Page 84 of Shadows of Winter

“I don’t know who Lady Havartaft is. How important can our meeting be?”

“She is Lord Vlerion’s mother, and this is about your safety as well as his.”

“Oh,” was all Kaylina could mouth for a long minute. That changed things.

She turned to find Frayvar listening to everything from behind her.

“I can handle the vegetable peeling,” he said. “Just… please promise to be back before serving time. I don’t want to be knocked unconscious again. Besides, who other than you can tell people about tasting notes?”

“You know as much as I do about the mead. You know as much as I do about everything.”

“Not about how to stay upright in our own castle.”

She grimaced. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She eyed the horses as she lifted a finger toward the chauffeur. “Give me a moment to change.”

“Yes,” he said with relief.

He might be disappointed when he saw how modest even her good clothing was, but Kaylina jogged to the kitchen to brush her teeth and hair, change clothes, and grab a bag of honey drops that she’d made for treats. She’d intended to give them to the taybarri when Vlerion wasn’t looking, but she might need to bribe one of the horses out front to help her escape later. Since she’d offered, she also grabbed two bottles of mead.

“My clothes might not impress any nobles, but this will.”

The chauffeur raised his eyebrows when she came out with the bottles in her arms, but he didn’t tell her to leave them, nor did he comment on the sling or knife at her waist. The muscled man opened the carriage door for her, revealing an empty interior. Blue velvet cushions offered comfort and immediately brought thoughts of naps to mind, especially if Kaylina would be riding alone. She would rather have asked the men questions. Primarily, why did Vlerion’s mom want to see her? But once the carriage started up, with wheels and hooves clattering on the cobblestones, there wasn’t any opportunity for chitchat with the men riding outside on the driver’s bench.

Kaylina watched the castle as the carriage rolled away, the window glowing as ominously as ever. She vowed to return well before nightfall to do what she could to help and protect her brother.

21

Mothers know best.

~ Queen Henova

Weary after so many nights of interrupted sleep, Kaylina dozed during the ride out of the city and into the countryside. The rain turned to snow and hail, leaving a dusting of white on the vineyards and orchards along the highway. She imagined the buds shivering as they struggled to find the energy to turn into leaves.

A few manors and castles were visible in the distance, none near the highway. They perched on hills overlooking it and their lands, with long winding drives leading up to their gates. As the carriage turned off the highway, Kaylina spotted a stone sign: Havartaft Estate.

Vast fields stretched to either side of the wide drive, some with hardy cold-weather crops already poking green shoots up through the snow. Orchards and rows of bramble bushes—raspberries and blackberries—remained dormant, the branches and vines skeletal. She noticed beehives between the fields, their designs different from the south, and eyed them curiously, wondering if Lady Havartaft would give her a tour.

She snorted to herself. The lords and ladies of the estate didn’t likely go out to the farm. They would have servants for that. Indeed, she glimpsed long rectangular bunkhouses and little clusters of warehouses and stables, mini towns used by those who worked the fields.

The carriage entered a circular drive at the front of a stone manor much larger than the cursed castle. It was immaculate, no chips in the facade or missing mortar, no peeling paint on the perky blue shutters or trim. A matching stable to one side held healthy-looking horses, some of whom were out in pastures pawing for grass under the snow.

Another uniformed man stood waiting for Kaylina, an emblem on his chest showing the same sword-and-horn as on the carriage. Was he a butler? She only knew about such positions from books she had read.

After Kaylina stepped out, the chauffeurs remained with the carriage and drove it over to the stable.

The butler said, “Good morning, Ms. Korbian,” and considered her bottles and weapons. He pointed at the alcohol. “If you’ve brought offerings, I can put them in the kitchen for the staff to taste and prepare for your meeting with Lady Havartaft.”

“Uh, sure.” Kaylina decided not to be offended by the implication that the servants had to taste her drinks to make sure they weren’t poisoned. Or maybe only to ensure they didn’t offer anything disgusting to their boss.

Let them taste the mead. It was fabulous, and the more people who knew about it, the better. Hopefully, the Havartafts paid their workers enough that they could afford to visit eating houses in town from time to time.

“Excellent.”

The butler rang a bell sitting on a table inside the door, then took the bottles. No more than three seconds passed before a woman in a black-and-silver dress hurried out to collect them.

“This way, Ms. Korbian,” the butler said.

“Any chance you can give me a clue as to what this meeting is about?” Kaylina followed him down a wide marble hall lined with paintings. Some featured snowy mountains or vast forests filled with game while others depicted ancient battles between men and Kar’ruk along rivers or in ships at sea.

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