Page 49 of A Crown of Tears and Treason
“Thank you.” He took a deep breath before stepping inside. Then he sent a shy smile my way. “I didn’t want to intrude. The prince said–”
Before Goose could tell me why Zandyr was sticking his perfect nose in my business, a ring vibrated through the ancient wood holding my house upright, spidering up toward the web of beams hanging above every room. It sounded like a strangled rooster forced to play the part of an alarm.
We exchanged a surprised look.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Visitors,” Goose whispered, eyes wide, as if not quite believing it. “We have visitors. I’ll get the scones ready!”
Before I had the chance to point out Zandyr had also visited, Goose whirled out of the room, running his hands on his already perfectly pressed uniform.
I followed onto the veranda, curiosity nibbling at me. Who could possibly–
“Evie,” Kaya greeted me with a brilliant smile, already walking up the stairs, Vexa a cranky shadow behind her. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”
I closed the book I was reading with a loud smack, as Goose raced to the kitchens. “Not at all.”
“Perfect. I also hope to corrupt you with some tea and gossip.”
“Unless you want to talk about the Morgana invasion of the Second Age, I’m pretty light on the gossip…” I shifted my weight from one leg to the other, as Kaya and Vexa looked at me expectantly. One with grace, the other with a grimace. “But I have plenty of tea. We can go into the formal dining room.”
I took my meals in the library, but I had a feeling a future queen would go the more formal route. Plus, it had only one entrance, and windows too small for an assassin to squeeze through quickly.
Kaya’s smile grew. “That would be wonderful.”
In stilted silence, we walked past marble statues and golden masks guarding the corners, and into the room which had been mercifully emptied by the dresses now hanging in the closet upstairs.
“Your house is lovely,” Kaya said as the two of us sat down at the huge wooden table, me facing the door. No filigreed tablecloths for the Blood Brotherhood. They crafted their intricate patterns directly into the wood, and decorated them with golden hues between the small grooves.
I ran my fingers down the curved lines, marveling at the details. “It is. All of this has been…surprising.”
Kaya frowned, the first time I’d seen her show any emotion that wasn’t perfect. Behind her chair, Vexa stood as still as the statues. “Why?”
“I’m not in some dungeon or a remote tower. I’m being fed delicious food and I’m gettinggifts,” I said truthfully. “I loved yours, by the way, thank you.”
“My pleasure. I heard a rumor you loved to read.”
It was my turn to frown. “From who?”
She waved a delicate hand. “Good news travels fast in the Blood Brotherhood.”
It must’ve traveled across the continent, because the only people who knew about that were my cousins. I’d have to tellthem to keep their lips shut, because information was leaking like a broken pipe around here.
A shadow loomed beyond the door. But it wasn’t Goose with the scones. Instead, one of the guards stepped forward, a wooden box clutched tightly in his hands.
“Over here is fine.” Kaya patted the table in front of me. “I hope you don’t mind–”
She was hoping a lot today, wasn’t she?
“–I asked him to bring your gift today. Too heavy for me to carry.”
The guard bowed, quickly exiting the room under Vexa’s narrowed eyes.
“Another gift?” I asked, watching the guard leave.
“It’s tradition. You can’t visit someone without bringing a token of your esteem,” Kaya said, studying me. Her smile fell. “You don’t like it.”
“No, no, it looks lovely.” It did, all dark wood and red metal edges, with a lid that had an opal mosaic on top. “I’m just surprised the guard agreed to come in. I thought the advisors told them to leave me alone.”
