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“Do you think she’s still normal after that?”
“Bless the gods, Prince Sebastian was there to rescue her.”
“I heard he killed twenty of them.”
“I heard Prince Sebastian burned their castle down.”
“I heard the Pontian prince tried to capture her again, that he became animalistic, feral.”
They all believed that Kallie had been traumatized and brutalized when she was captured, that the Pontians were horrendous people who had dragged Kallie by her ankles across Vaneria. But in truth, she was the one who had harmed them.
However, none of them would learn about that. None of them would discover that it was all part of King Domitius’ elaborate plan to get her on the throne, to align another kingdom more permanently with Ardentol. They didn’t know that King Domitius had orchestrated the whole event so that Kallie could better understand her gift and learn about her enemy.
No one knew that she had sacrificed her men, her guards—her heart—in the pursuit of something greater. In the quest for power.
If they did, they would know who they should fear.
“Phaia!” Tessa’s voice echoed in the barren palace, shaking Kallie from her spiraling thoughts. Stopping at the landing in the middle of the staircase, Tessa pressed her palms against the railing and looked down at the floor. After no response, Tessa shouted again, “Lystrata!”
The housekeeper popped her head out of one of the side rooms. “Yes, My Queen?” Lystrata asked.
Tessa cleared her throat, throwing a sideways glance at Kallie. “Where is Phaia? She should have been outside our guest’s rooms this morning. Yet it seems that she is nowhere to be found. I should not have to go searching for her.”
Lystrata shook her head in disappointment. “Of course not, My Queen. I believe I saw her assisting in the kitchens. I will find her at once.”
Before the housekeeper could disappear, Tessa added, “And Lystrata, please remind Phaia of her duties.”
With a quick nod, Lystrata disappeared back into the room.
Tessa groaned in exasperation, mumbling something unintelligible about the new staff.
As they waited, Kallie examined the large space. At the top of the cement walls, sunlight filtered in from several small windows and provided only enough light to illuminate the foyer. It made the ample space shrink around her, suffocating her. Everything about this castle—from the empty, blank walls to the lack of light—was strange and unfamiliar. She did not know why the Frenzians had an aversion to natural light, but it was as apparent as the darkness blanketing the floors.
To compensate for the lack of sunlight, candles littered the room: large ones, small ones, tall ones, gilded ones, half-melted ones. Most of the flames had gone out by now, but the candles that were still lit only made the air thick with smoke and wax.
“Why the lack of windows?” Kallie asked.
Tessa’s foot stopped tapping. “What do you mean, my dear?”
“Well, one would think for a room of this caliber that there would be more windows, more natural light.”
Tessa leaned her back against the railing, sighing. “If you are to be Queen of Frenzia, it would do you well to learn the history of our people.” Tessa cocked her head to the side. “Frenzia is known as the military stronghold of Vaneria. Do you know why that is, Kalisandre?”
“Because Frenzia holds the largest military, of course.”
Tessa laughed, the sound filled with annoyance and bewilderment. “Oh, my dear, that is only the tip of the iceberg.”
Kallie dug her nails into her palm. If this woman called her dear one more time, Kallie’s mask would surely fall. She could only be patient for so long.
Tessa, however, was oblivious to Kallie’s annoyance and continued, “Frenzia is one of the oldest territories in Vaneria. The lords who governed the territory before there were kings were some of the wealthiest men in Vaneria. Unlike some men who hold on to their money as if it could grow legs and run away without a second thought, the old Frenzian lords used their money to find and pay the greatest researchers and historians in the world, beyond even Vaneria. They knew, even then, that while money was great to have, knowledge was priceless. Especially knowledge that no one else held in their possession. Knowledge is power, Kalisandre. It would do you well to remember that.”
Frustrations aside, Kallie listened attentively to the former queen as she revealed insights into the Frenzian kingdom Kallie had not been privy to before. Her father and Ardentolian instructors had only ever stressed the kingdom’s prized military. They had never brought up the kingdom’s search for knowledge.
Although, Kallie wondered how any of this had to do with the lack of windows—a question too frivolous to ask aloud.
“How do you think improvements are made to weapons? To barricades? To armor?” Tessa asked, trailing her fingers across the banister. “Progress is made through research and experimentation. The lords of old put their heart, soul, and treasuries into funding various research programs to improve not only the people’s way of life but the equipment and infrastructures that protected that life.”
Tessa glided over to a nearby window. With long, red nails, she tapped on the glass. The sound was sharp in the surrounding silence. “What are windows made of, Kalisandre?”
