“I haven’t…” I shook my head.“I’ve done nothing to anyone?—”
“Hmm, perhaps this is part of the problem?”Dania lifted her eyebrows teasingly.
“And I haven’t learned many words, only a few…”
“The Bard King has given me a list,” Dania said.“I will try to use Norsern instead of Islish whenever you know the translation.To help you remember.”
I was still bothered by the idea of enemies, and so, for a moment, I was bothered by everything, even though it was a fair idea.“And what do you mean I’ve had my stonescast?”
“Jorn has asked them of your life to come, and they have started speaking to him.This is one of his great skills.He’s known throughout all The Land of the Northernmost Star for it.People travel from afar to have him draw stones for them and read.This, The Bard King has told me, is how you’ve made two of your enemies.They are waiting their turn, you see?But Jorn isn’t done with your reading, so he has bid them wait until you’re finished.He would not move your stones until the story is complete.”
“I...”I wanted to refuse the remainder of the reading entirely as it was finally becoming clear to me what Jorn and I had been doing on the shy moon.But I also worried the words would seem rude to the king.The king had, after all, specified that Jorn was given more keys than most other people.To me, that meant King Arik respected or cared for the man.But to make things more dire, Dania had mentioned the stonesspeakingto Jorn.That felt like sacrilege to me.I had assumed, because the voice was similarly quiet and secret, that the whispers of the stones weren’t to be spoken of, just like the whispers of the vaults.I turned to the king, feeling betrayed.“You said it was a game.”
“Ha!It is, Gentlewoman.Life is a game, is it not?”
“I…”
“And,” Dania shot a firm look at me.“He’s told me you have keys to theentirepalace.Youhave The Bard King’s keys.”
I looked at her, exasperated.
She was glowing.Beaming.“We shall eat and then explore, yes?”
“I…”
“Yes,” Dania said again, looking like she hadn’t sensed any of my abhorrence to anything that had just been said.“And every time you look miserable about it, you must drink another big gulp of mead.These are the rules for this evening.If you cheat, I will have to throw pebbles at Fell whenever he returns.”
I turned to King Arik, my mouth hanging open a little as I coped with the multiple injustices I had encountered in quick succession.
He laughed, hearty and loud.“This is the perfect person for you to spend time with, Gentlewoman.You seem as though you have not had fun ever.She will be the medicine for this.”
“I’ve had fun,” I said.My voice was petulant even to my own ears, and they both looked at me as if I’d said a most tragic thing.
“Come now,” Dania said, patting my shoulder.“Never mind that.Let us feast.”
After we’d eaten our share of flat barley bread dipped in garlic butter, a flagon of honeyed milk between the two of us, herring crusted with dill, and some sort of elderberry sauce, Dania pulled me by my arm out of the hall.Her other hand held a mead skin.
“Now!Which way shall we go first?I’ve heard there’s a room filled entirely with naked sculptures of warriors.”
“The most private rooms are in the centre of the palace,” I said.I had determined that I would take advantage of Dania’s presence.I was less worried about encountering strange sea dogs with her by my side, and there were a great many rooms to search, judging by the number of keys I had.I would not waste the opportunity that had presented itself.Every moment that Loric’s gold wasn’t well hidden was a risk.
“Very well!”She giggled, running down a hall, pulling me along.“Let us see who can find the prettiest thing this evening.We shall decide on a prize.”
We flitted from room to room, Dania refusing more than a single glance at any space she deemed “boring,” but spending ample time in anything containing art or comfortable-looking sofas.“I shall lie on twenty different pillows before the night is through!”she exclaimed in one room.
I mostly watched her.The rooms I would be interested in moving the gold to were the dull ones.I wanted no space where people spent long periods of time.Dania brushed her cheek against fine curtains.She smelled potted plants and whispered to each of them.“You’re pretty and you’re pretty and you’re pretty.”She accidentally broke the handle of a vase clean off and looked over her shoulder at me with wide eyes.“Shh!”she said, dropping the handle into the vase where it likely wouldn’t be discovered easily.
“I can’t have the king thinking I’ve broken something,” I said in a loud whisper.“You must admit you’ve done it.”
“He will never know!”She ran away laughing, and I chased after her.Running wasn’t something I had done much since I was very young, and even then, I hadn’t done it often.There was pleasure in it, in feeling the full capacity of my limbs, in the rushing of my heart not from fear, but from exertion and the salty freshness of sea air.Dania’s cheeks were rosy by the time I’d caught her, and I wondered if mine were too.I pressed my fingers to my own cheeks.
“How are you healing?”Dania said as I caught my breath.
“Healing?”
“Yes.I heard your skin is torn terribly.Your whole body was bruised and scraped.This is what they say.”
I frowned.“Who says this?”
