Absalom laughed a little.
“Maybe watching you with her will help.” Eithan shrugged.
“I don’t think it’ll help. I’m worried that you’ll regret asking me to do it.”
“Better you and a ruse than watching her be violated and destroyed.” Eithan sighed. “Are you going to do it or not?”
“Yes, I’m going to do it, you ass,” said Absalom.
“Good,” said Eithan. “Then I’ll leave you. I’m exhausted.”
But when he was back in his room, lying on his bed, he couldn’t seem to shut his eyes. He gazed up at the canopy over his bed and thought through a thousand different worries, a million different concerns. Could he do this?
He wasn’t sure that it was even possible.
* * *
Nicce was awakened by the gnawing growl of her stomach.
She tried to remember the last time she’d eaten, and she couldn’t. It had been some time at the fortress. There had been food in the pantry there, some hard sausages and cheese. She’d scavenged it for herself when Eithan was busy doing other things, and the other knights had been off at work as well. She had scraped mold off the cheese and might have turned her nose up at it otherwise, but it had been fine underneath the outer layer, and she’d been starving then.
The knights were preoccupied with a great many things, and they didn’t seem to give much thought to food.
It must be nice not to have to eat.
But Nicce was not like them, and she did need food.
She put on the clothes she’d been wearing the day before, a tunic and breeches. She felt a loss at the lack of weapons, but of course she had been brought in as a prisoner and hadn’t been allowed such things. She wished she had something.
She debated searching the room to see if she could turn something into a makeshift knife, maybe something from the bed frame or the hinges on the wardrobe…
But she was too hungry.
She left the room and stepped into the empty hallway.
All of the floating green and yellow balls were lying on the floor. She had to walk through them to get anywhere, and when she did, they bounced against her feet and some floated back up into the air while others ricocheted against the walls and disappeared around the corner of the hallway.
Which way to go?
She had taken note of the way to the throne room when Absalom had escorted her here, but she didn’t think she wanted to go there. She wanted to find a kitchen, which was usually found on the ground floor, sometimes even in a basement or a separate building. She knew they had climbed steps to get to the bedroom, so she made her way back to the steps.
She didn’t see anyone in the halls on her way.
When she reached the steps, she climbed down them, kicking more glowing balls out of the way as she did. At the bottom of the steps, she turned the opposite way of the throne room and began walking that way. This was where she’d found Eithan last night. She peered into each of the rooms and only found torture implements.
Since no one was looking, she stole inside one and took a knife off the wall. She tucked it inside her tunic and crept back into the hallway, afraid someone would be there.
But there was no one.
She went all the way to a dead end and then made her way back to the staircase.
She started toward the throne room. The door to the throne room was open, but she didn’t look in. She went past it quickly, not wanting to be detained.
There were no doors in the hallway past the throne room, because the throne room was too large. It was the only room down here.
Was there no kitchen in this palace?
She had definitely seen people in the throne room with goblets yesterday. They had been drinking. There had been food, too, hadn’t there?
She couldn’t be sure.
In any case, she was rather sure that no one in this place needed to eat. They were all ageless.
She grimaced.
This realization didn’t bode well for her.
There was another staircase at the end of the hallway. It led down. It was narrow.
She climbed down it, and she found a kitchen. It was dark, a cavernous sort of place with only a small area for cooking, and the rest devoted to storage for a myriad of wine bottles.
There was a counter with a basin built into it, which she supposed could be filled with water, but it couldn’t be picked up and dumped out either. She puzzled over it for several moments, going so far as to try and pry it out of the counter, but it was secure. How strange.
There was a larder, and within, she found flour and two large burlap bags. One contained rice and the other contained oats. There were some jars of preserved fruit as well.
She was nearly fainting with hunger, but she set about finding a cook pot and starting a fire in the stove. But if she was going to make anything with the flour—she had thought to cook up some simple flat cakes and eat them with the fruit—she would need water.
She had no idea if there was water here, and that seemed even more dire than the lack of food. Were there wells in this realm?
There must be water.
The nightmares were strange creatures, but she had seen the bones in one of their lairs that first night, and they ate animals, much like any other creature. That would mean they needed to have water as well. So, there must be water in this realm.
But she was too hungry to seek it.
Instead, she opened a jar of fruit and scooped in some of the oats and boiled this on the fire to make a sort of porridge.
It was actually delicious, and she felt much better after eating it. But there wasn’t nearly enough fruit to sustain her in this way. She could probably survive if she only ate once a day, but she would lose strength if she did so. Twice would be better. Maybe if she wasn’t very active, it would help. She was used to a life of hard work and training, and she didn’t expect to be doing a great deal of physical activity. That might help a bit, but she would still need food.
Oh, maybe this had all been an awful idea.
Here she was, trying to kill a goddess and she was stopped by the inability to feed herself.
She left the kitchen and went back up the steps. She walked past the throne room and retraced the path they’d taken when they entered the palace.
But when she reached the gates of the palace, the scantily clad guards there crossed their spears in her path, gazing at her sternly.
