Page 27 of Sanctifier


Font Size:

“A bit of an exaggeration,” Ru said, laughing.

The group made their way through the palace, Sybeth remaining professional and alert while Rosylla peppered Ru with innocuous questions.How was your journey? Was theweather all right? Did the carriage come equipped with cookies? Have you heard of the latest baking fad, a miniature cake that can be eaten in one bite?

They passed through gilded hallways shining bright with crystal chandeliers, illuminating beautiful courtiers. The courtiers weren’t shy in staring, wide eyes following Ru and her bedraggled friends from behind silk fans. Ru thought she heard some whispering her name, but she must have been imagining things.

Yet, something about the palace seemed strange to Ru, something different. She had been here many times growing up, with her father, and later to visit Simon, who worked and kept rooms in the palace. When they turned a corner into a particularly broad hallway, she realized what it was.

There were nearly twice as many guards. Everywhere. Guards at doorways, lining the halls at regular intervals, and even — she glanced back — following at a distance. The change was subtle enough that it had taken her time to notice, but now that she had seen it, the reality hit her like a hammer. The palace was a prison. Sybeth and Rosylla were a courtesy, a kindness extended to give her, more than likely, a false sense of comfort. The real guards were behind them, on all sides, around every corner they passed.

No matter where she went in the palace, Ru and her friends would be watched.

At last, they came to a relatively quiet wing of the palace, with lower ceilings and candelabras on the walls instead of oil lamps in opulent brackets. Sybeth stopped before a door painted dark green with a brass flower-shaped knob. She produced a key, unlocked the door, and handed the key out to Ru with an almost apologetic expression. As if she knew Ru was no more than a prisoner here. “Your chambers.”

“Thank you,” Ru said. Turning to her friends, she forced a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

They said good night, her uneasiness reflected in their faces, and continued down the hall, led by Rosylla.

Sybeth remained with Ru. “I’ll serve as your personal bodyguard for the night,” she said. “Dinner is in an hour. When you’re ready, I’ll escort you to the dining room.”

“I was wondering,” Ru said, desperate to know what kind of information the King’s Rider might be holding onto.

But Sybeth’s sharp gaze cut her short. “Your brother is in residence,” she said, and that was enough of an answer for Ru — Sybeth might not talk, but Simon would.

Once inside her chambers, Ru leaned her head back against the painted wood, willing herself not to cry. She was so tired, overwhelmed, and now she was meant to attend a dinner with the regent.

At least her rooms were gorgeous. Resplendent, actually. Too much for one woman. Ru stood in a small receiving room or parlor, with a great hearth and luxurious couches and cushions arranged around it. A harp stood in one corner, as if she might miraculously have the skill or inclination to play. There were two doors leading into additional rooms.

Glancing into the nearest one, she saw that the room boasted two large floor-to-ceiling windows and a wooden globe. The globe was so enormous that she could have easily fit inside it if she’d curled up. There were more armchairs and a sofa in this room, a desk, and a smaller hearth.

Crossing the receiving room, she went through the far door and found herself in the bedroom. Her trunk was already set at the foot of the bed, and when she went to the tall wardrobe against the far wall, found that her clothes had all been hung up, her shoes arranged in a neat row.

The four-poster bed would have easily fit a family of four, and was made up with blankets that appeared to be hand embroidered, featuring birds and tufts of leaves and berries in a complex pattern. Everything was too big, too elegant, too beautiful. Compared to this, her room back at the Tower was painfully humble.

She hated it. There was nothing comforting about this room, its gold-painted crown molding, its fine materials.

A soft knock and then a click jolted Ru from her thoughts. She spun, and was shocked to see a young woman standing in the room with her. A lady’s maid, she realized — she had come in through a concealed entrance just beyond the wardrobe.

But this wasn’t just any maid.

“Pearl,” Ru said, smiling in surprised relief.

“Miss Delara,” said the maid, a young woman with brown hair and pink cheeks, a friendly face that Ru sorely needed just then. She smiled and dropped a delicate curtsey. “I hope your journey wasn’t too long?”

“It wasn’t long enough,” Ru said. “Did you know I was coming?”

Pearl nodded. “Asked specifically to be assigned to you,” she said, coloring a little at the admission.

“Ah,” said Ru, momentarily chilled by the thought that Lord D’Luc had allowed this, just as he’d allowed Sybeth and Rosylla to escort her. Was it a game or an attempt to put her at ease, to make her more pliant? “That’s very kind.”

“I thought you might like a bath,” said Pearl, her smile widening at Ru’s obvious eagerness for just such a thing. “I’ll draw you one fresh. Just through here.”

Pearl led Ru into an adjoining washroom. Along with a soaking tub and heaps of towels, a fire crackled in a small grate, and Ru saw a kettle beginning to steam.

The water, miraculously, was exactly the right temperature. Hot enough to make Ru’s skin pink but not so hot that it burned. She inhaled deeply, lowering herself into the tub until her entire body up to the chin was submerged. Her hair spread out around her in dark rivulets on the water. She wished she could stay there forever, warm and half-floating, safe.

But she only had an hour. When the water began to turn lukewarm, and she was fully scrubbed and clean, Ru finally forced herself out of the bath. Wrapping herself in a towel, she padded back into the bedroom. Pearl had lit a fire there as well and was fussing with various beauty accoutrements at an elegant vanity.

“Ah,” she said, hearing Ru enter the room, “just in time! I’ll dress you for dinner, Miss Delara.”