He smiled humourlessly. “We were like two peas in a pod. We loved one another very much. But my aunt found out about my love for Ariana, and was furious I would consider marrying someone of low birth. She blackmailed Ariana. She had somehow gotten wind of Dru’s affair with one of the stable boys and threatened to expose her.” He snorted. “So cliché, I know, but a word from my aunt and Dru would have been ruined. And Ariana loves Dru, so she took up the situation my aunt offered her and disappeared. My aunt wouldn’t tell me where she’d sent her and then my aunt died a year ago, leaving me no clues. I’ve hired people to find her but nothing. My aunt was a conniving bitch but a clever one.”
“So you want me to seek her?”
He nodded, coming towards me in his excitement. I held the dagger back up. “I won’t hurt you, Lady Rogan.”
“No, you won’t,” I bit out. I was split in two by him. Part of me ached for him, and the other distrusted him as I did most men. What if he’d hurt Ariana somehow and she had wanted to disappear, wanted to stay disappeared. A plan formed in my mind. “You better leave, Grof Krill, before I scream for Captain Stovia and you are charged with trying to force the Princezna’s Azyl to work for you.”
“No.” Krill shook his head. “I would never force you. I just want your help.”
“I can’t help you, my Lord. My duty is not to you. I work only for her Highness. Now please leave.”
I watched the light dim in his eyes, his face growing instantly haggard. “Of course, my Lady. I shall leave you in peace. I apologise for my untoward behaviour. I overstepped.”
He left quietly, the door closing behind him. Futile though it was, I turned the lock.
I sighed wearily. I would never sleep now. Instead I hurried to the dressing table and rummaged through the drawers until I found stationery. I dipped my pen in ink and quickly began my letter…
Dear Ariana,
You do not know me. I am Rogan of Vasterya, Princezna Haydyn’s Handmaiden and one of the Azyl. I have been fortunate enough to enjoy the hospitality of Grof Krill Rada of Raphizya whom I am told you are acquainted with. I write to you on behalf of a desperate man who tells me he loves you. I have not informed him where you are, although the Grof did command me to seek you, so if he lies and yours was not a relationship of mutual love then fear not, he will not find you. Did you know the Grof had no inkling of his aunt’s blackmail until after your disappearance? Did you know his aunt is dead thus freeing your dear friend from any consequences of her blackmail? Grof Krill desperately seeks you, Ariana. He has been looking for three years. I doubt he will ever give up. He loves you.
If you love him… please return to him.
Yours Sincerely
Rogan
I sighed and folded the letter into an envelope, addressing it to Ariana. I snorted at my own foolishness. The girl would probably think the letter a hoax. I shrugged and pulled on a dressing gown. Still, it was the only thing I could think to do for him without putting all my trust in his sincerity. I hurried from the room, my candle flickering shadows across the walls as I made my way through the mansion and out into the cold stable yard. I shivered and rushed to the stables, coming across a man on guard whose hand immediately leapt to the hilt of his sword, before jolting in shock, in recognition.
“My Lady,” the officer whispered, rushing toward me. “What are you doing out here? Are you well?”
I nodded, my teeth chattering together. “Here.” I thrust the envelope at him. “You must find a messenger immediately and have this delivered in Javinia.” I handed over the coins to pay the messenger with.
Like a good soldier, he nodded unquestioningly. “Of course, my Lady. But please, I insist you return inside.”
I smiled. “I have every intention of doing so.” And without another word, I hurried back toward the mansion, that deep, buried, romantic part of me hoping my letter reached Ariana.
Chapter Nine
I didn’t think I had ever been so tired. The mistrustful side of me couldn’t sleep and I had sat frigidly up in bed until sunlight started to spill through the cracks in the curtains of the guest suite. By the time the maids arrived to help me dress I was already washed, a clean simple riding dress adorned, my hair back in its conservative plait. I knew they were shocked by my ‘unladylike’ behaviour – a lady who took care of herself, haven forbid - and I imagined I’d be a prime bit of gossip amongst the servants of Grof Krill’s home when I left. But by that point I was so numb with exhaustion I couldn’t really give a damn.
