by C. A Hines
“I know, I know,” she spat back at the laughing girl, shaking her head as she threw herself upon a pile of pillows, starring across the way toward Layla.
“You must be patient,” Layla said, flicking a grape casually at Alexandra as she did so. “Even Abeiron says so. You are too impatient. It is like debate. You must be precise. Calculating. Exacting. If you lose your patience, you lose.” The other girl lectured her so elegantly, though Layla was doing her best to imitate Abeiron, their instructor in the fine art of orating. “At least you actually get to rule,” Layla added. She always forgot that Layla was destined to be a wife, to never rule in her own right. It was a fact the young Princess was comfortable with. “Of course, I will simply be spoiled and adored,” the girl added with a sinister smile as she popped another grape into her mouth. They were both waiting patiently, but for different things. Layla had no hurry. Alexandra, however, could feel the weight of her people’s hearts upon her mind every day that she lingered in the Land of the Nile.
“To be honest, I feel as if I am a prisoner.” She rolled over and stuffed her face into one of the pillows. There was a silence in the room with that statement. Layla uncomfortably chewing her fruit. It was odd for her to be so silent, really. It was so strange, even, that she lifted her head from within the pillows and turned toward Layla. “What is it?”
Her words made Layla freeze mid chew, the girl swallowing hard as she looked around quickly. They both knew there were aspects of their lives that they could not share, but it seemed as if Layla was having doubts. She eased forward, pushing close as she leaned in. “Many of the Noble Families worry. They fear if you are allowed to leave, you will return with conquering Legions,” Layla said, the girl obviously looking torn as she drew back. “I overheard father talking with some of them. That is why they tarry.”
“I had feared as much,” Alexandra sighed as she rolled onto her back, promptly applying a pillow to her face and screaming into it in frustration before she threw it aside. “I fear I will die in this place, Layla. I fear Abeiron will bore me to death if I must hear the tale of Hercules once more.” She laughed, and Layla laughed along with her. She slowly pushed herself up. The horrors of the past had felt so distant. She could almost see herself content here, living out the rest of her days as a de facto prisoner within Samar’s compound. It would be a peaceful life, but it was a life she could not bring herself to live. She had lost too much already. As she closed her eyes and let her mind drifted back, she was reminded of the words her mother spoke and heeded them well. She did not forget the suffering she felt, nor the betrayal. She kept those two emotions closer to her heart than any other.
“It is not my destiny to languish so,” she said. “I will leave this city, Layla. One way or another.” It was a promise she intended to keep. She had seen first hand the suffering of her people, the refugees stacked up outside the walls of Tripolis. It was a nightmare then, she couldn’t imagine it had improved much under the rule of the so called “senate.” This was the same senate who was quick to enact a ban on Alexandra, denying all her claims of legitimacy and painting her to be some charlatan whore with false trinkets. Their condemnation of her passed unopposed, as things are wont to do within a puppet government when its legitimacy is challenged.
“I wish you nothing but good fortune,” Layla said, her melodic voice ringing in her ear.
She wished she could believe those honeyed words, her eyes cast upon Layla’s features. She was slower to trust, these days. Titus had taught her the lesson of trust well, it seemed. She could remember his face as well, twisted in agony as her power broke his arm and she had left him to languish in exile.
Her time would come.
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More by this Author
The Eventide Series
The Eventide Child (Eventide Series Book I)
Reclaiming the Empire (Eventide Series Book II) (Coming 2017)
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About The Author
C.A Hines was born in Vicenza Italy on a U.S Military base in 1990. After playing with the idea of writing a story for several years, he finally set out to produce The Eventide Series at the encouragement of his mother.
Acknowledgments
To Red Velvet, thanks for the amazing cover artwork even though we had some hiccups in communication.
To Matt Williams, who pressured me to keep working when I didn’t feel like doing anything.
To the people who read the horrible first draft, I apologize and thank you for your contributions. Let’s never talk about it again.
Also big thanks to Melissa Scott, you had to read through the mess of a draft and help me sort it out. Her talents were indescribably helpful in making this book the story I wanted.
