Arrow and a Regal lord, I could understand why Aldrich hadn’t helped my parents. Galactic incidents and all that. Plus, Holloway wouldneverhave let both of my parents leave Corios at the same time, and even on the off chance they could have escaped, Holloway would have done everything in his power to drag my mother and father back to the Imperium planet.
Vesper touched my arm.Are you okay? You feel . . . upset.
I forced myself to nod.Fine. Just getting the lay of the land, so to speak.
She eyed me, clearly not believing my lie, but she didn’t send me another thought. For once, I was grateful for the quiet.
Lady Verona stepped through an archway into the open air. More snow fluttered down from the clouds, although the flakes hissed away to nothingness the instant they touched the estate’s defensive shield.
“Do you ever lower the shield?” Vesper asked, staring up at the shimmering air a hundred feet above our heads.
“Sometimes,” Lady Verona replied. “If there is a heavy snow, we’ll lower the shield so that it piles up enough for the servants’ children to build snowmen and go sledding. Asterin and Siya used to love playing in the snow when they were young.”
A wistful note crept into Verona’s voice, but Asterin flinched, as though the memories weren’t as fond as her mother made them out to be.
We followed the Erzton lady across a wide stone bridge, went through another archway, and stepped into a slightly smaller castle.
“This is the guest wing,” Verona said. “If you need anything, just tap one of the holoscreens in the walls, and the servants will come and assist you.”
Lady Verona flitted from one corridor to another, a cheerful note in her voice as she talked about the kitchen, the libraries, and the other amenities. Her conversation was probably meant to put us at ease, but I ground my teeth at the social niceties.
The Colliers might have granted us sanctuary, but our position here was clearly tenuous. Perhaps even tenuous enough for one of the Erztonians to sell us out to our enemies.
Lord Aldrich had said it himself. Business was business, and right now, there was no better business and especially no richer reward to be had than turning Vesper and me over to Callus Holloway. I didn’t think Aldrich and Verona would renege on their promise, but Siya didn’t want us here, and she might decide to try to subdue us in hopes of shipping us off-planet to protect House Collier. And the thirty million credits Holloway had promised for our capture would be enough to tempt even the most loyal servant or guard.
We had come here seeking refuge, but I couldn’t help but feel like the sooner Vesper and I left this place, the safer we would be.
Lady Verona stopped in a long corridor and opened a door, revealing a luxe suite. “Vesper, Kyrion, these are your chambers.” She gestured at another door farther down the corridor. “Asterin’s suite is right over there.”
I glanced at Asterin, who had an unreadable expression on her face. She was Verona’s daughter, so why was she staying in the guest wing instead of the main castle?
“You can leave your bags in your suite, then head to the south terrace for some refreshments. Normally, I would join you, but Aldrich and I have some business to finish regarding the marriage mart.” Verona’s gaze flicked to Asterin, who remained stone-faced. “We are currently engaged in several sensitive negotiations.”
“Of course,” Vesper murmured. “We appreciate your kindness.”
A smile spread across Lady Verona’s face. “Once Siya told us you were coming, I had the servants put some spare clothes and toiletries in your suite. If you need something else, just let one of the servants know.”
She nodded at us, then went down the corridor, rounded a corner, and vanished.
“Mother’s right,” Asterin chirped in a bright voice that was eerily similar to the one Lady Verona had just used. “Let’s drop your bags in your suite and head to the south terrace.”
