Page 122 of Blade of the Nightking

Not Segolayne.

The blonde servant girl from the dining hall stood there instead. She bowed her head quickly in silent apology before suddenly starting and glancing downward. The kitten had emerged from beneath the chair and was now winding itself around her ankles. She smiled down at it—small and close-lipped—before cautiously brushing her fingers over its bony back.

“Where’s Segolayne?” I asked.

The servant glanced up at me and shook her head slowly before giving a small shrug.

My stomach tightened. “Is she coming back?”

Again, the girl only shrugged. Then she pressed a hand lightly against her own chest before gesturing toward the door.

“You’re taking me to my lesson?”

She nodded once.

“Will Segolayne be there?”

She stared at me mutely.

I exhaled heavily and pushed the blankets aside. “Fine. Let me wash and dress first.”

She bowed slightly and retreated a few careful steps toward the doorway.

“What's your name?”

She paused, her lips pressing together uncertainly.

“It's alright,” I said more gently. “I'm Elowen.” I waited.

Slowly, she shook her head. Then, after the briefest hesitation, she opened her mouth.

I nearly cried out.

She had no tongue. It had been cut out completely.

A cold sickness crashed through me so suddenly I thought for one horrible moment I might vomit right there onto the floor.

“Who…” She closed her mouth again, alarm flashing across her features at whatever she saw in mine. I hurried to smooth the horror from my face, replacing it with concern. “Who did that to you?”

Her expression darkened immediately.

My pulse throbbed hard enough in my ears that it nearly drowned out the sound of my own breathing. “Lady Levinica?” I asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

To my immediate relief, the servant girl shook her head so emphatically that several curls slipped loose from the tight bun at the nape of her neck. Then, hesitantly—almost fearfully—she lifted her hands and made a strange fluttering motion with her fingers before pointing toward her temple, staring at me expectantly as though I should understand.

I frowned at her blankly. She repeated the motion more insistently. She tapped the side of her head.

And then it clicked.

Rìan. She meant Rìan. Before the Veil.

My mouth went dry. “He did that to you?”

Her gaze dropped.

“Why?” I whispered.

Sadness flickered briefly across her face before she lifted one finger gently to her lips.