Page 10 of The Empty Throne

"Stow your bags there, by that trunk. Isuggest you secure breakfast and lunch because we won't be stoppinguntil dusk. Dinner is covered."

Bittersea signaled he understood with aflippant salute. Thankfully, he didn't have to go far to find foodvendors. He'd already secured food for the rest of the journey, butwas more than happy to start with fresh food today. He boughtseveral rice balls to eat for lunch, then bought two small loavesof bread, one with a savory, spicy black bean filling, the otherwith a sweet red bean filling, and a waxed paper cup of fishchowder before returning to the cart.

By the time it departed, he'd finished thesoup, tucking the bread away to eat a little later, knives at theready as they made to cross the narrow, but treacherous stretchthat was the very center of Cremisio.

Four

I'm dying.

Oskia had burned the note just seconds afterreading those two short, devastating words, but they were engravedin her mind. How could they not be? Her mother was the one who'dwritten them.

Her mother, who'd been in perfect health whenOskia had seen her just over a month ago.

The note had come in the dead of night,practically right behind the murder of the royal family.

To say the timing was troubling…

Sobeki and Kite would never forgive her forjust vanishing on them, but she wasn't yet comfortable tellinganyone, not even them, where she was headed. Why she was headedthere. Not until she could resolve the fear turning her heart andstomach into knots.

Please, Holy Shatar, let her be wrong. Lether be paranoid, crafted that way by too many years at court.

Of course the damnable snow started to falljust days into her journey, and it had not really let up since,occasionally turning to sleet just to keep things infuriating.

By the time she reached the Beltres Estate onthe northwestern shores of Cremisio, just a two-day ride from theborder with Terek, she was frozen, exhausted, and wound so tightshe was likely to break if one more thing went wrong.

She paused outside the house to restore thespecial dark lenses that covered her eyes whenever she was anywherebut out in the dead of night, protecting them from the harsh lightshe'd been born unable to tolerate.

Witch Eyes were one of the rarest magics, theability to see clearly in the night, to see and see past thingsthat fooled ordinary eyes. Illusion magic did not work on her, nordid obfuscation and invisibility. She saw too much, even when shedidn't want to. Light, however, was anathema. Direct light couldleave her blind for hours if it were more than a handful ofseconds, and prolonged exposure would blind her permanently.

In her worst moods, she thought that might bea blessing.

Armed against the light, she dropped hercaribou off at the stable behind the house before heading insidevia the side entrance most often used by family and friends,eschewing the formal front entrance.

Thankfully, the staff there was clearlyexpecting her, though she'd sent no notice that she was coming,because they had a blazing fire, a warm brandy, and fresh clothesawaiting her, along with a steaming bath they put right there inthe peach parlor.

Stripping off her clothes, she climbedquickly into the bath, groaning as the wonderful heat soaked intoher tired body. Her balls just might thaw after all. Fuck, shehated winter.

The door opened with a soft click, and sheturned to see her mother's maid. "Would you like help with yourhair, milady?"

"I would deeply appreciate that, Carla, thankyou." Oskia shifted in the tub to lie so her hair was easilyaccessible, sighing in satisfaction at Carla's soothing touch asshe set to work. Oskia had been in such a hurry when she'd left,she hadn't had time to do more than shove her hair into a bun andwrap it in silk before bolting out the door.

Now, Carla washed it, dried it, and thenapplied the various lotions and creams that would keep it soft, thecurls springy and distinct instead of a frizzy mess. Once she wasdone, Oskia climbed from the bath and dried off with the towelCarla handed her, then applied an apple-scented lotion to her skin,the same dark, red-toned brown as her mother's.

Which brought her thoughts right back to thewhole reason she was there. Carla helped her into a red and blackdressing robe, then bowed and departed, leaving Oskia alone withher food and thoughts. One of those was infinitely more appealingthan the other.

Given the late hour, her mother would be longasleep, and there was no point in waking her up, no matter how muchOskia wanted to do so.

Instead she finished her food, leaving thetray for servants to take away later when they cleaned the room,and went upstairs to her bedroom, where a fire had been laid andthe meager belongings she'd brought along had been put awayalready. Shatar bless amazing servants.

Picking up the bag that contained herneedlecraft work, Oskia sat in the window seat she had loved somuch as a child and loved the same now, and pulled out thecross-stitch she'd been working diligently on for the past month.It was intended to be a gift, though with everything that washappening, she doubted it would be ready in time for the birthdayit was intended for.

Only time would tell.

She worked until her eyes could no longerfocus and she screwed up a row of stitches twice. Tucking it allaway again, she stripped off her dressing robe, climbed into bed,and was asleep within moments.

When she woke, the wind was howling and theworld was white. Well, she definitely wouldn't be returning homeanytime soon. Kite and Sobeki were going tokillher.Nothing she could do about it right now, though, as even the bestmessengers wouldn't be able to make it through this, even if theywere available.

So she got dressed for the day in a dark bluegown trimmed in white fur at the bottom, the hips, the sleeves, andcollar. The bodice was one she'd embroidered herself inpoinsettias, a flower not remotely native to her home but thatshe'd seen once in a hothouse and had adored. She arranged her hairinto buns high on either side of her head, wrapping the bases withsilver charms depicting poinsettias, wrapped her eyes in gauzy darkblue fabric, and finally headed out to face her mother.

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