The Grof was not at breakfast and the butler informed me Wolfe had already eaten and was preparing his men in the stables. I scoffed down some toast and black coffee hoping it might wake me up. All it did was make me jittery. Knowing Grof Krill would not be seeing me off after last night’s embarrassing – and alright, cold – encounter with me, I made my way outside to find the Guard waiting for me. I felt annoyed that no one had come for me sooner; I hated being the one to keep everyone waiting, like I was that woman. Tiredness made me grumpier and I huffed in annoyance as Lieutenant Chaeron helped me mount Midnight with a cheery, “Good morning.”
“Lady Rogan.” Wolfe urged his horse towards me from the front of our cavalcade. He nodded a dismissal at the Lieutenant who left my side to mount his own horse, Snowstorm, whom he sidled away from us, giving us some privacy. I frowned against the morning sun, wishing suddenly I was more inclined to wearing bonnets, but they annoyed me. I liked to be aware of my surroundings, and bonnets cut off too much of my peripheral vision.
“Captain Stovia,” I mumbled, hoping I wasn’t in for some kind of lecture. This could end in a screaming match. A weary one, but I’d give it my best effort.
His blue eyes were pale as the sun shone off them, pale and concerned as they checked me over, as if searching for injury. “Are you alright, Lady Rogan? After last evening, I mean?” He twisted his mouth in consternation as we both remembered Krill’s appalling behaviour.
I nodded sardonically, suppressing a yawn. “Yes, Captain, I am fine. Grof Krill explained his unseemly behaviour last night and apologised.”
Wolfe stiffened at the news, his eyes narrowing. “Oh he did, did he? And what exactly did he tell you?”
I shrugged. “He was trying to ingratiate himself to me. He wanted to use my magic to find someone.”
“That piece of…” Wolfe spat, turning around in the saddle to glare bloody murder at Krill’s mansion. For a moment he looked ready to dismount and head inside. I rolled my eyes, yawning whilst he was turned away. The man really took his duties too seriously.
“Never mind,” I assured him and he snapped back to face me, anger still etching his features. “I assure you I knew from the start that he was up to something, Captain. I’m not the sort of woman men make fools of themselves over.”
I grew uncomfortable as Wolfe stared at me, seeming to digest what I had said. And then he snorted and gathered his reins. “And yet so many of them do.”
Too tired to question that cryptic comment as he rode off to take the lead, I merely acknowledged Lieutenant Chaeron with a tremulous smile and we took off riding side by side, the Guard at our backs.
I barely remember leaving Peza, my mental state had practically shut down and my body was slowly following it. Everything was a blur as I fought to keep my eyes open, my body tense so it didn’t fall asleep. But as the city disappeared behind us and the land grew quieter, passing many farms off the beaten track, my body grew happy for the peace, and thus began to give in to its need for respite. I began to feel a little nauseated with the exhaustion and fought to keep my head up. We couldn’t waste any more time after stopping off at Peza. Every time my eyes slid shut for brief moments, Haydyn’s smiling, beautiful, serene face danced across the blackness of my lids, and sparks of aching pain shot out of my heart and across my chest. I snapped my eyes open and gripped the reins harder, determined to go as fast as Wolfe was leading.
My body was in total disagreement. Perhaps three, maybe four hours into our journey all I was aware of was the heat of the sun burning through my dress, the distant sounds of the clip clopping of horses hooves, murmured chatter that resembled insects buzzing around my head. The sounds didn’t make sense.
And then I was lying outside in the grass by the cliffs in Sabithia. It was a hot summer day and my mind lazily began to drift into slumber.
“Miss Rogan,” I heard a voice call in the distance. My eyes popped open at the happy sound and I stood up leisurely. I gazed behind me to see Haydyn approach, and was shocked to see her all alone. She was barefoot like me, her toes dipping deliciously into the cool grass at our feet.
“Your Highness.” I teased back. “I missed you,” I said as she took my hand.
“I missed you too.”
We grinned at one another and then turned to stare out at the calm sea from the cliff edge.
“That water looks wonderful,” I whispered.
Haydyn squeezed my hand excitedly. “You know today it looks calm enough to swim in.”
I shook my head. “We’re too high up.”
She chuckled. “Be adventurous, Rogan.”
Frowning I took a step closer to the edge, the drop at least fifty feet, probably more. “It’ll kill us.”
