Bastards and Thorns (The Shadow Series, Book 2)

Chapter 21 - The Empress

Dy's expression softened. "I'm just your advisor here, Al. I'm not privy to mingling with royalty unless you actually need me there. Like to translate. Which I don't think will be needed in this case."

"Right," I muttered under my breath, leaving the scarf alone.

"You'll be alright, Al. This is what you were trained for right?"

"I mean, yeah. But like... What if I forgot it all?" I bit down on my lip and slowed down a little.

The guards said something in Kabiran, and I glanced up at Dy.

"They're telling us to hurry. We're late, apparently."

"Well maybe they should make this damn castle smaller, then."

Dy snorted and nodded, but we pressed on. And she didn't reply to my angst. What if I had forgotten everything I had learned? What if it was all just gone and I'd end up just making another enemy here?

We were ushered into a room, leaving the very open hall with no walls. It was only made up by marble pillars, so a refreshing win swept over us with every step.

But this room had walls. All three of them, leaving the end of it free with a large balcony. Fabrics were swaying in the wind, but as we approached, they were pulled aside for us. There was already someone sitting by a small table in a very short chair. There were barely any legs on it, but it looked snug with almost a mountain of pillows.

The woman rose from the short chair and smiled at me, touching her forehead with red-painted hands. On every finger she bore a golden ring with intricate flowery designs. Even her nose was pierced in the middle, a golden ring hanging between her nostrils. I had been told her name was Kazhan, but apparently, I wasn't allowed to use that. She was to be addressed as 'empress' and nothing else.

She was a lot younger than I had expected. She couldn't be a lot older than me. Maybe Dy's age?

I put my right hand over my heart and bowed for her. When I straightened, she was still smiling.

"Are you thirsty?" she asked in an accented version of Andaheimsk. "Would you like some tea?"

She gestured to a golden tea set waiting on the small table between the chairs.

"Yes please," I said with a bit of a shiver in my voice. I forced the nerves down and it was like I slipped on a second skin. This one I knew. I used it for literally everyone but Quinn.

"I hope you like it spicy. We can never get enough of it here."

"I can't say I've tried it. Most of our spices consists of salts," I said with a smile.

It made the empress smile too. She poured me the tea herself, her golden bracelets clinging together.

I settled back against the backrest and took in the view. It overlooked the city and then the ocean. Most of it consisted of those red roofs and then a lot of green. Trees, plants and odd flowers growing right out the sides of some of the houses.

It was beautiful. Even the sunlight here had a different colour than it did at home. It was more intense and yellow whereas back home it was paler. I didn't know if that was even possible, but everything seemed lusher here. Like as if a bit of the spirit world had seeped into this country.

"I was sorry to hear of your injuries," the empress said and nodded towards my arm.

I curled my metal fingers into a fist and nodded. "I was lucky the Aatskina tribe helped me though."

"Of course. And that they could provide you with a new arm. We as queens can't show any weakness." She tipped chin up a little, but it felt mockingly. Not towards me, but to whomever had told her that.