“Exactly.”
Nicole grinned. “Oh, I’m so excited for you both! Do you know when you’re due?”
“Sometime in the fall.” Hayla’s eyes filled with tears. “I have you to thank, you know. The curse you broke wasn’t mine, but my husband’s. We’ve been married for so long now, and I’d nearly stopped hoping I could carry a child at all. I had three miscarriages—horrible miscarriages—right away, and then pregnancy after that simply didn’t happen.”
Nicole gasped. “Wait. This is your fourth pregnancy?”
Hayla laughed. “It sure is.”
“Oh, my heck! You’re going to have an Arete!”
The happiness on Hayla’s face flitted away as quickly as it had come. “As long as I don’t miscarry again.”
Nicole bit her lips. “What can I do? What do you need? Shouldn’t you be in bed?”
Hayla shrugged. “The doctors don’t know why I miscarried. The only thing they tell me is to take it easy.”
“As you should. You need to be in bed.”
Nicole gathered up the costumes, taking them back to the bedroom. Then she made a cup of peppermint tea for Hayla and ordered the woman under the covers.
“Thanks, Nicole,” Hayla said. “You came here for help and ended up helping me instead.”
“Oh, don’t say that—you’ve done so much in the short time I’ve been here.”
Hayla put her hand on Nicole’s arm. “Don’t tell anyone just yet.” She paused. “Okay, you can tell Lizzie and Austin. But no one else.”
Nicole grinned. “Thanks—it would be hard keeping something so awesome from my closest friends.”
“Oh, before I forget, there are several pairs of shoes in a box labeled ‘costumes’ just inside the closet. I couldn’t get it much farther than it is. You’ll want to pick a pair that fits as best as possible and matches the style of the dress you’ll be wearing.”
Nicole stepped into the closet and found the box. She hefted it, bringing it back to the bed, and started rummaging through the shoes inside it. Several of them were awesome—she’d need to raid Hayla’s closet for future Halloween costumes.
Eventually, the women chose shoes that were appropriate for what Nicole would be doing and the status she’d have. They were a little tight, but would suffice for the amount of time Nicole had to wear them.
The women said goodbye, then Nicole grabbed her things and left.
The minute she got in her car, she left a message on Austin’s voicemail, telling him the news, then called Lizzie. They had a baby shower to start planning!
But before any parties could happen, Nicole had a castle to infiltrate and a ruthless dictator to steal a book from. She felt breathless, and her palms started sweating when she thought about how all of that would go.
Chapter Four
Nicole grabbed Austin and pulled him close for another kiss before turning to Jacob, who was rolling his eyes. “Okay,” Nicole said, “now I’m ready.”
Jacob took Nicole’s hand and warmed her fingers and palm. The last thing she saw before her surroundings disappeared were her boyfriend’s eyes, full of concern.
He had a reason to be concerned—Jacob was taking her to a medieval kingdom where women weren’t treated with respect and people in general followed very different rules. She hadn’t had much time to learn or practice before Dmitri told her it was time to go.
Nicole tried to breathe deeply to calm the butterflies in her stomach, but the pungent smell of rancid food and sewage filled her nostrils, making her choke.
Jacob grimaced. “Thank goodness for modern technology and knowledge, huh?”
Nicole dropped her head, pulled the collar of her dress over her nose, and nodded.
Jacob glanced at her. “Um . . . for a servant, you sure are acting weird about smells you’re around all the time.”
Nicole caught the hint. A servant wouldn’t be so offended by these smells. Or at least, a servant would be used to them.
She dropped her hand and raised her head, blinking through the tears caused by both the smell and the weird contacts in her eyes. The only other time she’d worn contacts had been when she’d been a tiger for Halloween. Those lenses had only lasted about twenty minutes before she’d removed them. She hoped this time would go better. “Where to?”
Jacob looked around, then motioned for her to follow. “This way.”
He took her through a winding maze of dirty, crowded streets. Nicole really had to resist the urge not to cover her nose. She couldn’t believe anyone lived in such disgusting conditions.
