WATTYS 2018 SHORTLIST
"Every person is a book, Yael. You just need to find the right way to read them."
In a land where a deadly curse forces all to wear masks, Yael steals the mask and identity of a noblewoman to infiltrate the nobility and find he...
Taking my lead, Afali laughed. "Try, she and sea."
"Sea and she," I said.
"She just said sea and sea," said Lady Leah. "What do you think, Waryn?"
"This game is stupid," replied the lion-masked lord.
"But aren't all games stupid?" I said.
"You've got a point, Dylana," said the lion lord.
"Unless the stakes are high," I added, my heart hammering. I wanted Lord Waryn to stop looking at me as if he would be happy to cut me to pieces. I quickly decided to invite the only person not participating in this conversation. "When the stakes are high, the games have to become smarter. Do you not think so, Lady Nava?"
At first it seemed Lady Nava didn't plan to respond. She turned another page as everyone turned to look at her. "Leave me out of it," she suddenly said, her voice a low purr. "I've had it with the both of them."
"Now, Nava—" said Lady Leah.
She raised up a single finger. "Sh."
"You can't just say—"
"I just did."
"I said I'm sorry. And why are you including Waryn in this," said Leah.
It almost sounded like a lover's quarrel.
"Anyway," said Afali, her voice high like the chime of a bell. "Wouldn't it be better to leave such games alone?"
"It's just a bit of fun, isn't it, Dylana?" said Leah.
"There's nothing fun about a Tvereman," Waryn said, rolling his eyes. "Or another useless dinner."
The comment was low, even for a lord. Afali looked like she was watching her house burn down.
"Waryn," said Leah. "Apologise to your hostess."
"You apologise first. You made her spend the night looking for my guards who were—"
Afali's face was growing redder by the second. I shouldn't have stepped in, but I did.
"I would expect better manners from the both of you," I said. "In the south, we'd never—"
"You'd expect better?" Waryn said, acidly. "And what's your excuse?"
"Clearly, with the way you're behaving, I don't need one."
A dry cackling sound made me stiffen, before I realised it was Lady Nava laughing. "Oh, that was a good one." She put her book down, and was looking at me intently. "I don't care what you say, Waryn, I like her."
At least that stood for something.
"Well," said Afali, her face as bright as a robin's chest. "I say, father should be here any moment. Shall we sit? Perhaps,"—she signalled to one of the servants—"we need more wine."
"A lot more wine," said Lady Leah, adjusting her rose mask.
The way Lord Waryn was glowering at me, I was convinced that none of Afali's plans were going to work. He was jeopardising my position.
"Cousin Leah you take my father's left while I sit on his right." Afali's voice was pitched high. She was mortified. She had just been humiliated by her own guests, and I doubted she hadn't noticed that there was no lingering friendship between Waryn and Dylana. She was desperate. If what was happening now was going to cause her to panic, I was going to be the one to suffer.
"Lady Nava, you can sit next to me," Afali continued. "And Lord Waryn and Lady Dylana can sit next to Leah."
I looked up to meet Waryn's gaze. His glare only intensified. Dylana and Waryn had known each other as children, but what had been so memorable about their acquaintance to paint such an expression on his face now, after all these years?
It would be something big, something Dylana would remember.
What would I know about it?
There is no stock for a king
Who is broken within...
The poem, the secret one Kitlidara had written Dylana, if her spy channels were sound, she would know that Lord Waryn was due to visit, and he was a mutual acquaintance. 'The king' in the poem could have been the lion, king of all animals, the Eloroan sigil. But what could "stock" mean? And broken within?
Dylana would know, would understand.
Would heed whatever warning her sister sent.
"How the tables have turned," Waryn whispered to me as he sat by my side at the round table. "This is going to be fun."
I put on a faux smile. I was in trouble, deep trouble. "Just like old times."
My words received an unmistakable reaction. His face paled, eyes flashing with malice. Fear and rage mingling in his expression. He grabbed my forearm, hard. "Just like old times, but reversed."
A king who is broken within. I held back the urge to shiver. Perhaps Kitlidara meant those words in a literal fashion.
I wanted to pull my arm out of his grasp, but instead I moved in, closer to him. I didn't wish to touch him, but I did, placing my hand on the back of his neck. It was a demeaning gesture that I used to do with Marin when we were small. I pushed his head forward.
"I'm ready," I said in a low whisper. "For whatever you've got."
AUTHOR'S NOTE (from draft 0): I hope you had a lovely weekend. I know I did! I also hope this chapter doesn't suck and isn't super confusing. Please tell me if it is! My brain might possibly be broken today.
So, what do you think about these three new characters? (And Lord Waryn in particular)
Can't wait to hear your thoughts! Today, I come to you in the form of a sloth, cause of how lazy and cute I was over the weekend:
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