“Not today.” Haydyn shook her head. “Trust me.”
Heart pounding at the thought, I gripped her hand tighter. “Together? On three?”
She laughed, exhilarated. “One. Two. Three!”
“Miss Rogan!”
And then I was falling.
Blissfully falling.
***
I didn’t want to peel my eyelids open. Everything ached; that sore, yucky - even my muscles were tired - kind of achy exhaustion. I felt strange and disorientated. Where was I? I slowly opened my eyes and found myself staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. It was dark, night time. Only a few candles around the room lit it enough for my heart to start pounding at its strangeness. Where the hell was I?
“Ah, Miss Rogan, you’re awake.”
Calming instantly at Lieutenant Chaeron’s voice, I turned my head on the soft pillow and found him sitting in a chair by my bedside. His brow creased with worry as he leaned over me, offering me a glass of water. He helped me sip it and then settled back in the chair.
“What happened?” I asked hoarsely. “Where are we?”
He made a clucking sound with his tongue, a little disapproval marring his usually friendly expression. “You should have told us how exhausted you were. You could have been killed.”
Alright, now I was very confused. All I could remember was talking to Wolfe earlier outside Grof Krill’s mansion. “What happened?”
“You fell asleep on your horse.” He sighed like a wearied parent. “If I had jumped off my horse one second later you would have landed on the ground, possibly have been trampled.”
I swore softly at the thought, chastising myself for my stupid pride and hell bent determination to get to Alvernia in record time. “You caught me?”
He nodded and patted the hand I reached out to him. “We’ve stopped at a nearby farm. We’ve all been resting. We’re going to stay here through the night. Captain is not at all pleased with me or you.”
I groaned. “I’ve slowed us down.”
Chaeron patted my hand again. “That’s not why he’s angry. He wishes you had told him you’d had no sleep. He takes your safety very seriously. We all do.”
I nodded vaguely, annoyed somewhere inside, but too tired to find it. Feeling my lids start to flutter again, I mumbled, “He needs to find himself a hobby.”
Distantly I heard the Lieutenant chuckle, and then he whispered, “Sleep well, Miss Rogan.”
Chapter Ten
Not a big fan of guilt, I smothered the feeling with anger… directed at Wolfe. The next morning he barely acknowledged me. He was cold, distant with me, and it irritated me more than it should have because generally I liked his indifference. But his annoyance with me only compounded how stupidly I had behaved, making me feel like the simpering debutante I was so adamant I wasn’t. Lieutenant Chaeron threw me a few bolstering looks and as usual tried to keep up a pleasant conversation with me as we rode through Raphizya. Wolfe was taking things deliberately slower and it smacked of condescension. I huffed in the saddle, wanting to speed up, and poor Midnight faltered a little at my mixed signals. I leaned over to stroke her face, apologising quietly in her ear for taking my impatience out on her. I forced myself to relax in my seat and ignored Chaeron’s knowing grin.
With my renewed energy it didn’t feel like such a long ride that day. Before I knew it we were crossing the stone bridge across the River Kral, called so because it was the longest in Phaedra, passing through not only Raphizya but Vasterya as well. We were closing in on Ryl, the second largest city in Raphizya, famous for being the only city in Phaedra that wasn’t a capital, and also for its factories. Almost as large as Peza, it was home to factories that mass-produced textiles, paintings, pottery and lots of other knick-knacks, designed by the artisans of Peza. The factories sustained much of Raphizya, supplying employment and a large exportation income.
Knowing the plan was to stay with Matai’s cousins, Mr Zanst and his wife and their two small children, I wasn’t surprised when Wolfe led us through the outskirts of the city towards the Factory District. Ironically, the Factory District wasn’t in fact where the factories were. The Factory District was home to the mansions and large townhouses of the owners of the factories. Mr Zanst owned a large textile factory and was said to be wealthier than his Vikomt cousin, Matai. I had met Mr Zanst and his wife at court before, two of the few people outside the titled nobility who were invited to stay at the palace during the spring and autumn Seasons of Sabithia. They were a nice couple, friendly and open, and a refreshing diversion from the titled nobility and all their manners and ‘do’s’ and ‘don’t’s’.