Her heart dropped when she realized that she might be living in similar conditions soon. Everyone hoped she’d be able to get in and out of the castle quickly, but if anything happened, she could get stuck here for a while. The thought of that made her nauseated with fear.
After walking through the streets for at least twenty minutes, Jacob stopped just outside a little, rundown house.
“I need to tell you something before we go inside,” he said, pulling her back.
“What’s that?”
“Hayla’s stepfather is seriously abusive. And her mom is missing both legs and one arm. I’d definitely stay away from him, and probably the mom too.”
Nicole nodded. “How am I supposed to do that?”
Jacob shrugged. “I don’t know. I only know that Hayla is here right now—I Time-Saw ahead to make sure.” He motioned for her to knock on the door. “I can’t be seen by her.” He dropped his voice even more. “Take care of yourself—these aren’t exactly happy times for Troosinal.”
“What do I do if something dangerous happens?” she hissed at him as he stepped away.
“Run. Hide alone somewhere near a door. I’ll be here, in the past, as much as I can, and will be watching you constantly in case anything happens. When I’m not in the past, I’ll be watching from the future.”
Nicole nodded. Hearing those words under any other circumstances would have creeped her out and led to her calling the cops. But now? They brought her comfort. “Wish me luck,” she murmured.
“Luck.” Jacob’s light blue eyes were full of concern. He shook himself, visibly pushing the emotion away, and blinked. A grin split across his face. “Hey, you’ll be okay. You’re smart and powerful. As long as it doesn’t screw up the future, you’ll be able to defend yourself.”
“Good. I think.” She looked at him. “You’re sure these contacts will keep Hayla from recognizing me?” She knew by now that if someone in her future recognized her in the past, it would probably kill her and Jacob. She was glad Jacob had figured out this aspect of his powers well before she came along.
“I’m positive.”
“They’re awful on the eyes.”
“You should have tried the earlier models.”
Nicole cringed. She was about to ask him what had happened when someone inside the house stirred. Jacob disappeared around the corner of the neighboring building, and realizing she was about to be discovered anyway, Nicole knocked on Hayla’s door.
She surveyed what she could see of the city and surrounding landscape while waiting for the door to be answered. The sun was an hour or two away from setting, and it cast a rosy glow on the tall, distant mountains to her left.
She and the others had chosen Sunday for her to come because this was the only day of the week when Hayla was mostly at her home and not in the castle. Nicole didn’t know where Hayla’s mom and stepfather were, and she hoped she wouldn’t need to find out.
A blond girl of ten or eleven answered the door. Nicole felt her mouth pop open. “H—Hayla?” she asked, shocked to see the older woman’s face on such a little thing.
One of Hayla’s eyebrows quirked. “Yes?” she answered curtly. No smiles for Nicole—maybe the girl’s friendly nature was hidden behind her stress over current events. Nicole would be stressed if she had an evil dictator controlling her kingdom and forcing his subjects to do horrible things.
She took a quick breath, then recited
the first phrase she’d learned from the older version of Hayla.
The girl swallowed and her eyes flitted over Nicole, then up and down the dirty street. “Come inside.” She stepped back, holding the door open.
Nicole ducked to enter, her eyes adjusting fairly quickly to the dim interior. It smelled marginally better indoors than out. She was grateful for that.
Hayla rounded on her, arms folded. “What can I do for you?”
“Umm . . . you’re a lot younger than I expected.” Nicole couldn’t help it—she didn’t mean to come across as rude, but it popped out.
Hayla glowered. “Age doesn’t mean anything when you’ve got all the necessary experience and abilities.”
“Good point.” Nicole looked Hayla over again. Her hands were calloused, her hair neat, her clothes clean. Judging by the lines of her body, she was already used to being in charge. The girl was holding her ground. She was smart, quick, and commanding. If she ever got out of this city, she’d go places.
Nicole had to hide a smile at the direction her thoughts had automatically taken. She knew exactly where Hayla would end up in the next twenty or so years.
