The Rest is Riddles

Chapter 6: Uncomfortable Requests and Unwilling Teachers

Swordfighting! Battle magic! Jane's heart sank further. She had been hoping for something a lot more traditionally pencil and paper. "You've given me a lot to consider, Your Highness," she said. "I'm a bit overwhelmed. Perhaps I could give you my answer in the morning?"

He inclined his head. "Of course," he said. "The gods command that the Writings are yours, to do with as you will."

Jane nodded, and the tsar beckoned Kuzma to show her out. Jane knew a dismissal when she saw one. As she got to the doorway, the tsar said:

"Nikolay told me he saved your life on the road. I hope that will factor into your decision."

The door closed behind her.

Jane let out a long breath, bracing herself against the wall. That had been even weirder than she'd expected.

Kuzma stared at her nervously. "Do you need me to escort you back to your rooms, Miss?"

"No," said Jane. "No, I'll try to get back on my own this time, thanks."

So many thoughts churned in her head that it was a struggle to sift through them. She was starting to suspect she was being manipulated, and it was like a slow, caustic burn at the back of her mind.

Nikolay probably knew his dear dad would be having this talk with her. He would have known before her attack, before he had even arrived at that temple to pick her up.

But the attack, the attack couldn't have been planned by Nikolay.

Or could it?

Jane didn't know how easy it was to hire mercenaries here, but if you were the son of a tsar, it couldn't be that hard to hire some, and get some sort of blue clothing, fake Kanachskiy armor, to dress your mercenaries up in.

Or maybe Nikolay hadn't directly planned the attack. Maybe he'd just purposefully taken her on a more dangerous route in the hopes that he would look the hero.

Jane slowed.

She remembered Nikolay arguing with Olesya the day of the attack. Persuading the commander to take the riskier route.

Fishy.

Decidedly fishy.

But Jane needed the tsar's help. Staying focused on the godstests was her top priority. If that meant Nikolay would get one of her-what had the tsar called them? Writings?-then so be it. It wouldn't actually matter what happened in Somita once she was home...

It took her a very long time to fall asleep. When she finally drifted off, her dreams were filled with writhing smoke monsters and evil gods. The sudok had her sister Sandra and her Uncle Bauer in captivity and were threatening them with dark magic. Then her older brother Phillip was there--but you can't be here, you're dead!--and he was helping Jane fight them off, but he was losing too, he was falling, there was an arrow in his side and suddenly Sorcerer Nikolay was standing over them all, sneering (Ought I to give these scum what they deserve?) and then a pallor had fallen upon his face, and black was seeping over him, and he was dying too-

Jane woke. The sky was a bit lighter than last time, though barely. The pre-dawn chatter of birds seeped through her window. For a moment, Jane thought her nightmare had woken her.

Then she heard a knock at her door.

Jane whimpered. It had to be five in the morning. She tried to cover her ears with a pillow. But the knocking persisted, growing steadily louder and more frantic in its tenor, until at last, with a groan, Jane got up. Perhaps the castle was on fire. Perhaps-