Page 19 of The Rose in the Shadows

“Do not cry, my lady,” Nessira whispered as my cheeks dampened. “This court will challenge you, but you can never let them see you cry. Strength is sometimes noticed, but weakness is never forgotten.”

She combed through my hair gently after that, careful not to pull or tug. And when her work was done, she lit a candle with a wave of her hand and promised to give me a moment while she went to fetch my dinner from the kitchens.

“Nessira,” I called after her as she started to close the bathroom door behind her. “Thank you.”

She gave me a soft, knowing smile, bowed her head, and left me to my thoughts. Alone, I let my head fall momentarily under the water. I waited until I was desperate to breathe again before finally returning to the world above.

Chapter Five

Nessira and Geia woke me before dawn the following day, alerting me that the Crown Prince had arranged for me to begin my training as soon as the sun crested in the east. Of course he had. Gods forbid he allow me the freedom to sleep in.

The girls were relatively silent as they helped me bathe and prepare. Nessira took the lead, often guiding the younger girl on what she should do next. I wondered if Geia had ever worked in a position like this before. Probably not, judging by how every new task seemed more exciting than the last to her. Nessira folded my hair into a single neat braid down my back. There were no extra flowers or pins, and when Geia had laid my clothes for the day on the bed, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was not a gaudy gown.

“Would you like help dressing today, my lady?” Geia asked, her bell-like voice eager to please.

“I think I should be able to manage this alone.” I smiled, glancing at the thick cotton pants and form-fitting top. The coatthey left me was of thick protective fabric. I ran my fingers over its roughness and wondered what I would need protection from.

Nessira cleared her throat, calling for my attention. “We have been instructed to inform you of your invitation to the birthnight celebration of Queen Valentina. You are expected to be in attendance this evening.”

I sighed, my stomach filling with nervous tingles. I wasn’t particularly excited to be spending another evening under the Dragon’s watchful eyes, but it was clear I had little choice in the matter.

“Your gowns have not yet arrived,” Nessira continued. “But Lorelai Pelland of House Herea has allowed you to use her collection. Would you like us to select something for you while you are training?”

Geia’s eyes sparkled as eagerness rolled off of her in waves. Her joy was simply infectious. And right now, the possibility of exploring the closets of a high-powered court lady was bringing her an enormous amount of pleasure. Who was I to deny that?

“I think Geia might have an eye for palace fashions, perhaps she could pick out something for me?”

The girl squealed her excitement, earning her a stern look of disapproval from Nessira. Then, collecting herself, she curtsied low and promised to bring something that would meet my expectations. Together, they began to take their leave so I could dress.

“Geia?” I called after her. “Something simple! Nothing like yesterday.”

Her face momentarily flashed in disappointment, as if she had already been daydreaming about the most wonderfully grand gown possible, but she knew better than to protest. So she shook the disappointment away and assured me she would do her best to suit my taste, and closed the door behind her.

I dressed quickly, slipping into the pants and buttoning the coat around myself. The final accessories were knee-high lace-up boots of tough new leather. I silently wished Nessira and Geia had stayed to help as I struggled to fit my feet into the unmoving soles. I had just finished lacing them when Dimitri knocked on the door, alerting it was time to go.

I glanced in the mirror quickly before exiting. Over my shoulders, I could see the sun rising over the palace gardens, sending out shades of pink and tangerine across my room. At least like this, dressed in clothes I could move in with my hair out of my face, I didn’t feel like I was looking at a stranger. I may not have known entirely who I was yet, but at least the girl who stared back looked like one I wouldn’t mind getting to know.

Any hopes that this trainer of mine would have compassion for me disappeared as I looked at her outside the palace. At nearly a foot taller than me, she was the largest woman I had ever seen. She had dressed in similar clothing, leather pants and knee-high boots with a thick coat. She wore her dark hair loose, with a simple braid tying back half of it. Across her waist, she wore a belt of knives, three resting on each hip.

“So, you’re the little thing causing all the trouble,” she noted from where she sat perched on the stone wall separating the palace from its gardens. I watched as she quickly sliced through an apple with one of those blades designed to kill. She shoved the fragments in her mouth while she peered down at me.

“I’m Ryla,” she told me, hopping down from the wall and landing effortlessly on the ground, not a foot from me. I did my best not to flinch as she paced in a circle around me.

“I’m one of the Palace trainers, and I’ll be working to get your telekinetic abilities under control.”

A scar ran down the left side of her face, from above her brow down to her lips. She smirked as she noticed the direction of my gaze, and I looked away quickly, somewhat ashamed of my brazen staring.

“Let’s go,” she ordered, giving me a shove from behind. Begrudgingly, I started marching forward.

“Go where?”

“You think I’m going to let an untrained telekinetic who nearly wrecked an entire bridge practice her powers near the Dragon’s castle?” She laughed; the sound was rich with exasperation. “We’ve got a five-mile hike over the nearest mountain ahead. I hope you’ve broken in those boots.”

I hadn’t.

When we reached a clearing at the top of the mountain, my legs were screaming in agony, and I was sure my feet were bleeding. I rested my weight against a wide oak and fought the urge to buckle over while I caught my breath. Whatever my life had been like before I showed up at the palace, it certainly hadn’t involved exercise.

A sudden pain hit my heart as I wondered momentarily what that lifehadbeen like. Did I lack stamina because I once had the luxury of being well-cared for? Was there a family out there feeling the same pain in their heart as they wondered where I was?

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