She pushed her thoughts aside. “I need to get into the castle. The king has a—”
Hayla held up a hand. “I don’t want to know specifics. What sort of work are you looking for?”
“Something that will get me close to the king and queen without needing to be in their direct presence.”
“For how long?”
“Long enough to find what I’m looking for. A few hours, a day at most.”
Hayla’s eyes narrowed as she studied Nicole. “You’re too pretty—a girl like you will run into problems in the castle.”
Nicole felt a flush cross her cheeks. She wasn’t sure why Hayla’s comment embarrassed her, but it did. “I could dirty up a bit.”
Hayla shook her head. “Not if you want to be anywhere near the king and queen.” She studied Nicole’s face, frowning even more. “What is on your eyes?”
Nicole groaned inwardly. She’d forgotten to remove her makeup. “Make—paint.” She had no idea if they had the word “makeup” back then or not.
“Remove it. It makes you look like a whore.”
Nicole blinked. Whoa. Definitely not what she’d expected. She would have laughed if she hadn’t realized Hayla was absolutely serious. “Do you have water and a cloth?”
Hayla’s eyebrow quirked. “Use your apron.” She gestured to a washbasin of murky water in the corner of the room.
Nicole cringed, cursing herself for not thinking to clean her face thoroughly before coming. She did not want that liquid to touch her skin! Rather than appear prissy, though, she quickly dipped a corner of her apron in the water, then scrubbed her eyes and face, being careful not to dislodge the contacts, until the apron came away clean. Hayla watched, arms still folded.
“Better,” the girl said. She took a breath. “Most everyone ends up working as a maid in some sort of capacity. I’ll see if I can help you get a position working with the queen or her daughter. It would be very temporary. The moment they realize you’re underqualified, they’ll have you in the kitchens, scrubbing pots. You’ll get one chance.”
Nicole didn’t ask how Hayla knew she was underqualified, and she didn’t feel indignant about it—she really was out of her league. She hadn’t had time to learn how to be a servant.
“All right, let’s get this going,” Hayla said. She put a purple ribbon on the doorstep, then took a seat at the small table near a window, her face turned to the murky sunlight. Nicole wasn’t sure what to do, so she sat at the other chair and looked out the window as well. The glass distorted everything on the street, and she wondered how Hayla and her family had even gotten their hands on it anyway. She’d been under the impression that glass was rare in the old days. ’Course, this was a completely different world, not a medieval version of earth, regardless of how much it felt like it.
After about ten minutes, someone rapped on the door. Hayla got to her feet and opened without hesitation. A young man waited on the other side.
“Where to?”
“Kelemia, at the castle.”
The guy jerked his head at the horse behind him, eyes on Nicole. “Get on. I’ll take you now.”
Nicole scrambled out of her chair and approached the horse cautiously. She’d grown up riding horses, but not this one, and not usually ones that weren’t saddled. She wasn’t sure what the guy wanted her to do.
He didn’t give her the option to choose. “I’ll ride behind you.”
Nicole had only ridden bareback a couple times in her life. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to do it now—this creature was huge. At least eighteen hands tall, if not more.
She didn’t need to worry, though. The guy grabbed the reins and pulled the gelding’s head down. The horse lowered to its knees and Nicole climbed up, holding the mane tightly.
The guy got behind her, then clicked his tongue. The gelding got to its feet and started forward.
Their ride was quiet and awkward. Nicole felt the guy’s every move behind her—he was pressed closely to her back. She held her breath, trying to minimize herself as much as possible, keeping her magic close and ready. Its familiar pulses were comforting. If the guy tried anything—if anyone tried anything—they’d regret it.
Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the castle. Instead of going to the front doors, Nicole was mildly surprised when the guy took her around to a servants’ door. She realized belatedly that she shouldn’t be surprised. Of course she wouldn’t be allowed to enter the castle through the front door.
The guy didn’t say anything—he only handed off his horse to a blond stable boy who flashed a quick smile at Nicole before leading the horse to some stables not far away.