“Please,” she said. “I’m only looking for water. Is there a well or a stream or something like that?”
The guards looked her over, their gazes settling on her eyes—which didn’t glow—and her skin—which wasn’t pale—and their expressions changed.
“There should be pipes in your room to fill the bath and the sink,” said one of the guards.
She furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”
“You have seen the bath in your room?” said one of the guards.
She nodded.
“Well, you should be able to find the spigots there. I would show you how it works, but I can’t leave my post.”
Confused, she thanked them anyway, and hurried back up to her room.
Absalom was in there. “Where have you been? You can’t go running off on your own.”
“I went looking for food,” she said.
“Oh,” said Absalom in a different voice. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“The guards tell me there’s some way to get water out of pipes,” she said.
“Oh, yes,” said Absalom, striding across the room to where her bath was located.
She followed him. Oh, this was just like in the kitchen. These basins were built in. The bath was large and round, and next to it was another small one. It was higher up, at waist level, as if one might use it to rinse one’s hands. But again, how were these emptied? They could not be taken out and the contents dumped from the window. Not that there were any windows, now that she thought of it.
Absalom pointed to some small knobs.
“It’s really quite amazing. I don’t exactly how it’s done. It may be magic. Something Ciaska has control over. But you turn these and water comes out. This one is hot. This one is cold. It’s safe to drink.”
“Where does the water come from?”
“I don’t know,” said Absalom. “There are strange fruits which grow outside. I suppose there’s water here somewhere. I admit I haven’t done any exploring outside of the palace.”
“Not in a hundred years?”
“Ciaska does keep us on a tight leash,” he said.
“She lets you go through the portal.”
“That’s different,” said Absalom. “And this realm, it’s not… welcoming. I don’t fancy exploring it at all.”
She supposed there was something forbidding about the world outside. It was dark and strange and disagreeable.
Absalom showed her how to work the basin and the bath, which had drains within them that could be stoppered to keep the water inside. Then, next to the bath, he lifted a fitted lid to show her a water-filled chamberpot, and he showed her how it could empty and take everything away.
She was astounded at all of it. If it was magic, it was much more useful than the kind kept inside the yellow topazes.
“This is perfect,” said Absalom. “Eithan told me I needed to find something to petition Ciaska for on your behalf. Food will do nicely.”
“Did Eithan tell you that he wants us to pretend to be… fond of each other?”
Absalom laughed. “Don’t look so thrilled at the prospect. You’re hurting my feelings.”
She was taken aback for a moment at that, and then she laughed too. “Eithan says you charm everyone.”
“Yes, I’m quite skilled in that way,” said Absalom.
“And humble too,” she said.
“I’ve never seen the point in humility,” said Absalom with a shrug. “Anyway, you shouldn’t need to do much. Let me do the talking.”
“If I had a coin for every time a man has said that to me, I would be filthy rich by now,” said Nicce.
“Oh?” Absalom said. “Do I offend?”
She shook her head. “No, sorry. Eithan is infuriating with his schemes is all. I don’t know what he’s planning, and I’m frightened that he doesn’t know either.”
“He can be a bit reckless in that way, but he’s also brilliant and ruthless.”
“So, we should trust him and do whatever he says?”
“That’s about the way it goes, yes.” Absalom cocked his head. “Did you find any food?”
“A bit in the kitchens,” she said. “But it wasn’t much.”
“No, we’ll need to get you something more. You’ll need real sustenance, and no one in the court eats much of anything except Ciaska herself.”
“Wait, Ciaska eats? The goddess eats?”
“Yes, but not often,” said Absalom. “I think she feeds on the nightmares. I’ve never seen it happen, however.”
Nicce grimaced. She couldn’t picture that, she found.
“We’ll go and speak to her about it,” said Absalom.
“Right this instant?”
“Well, no, she won’t be at court for some hours yet.”
“Good,” said Nicce. “I think I might want a bath.”
* * *
Nicce bowed her head respectfully in the presence of the goddess, but she couldn’t help but sneak glances to look at her from time to time.
Ciaska was wrapped in her mists from head to toe, as if they were comfortable blankets. She sat on her throne swathed in them, and nothing was visible except her face. She wrinkled up her nose. “Oh, Absalom, I’m not really even quite awake yet.” She yawned.
“This will only take a moment of your time, Exalted One,” said Absalom. “I only want permission to go and procure food for Nicce.”
“Food?” The mist around Ciaska loosened and part of her forehead and her neck were visible. Ciaska sat up straighter on her throne. “She must eat, then. Hmm. I wonder what would happen if I starved her. What do you think, Eithan?” She turned.
Eithan had just entered the throne room. He looked a bit haggard, as if he hadn’t slept well. “If you’re just going to kill her, why did you have me go to all the trouble of bringing her here to you?”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” said Ciaska.
“Please,” said Absalom. “She means you no harm, Exalted One. Why harm her?”
“I actually seem to remember something about her being created by those sun warriors to be a weapon against me,” said Ciaska.
“Against me,” said Eithan. “It was a grudge held by the Guildmaster because of his sister having been one of the girls here.”
