I watch them leave, and to my surprise the king says nothing, allowing me to stare after Ella. Her body hangs so awkwardlyand she seems so small between the two large guards. She disappears from view quickly, but I can’t seem to look away from where she had been only moments ago.
A wave of exhaustion washes over me, mentally drained from the day and I wish I could curl up in the dark and no have to talk to anyone for several hours. That is not an option for me though, and the feeling of several sets of eyes on me eventually makes me look away and return my attention to the king.
“Let’s return to the palace and you can be shown to your rooms where you can rest.” He explains, clearly wanting a reaction from me. I am so numb that I just stare at him. This does not bother him though as he smiles once more. “You will need it, you have a big day tomorrow!” There is a slyness to it that I know there is more to what he’s saying.
None of this feels real anymore and I retreat inside myself, my mind shutting down to allow me to cope in this new, twisted reality. Without saying a word, I follow the king through the rest of the maze and to my new life.
Thirteen
Alight knock on the door wakes me. The sound is soft enough to tell me that it is not the guards or anyone in a position of power on the other side of the wooden door, they always knock with a sense of entitlement and briskness that implies their time is important. However, I would not call it a timid knock either. Instead. It is the sound of someone who wants to be heard without being a bother to the person in the room.
Sitting up in the bed, I scrub the heels of my palms against my eyes. I am not sure when I actually fell asleep, or what time it is, my mind fogged from dreaming. Did I even hear someone at the door, or did I imagine that?
When I was brought to my room by the guards, I was so emotionally drained that I immediately climbed onto the massive bed and buried myself within the covers. I was too overwhelmed to even look around the rooms that apparently now belong to me, a prospect that is difficult for me to process. Instead, I curled up in the dark and stared into nothing, my mind disassociated from my body, allowing me to rest and not go over and over the events of today.
Numbness had then turned to sadness and I cried for what felt like a lifetime, my head throbbing as I poured out my sorrow. Not necessarily for myself, but for Ella and everything she has had to go through in her short life. Eventually my tears ran out and my anguish turned to anger. An unknown amount of time passed and no one bothered me. At some point, I must have fallen asleep.
A soft, feminine voice reaches me, muffled thanks to the door and mound of covers over the top of me, only I cannot quite make out what they are saying. Frowning, I lean forward a little more, hoping that maybe I will be able to hear her better.
The knock sounds again. “Lady Kiara?”
I heard her that time.LadyKiara. The voice is not one I recognise, and she must be confused if she thinks thatIam a Lady. She would probably run away screaming if she knew I was sullied.
I could simply ignore them, pretend that I cannot head them, and eventually they will go away. However, my curiosity is getting the better of me. Who is this mysterious woman, and why is she outside my door? The room is dark, so I am assuming that night has fully fallen. Is it common for women to wander the hallways of the palace after sundown and visit each other’s privet rooms? What if she has important information to give me? That is the thought that truly hits home. They might be able to tell me about Ella.
Groaning to myself, I slip from the bed and pad barefoot across the room.
Reaching the door, I come to a stop and stare up at it. My hand pauses mid-air, hovering over the hands. Why am I suddenly so nervous about this? It’s protecting me from the strangers outside this room. What if someone means me harm and I willingly let them in? Although it would not stop someone who was determined to get in, the door offers me a sense ofsecurity that I have not felt in decades. This is a luxury I never thought I would have, and I’m clinging to it, reluctant to let it go.
Cautious, I press my ear to the door. I can make out the shuffle of anxious feet, but nothing else stands out to me. Whoever is there is alone – that does not stop them from wanting to hurt me though… I need to stop this and pull myself together. If they were going to attack me, they would not knock and wait for me to answer.
Hesitantly, I open the door, only just wide enough to see who is waiting on the other side. A small, dainty woman glances up, meeting my gaze with an anxious smile. Her dark hair is pulled back, mostly hidden by a loose, gauzy hood that many of the noble ladies choose to wear. I spot several silver pins woven into her hair to hold the hood up. You might have thought that her face would be obstructed, hiding her true intentions, but it is nothing like the tight-fitting black veils I would wear in the market place.
Although she appears anxious, the warmth of her smile seems genuine, hazel eyes glittering back at me. I glance at the corridor behind her and find that she’s alone.
“Lady,” she greets, drawing my gaze as she drops into a curtsy. “I am Abbie and I will be your maid and confidant while you are living here in the palace.”
Oh boy. They have given me amaid? I don’t know whether I should be flattered or offended. I am seen as the lowest of the low in our society, and they have given this poor woman the job of clearing up after me, something I would never expect. On the other hand, she might be here to spy on me and report back to the king. How am I supposed to handle this?
Her smile is becoming a little strained and I realise that I am still staring at her. Turning her away does not seem like an option, and I am clearly not going to welcome her in as though I expect her to start cleaning up. Wracking my brain, I clear mythroat, not quite sure what I am going to say when I open my mouth.
“I am no lady,” I finally reply, and there is no malice in my tone, just tired acknowledgement.
Her eyes quickly slide to the black band on my arm. “I know a little of your circumstance, Lady.” Her voice is soft and respectful, with not a single trace of judgement in her eyes. “I also know that you are here to save us all. It is an honour to serve you.” Straightening, her smile becomes professional. “I am sorry it is so late in the day, but I wanted to give you some space to adjust before I bustled in.”
I am completely taken aback by this woman. Where is the judgement? She knows I am sullied, she knows that I supposedly have magic, yet if anything she is excited to see me. Something is off here.
Clutching onto the door tightly, I waver, unable to decide what to do. “Did the king send you?”
She seems to realise that this is a pivotal question for me, her expression softening slightly. “No, Lady, I volunteered.”
None of this makes sense to me. In the Gutter I was taught that I was the lowest of the low and no one cared if I lived or died. Here, they seem to have different views on the sullied and magic use, or is it just me that they see differently? I have so many questions, but as I look at Abbie’s eager face, there is one that stands out the most.
“Why? Why would you do that?”
Blinking, my question takes her aback, and she clutches her hands together. Her smile is still in place, but there is something more vulnerable about it now as she twists her hands together. “Not all of us here in the palace had good starts in life. I was offered a new life here and it saved me. I know how difficult it is adjusting to life here when you have come from nothing.”Clearing her throat, she nods her head toward the door I am still tightly clutching onto. “May I come in?”
“Oh. Yes,” I step back and she bustles in, already straightening things as she passes.
