Page 85 of Of Monsters Of Kings

Chapter Nineteen

I’d thought that stitches and patches,

A smile that twisted,

Gave ample claim to monsterdom.

Gray lilies filled the courtyard. My silk night gown, made of softest pink, billowed as I gripped the balustrade and took in King See’s apology. Or explanation. I wasn’t sure which he’d intended.

The gray lilies made spotting the hellebores on Mother’s grave difficult. I didn’t like that.

Mother yawned and gulped the gray lilies away.

“Thank you,” I told her. “You’ve been busy… I think?”

She’d yawned the trinkets away yesterday, and when I’d retired at dawn, my room had appeared rather different. A four-poster bed equipped with thick drapes had replaced the standard hotel mattress. The fraying armchair had disappeared, and a cushioned chaise of striped whites and grays occupied that corner instead. Artworks of simple scenes in bold contrasts had hung upon the wall.

When I’d ventured outside five minutes ago, I’d seen that the balustrade was gold today and not rusted metal. Flecks of peeled paint no longer littered the landing. The concrete was now dull copper to match my conservatory and studded with gems that glittered rainbows every which way.

I could only fathom that if Mother could yawn trinkets away, then she could also regurgitate them. How Mother spat them where she liked was a mystery… and also how she swallowed them in the first place. But I got the sense she enjoyed renovating.

While I very much wished to explore the changes to the hotel, I had more pressing matters to deal with.

“Valetise,” I called over my shoulder. “I have business to attend.”

There was a rustle, and by the time I’d padded to the suitcase, she’d pushed an outfit to the surface.

I wasted no time getting dressed, and only paused to admire the outfit after.

“I like this a lot.” I ran my hands over the buttoned vest that sat tight over a simple white camisole. My breasts weren’t visible, but ample cleavage was.

The full-length skirt matched the pinstriped material of the vest. Laced boots gave the outfit function, and the vest’s short sleeves lent youth to the ensemble. It occurred to me that my first thought wasn’t about what stitches might show. Could it be that fear’s grip had loosened somewhat? “A little seductive, a little innocent, and very dignified.”

Valetise pushed up a small top hat with clips on the bottom, and I swept half of my hair up into a twist, then set the miniature top hat at a jaunty angle.

“Perfect.” I beamed at her, earning a delighted wiggle from the suitcase.

Now, to pressing matters. I had to open communication with King Raise today. Not only had his princes failed to investigate this hotel and myself, but the king hadn’t sent a message. I was an old enough monster to know new monsters were rare. His distance felt purposeful and therefore personal. I had the inkling to become offended, but my younger side reminded me in no uncertain terms that not long ago, I would’ve felt astounded to receive visits from princes and letters from kings.

So I wouldn’t be offended. But I would rectify the matter.

Instead of blinking down to the courtyard, I blinked in six-foot measures to my conservatory. Tension drained from me as I reached the peak of my hotel. How exquisite the dull, somewhat oxidized copper appeared at the change of light, though moonlight glared rudely through a glass panel. I squinted at the panel, and my attention was stolen by the tower illuminated in the far distance.

I walked closer, peering through the dusty glass.

“Goodness,” I said.

I could see King See’s gothic palace from here. His kingdom sat at the northern edge of Vitale as plain as night.

Could I see the others? To attend Take’s ball, I’d walked through the city in the opposite direction. I pivoted and strode across the conservatory to squint through the dusty panel there. A white castle pinkwashed with blood gleamed in south’s stars and shadow.

Take’s castle. My hotel was located between the two kingdoms. Perhaps in the exact middle. How balanced.

I hadn’t met Bring, nor seen his kingdom, but I’d spent a night in Change’s grim forest. Where was that?

I circled the conservatory, peering through the glass panels, and soon spotted a thatched house set atop a towering column of rock that almost seemed to touch the clouds and moon. The house, though tiny by contrast to castles and palaces, was perfect upon its impossibly tall perch. Did that belong to Bring or Raise?

No idea.

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