Ciaska shrugged. “So you say, Eithan, but as we’ve established, you’re a liar.”
Eithan rubbed the back of his neck, surveying Absalom instead of Ciaska. “So, you realized she needed food and came to petition for it?”
“Well, Nicce came to me,” said Absalom.
“Right,” said Eithan. “I’m sure you did nothing to encourage that.” He laughed softly under his breath.
Ciaska sat up even straighter on her throne, more of the mist peeling away. Now, Nicce could see that she was wearing some kind of garb with long, flowing deep blue sleeves. Ciaska clutched the arms of her throne. “Absalom, you are quite right. We must feed Nicce, but you can’t go and get food for her, because you need to stay close to her. You’re obviously the only one she trusts, and she should be able to spend as much time in your company as she likes. Don’t you agree, Eithan?”
Eithan turned on her, smiling far too widely. “You are wise, Exalted One.”
“Excellent, we’ll send Jonas,” said Ciaska.
“As you wish, Exalted One,” said Absalom.
“And you will stay with Nicce?” said Ciaska.
Absalom turned to look at Nicce, his expression going soft. “I would be happy to.”
Nicce met his gaze, trying to make her own expression match his.
Absalom held out his hand to her, and she placed her hand in his. He tugged her closer.
Nicce gazed up at him, trying to look at him with adoration, but her gaze snagged on Eithan’s instead, and his expression was stormy and smoldering, that hunger for her beneath it all, and she couldn’t look away. She felt her own emotions rise to meet his, and her lips parted. It took everything for her to tear her eyes away, to look at Absalom.
Absalom glanced at Eithan.
Eithan lifted his chin, a challenge.
But Ciaska was looking at Nicce, as if she was puzzled. She had caught that moment between Nicce and Eithan.
Nicce cursed herself. Hadn’t Eithan told her not to underestimate the goddess?
She shot another look at Eithan, this one fearful, and bowed her head against Absalom’s chest, as if taking shelter there.
Absalom put his arm around her. “Let’s get you out of here,” he murmured.
“Oh, by all means,” Eithan said, his voice low and ironic.
“Something troubling you, Eithan?” said Ciaska.
“Not at all,” said Eithan.
* * *
Absalom escorted Nicce back to her room again and told her to stay there. He was going to go and speak to Jonas about finding the food that Nicce might need.
Nicce threw herself down on the bed face first once he was gone. She knew that she should listen to his advice and stay put, but there was nothing to do in this room. Was there a library in the palace?
She thought back to the two weeks when Rhodes had left her in Castle Brinne, when he’d been seeking the temple of Sullo in the mountains. It was the last time she’d had books. She remembered lying on the bed in her small room, the fire dancing merrily, whole afternoons whiled away as she read stories about knights and damsels and torrid affairs. And then Rhodes had come back, and that night, he’d died.
She rolled over on the bed and bit down on her lip hard because tears were bubbling up inside her, swift and unbidden and overwhelming.
It was strange.
These emotions she felt at the loss of Rhodes, they seemed to overtake her out of nowhere sometimes. Maybe it was because she hadn’t been able to properly grieve when she’d lost him. Everything had happened so quickly that night, and then she’d been on the run, and then she’d met Zed, and then…
Maybe she had no excuse after all. She’d had nothing but time on Zed’s fishing boat. She’d spent the days working, mostly silent, and she hadn’t grieved then because… because…
There was a knock on her door.
She got off the bed and went to open it. “Xenia,” she said.
“I suppose it’s too soon for you to have figured anything out?” said Xenia.
Nicce sighed. “Well, I do have something to tell you. You’d best come inside.”
Xenia furrowed her brow. “I don’t think I like the look on your face.”
Nicce ushered her in and closed the door. She explained the story about Zeffir and the bride, how she’d burned up in the sun.
“Well, we go at night,” said Xenia.
Nicce hadn’t thought of that. Why hadn’t she thought of that? “It’s not a solution, though. What are you going to do, spend every second of your daughter’s life hiding from the sun? I have another idea.”
Xenia’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, all right then, what is it?”
“My blood,” said Nicce. “It changes to liquid sunlight. That’s what happened when Eithan tried to bleed me and change me. It didn’t work. Eithan drank my blood, and it changed him. Now, he can walk in the sun.”
“Truly?” said Xenia. “Well… I don’t know. How about I cross over the portal at night—”
“How are you going to get there? I tried to leave the palace this morning to go looking for water, and the guards stopped me.”
“As if you couldn’t get past those guards.”
“I have no weapons, and besides… I…”
“You’re trying to accomplish some secret thing you won’t share with me, yes, I know.”
“You can’t tell anyone about Eithan being able to walk in the sun.”
“I won’t,” said Xenia, sounding offended. “If we could get to the portal, though, I’d cross over, and then maybe, after I’ve seen my daughter once more, I’d drink your blood to see if it worked. Because what if it doesn’t? What if it just kills me? If your blood is sunlight and sunlight burns me up, then I’m not sure I like my odds.”
The Dead and the Dusk (The Nightmare Court Book 2) Page 8