Nicole followed the guy through the servants’ door and into a huge, smoke-stained kitchen where a stern-looking woman towered over several maids around Hayla’s age.
“Madam Kelemia,” the guy said. “A new maid sent from Hayla.”
The woman glanced at Nicole, her eyes roving Nicole’s body, then meeting her gaze. “What experience do you have?”
Nicole swallowed. What should she say? Should she make something up? Better say something—anything. “Hayla said I should work under the queen or her daughter.”
Kelemia turned away. “Fine. Don’t expect it to last long.”
Nicole felt butterflies in her stomach. Wow. The woman hadn’t questioned her. Why? Were they that unconcerned with security? Maybe everyone really did hate Keitus. She wasn’t too surprised by this revelation.
“In fact, let’s have you start now. The family is in the drawing room, playing games. You’ll help serve them their evening tea.”
Kelemia grabbed the nearest girl. “Mahesis, the new girl will help you,” she said, nodding at Nicole. “Be sure she doesn’t drop anything.”
Mahesis looked at Nicole, dismay and frustration in her eyes. “Yes, ma’am.” She glared at Nicole, then gave her a tray that contained several teacups, saucers, and a pile of wafers.
Nicole didn’t need a degree in psychology to tell that Mahesis resented her already. Fine. Their time together would be short anyway.
Mahesis picked up a tray that had a teapot, cream, and sugar on it. She left the kitchen, not looking back at Nicole, who quietly rushed to follow.
They walked dark halls and climbed several narrow staircases until they entered a brightly lit room with a pool table, plush couches and chairs, and several bookcases. A woman Nicole assumed was the queen glanced up.
“There you are, Mahesis,” she said, setting aside a book. “Please serve the tea quickly—King Ramantus is on his way.”
Mahesis stiffened, stumbling and almost spilling the tea as she approached the queen. Her eyes darted to the elaborate door opposite the one she and Nicole had entered as she set her tray on a table near the queen. She took a few teacups off Nicole’s tray, setting them upright on their saucers, and poured tea into the
m. Nicole noticed her hand shake a bit, and she wondered what had frightened the girl so much.
“Another new maid?” a guy said behind Nicole.
She turned, half expecting to see a younger version of Keitus, but instead was met with someone she absolutely did not expect to see. Her mouth popped open, and the wind rushed from her lungs.
“Dmitri, fetch your brothers please,” the queen said.
Holy cow, holy cow. Why hadn’t anyone told Nicole? King Dmitri was standing before her! A much younger, thinner, full-haired, and . . . attractive . . . Dmitri. He was like a young Ben Barnes minus the British accent. His deep-brown hair brushed across his shoulders, and his dark eyes pondered Nicole for a moment.
He winked at her, then strode across the room to the elaborate door and poked his head out into the hall. “Het! Isan! Get in here.”
“Where is your sister?” the queen called to him.
“I’m here, Mother,” a soft voice said from a corner of the room.
Nicole turned toward the voice, but noticed that Mahesis had stepped back until she was nearly invisible against the wall. She was standing there, glaring at Nicole.
Nicole resisted the urge to growl at herself, realizing she’d already messed up. She quickly joined Mahesis, watching as the princess set aside her needlework, stretched, and approached the tea set. Her dark hair was unpinned and cascaded down her back in kinks and waves. Her dark eyes sparkled, perhaps at an unspoken joke. She looked so much like Dmitri that it caught Nicole off guard.
Nicole still couldn’t believe no one had told her that Dmitri was Keitus’s son. Had they hidden the information from her on purpose? If so, why?
The other two princes sauntered into the room, taking their time. The shorter of the two kissed the princess on the head, and the other kissed the queen’s face.
Their actions made them out to be good young men, but one glimpse at their eyes told Nicole all she needed to know. These men were calculating and dangerous. She wondered who they were putting on the show for—their mother? Or perhaps the princess? She hoped she wouldn’t be around to find out. She didn’t care to learn more about them.
Enshroud, Mosaic Chronicles Book Eight Page 5
