Page 27 of Pawns of Salistya

Chapter 11

Istumbled through the dining room in our Royal Quarters hours later only to be met by a dishevelled and alarmed Meredith.

‘Thank Goddess you’re here, I’ve been trying to find you to warn you that –’ she whispered before being cut off.

‘Well, hello sister.’

My body stiffened, a cold rigidity settling through my whole being at the sharp familiarity of the voice.

This was awful timing. Granted, there was never a right time to be in her presence. But especially not when Sir’s scent was lingering on my body and my eyes were probably still swollen. Here’s to hopingshe didn’t notice.

Pivoting, I faced the door of my bedroom where my older sister stood. My eyes trailed the length of her body. I took in the long-sleeved moss-green gown that covered her from head to toe, a look I only ever saw her wear during the Royal Forum. Ordinarily, she wore the mandatory hideous Salistyan-prescribed uniform, despite being the queen. Her sharp jawline and high cheek bones looked impossibly gaunt, much more so than the last time I saw her, and her brown hair was piled up into a tight bun on top of her head, not a strand out of place. Those wicked lips of hers were pursed in evident distaste, while her mossy green eyes shone with the unforgiving cruelty I knew she possessed. They were the eyes of our father.

‘Slaviya.’ My curt response was the only thing I could manage. I received an unimpressed eyebrow rise in response.

Forcing myself to expel the deep breath I was holding and loosen my shoulders, hoping she wouldn’t notice the deliberate action, I sauntered across the dining table. I dropped onto one of the chairs and draped an arm over the back of another. ‘To what do I owe the pleasure of your unannounced presence?’

‘Is it unannounced or are your staff merely incapable of executing basic duties?’ she countered.

It took all my willpower to not grit my teeth. I glanced towards Meredith, her tense body frozen in the same spot she was in when I had first arrived. ‘You’re dismissed, Meredith. Please ensure my sister and Bastra’s quarters are ready for their stay.’

‘Valare, I believe you need a reminder about who Meredith answers to.’

The damn controlling witch.

I mockingly placed a hand on my chest in false offense, sniffling, ‘And here I thought you wanted to spend some quality one on one time with me, not train my already trained staff. You’re breaking my heart, Slaviya.’ Probably not a great move to goad her, but hercontrolling tendencies were already grating and I had been in her presence all of a minute.

Her eyes narrowed, yet she surprisingly conceded. ‘I’m interested to see how the trained-assassin-turned-maid performs her duties. Make sure my quarters are to my standard and you need not bother with Bastra, I came by myself. You are dismissed.’

The condescending bitch didn’t even look at Meredith, narrowed eyes never leaving my own.

I broke Slaviya’s gaze to look at Meredith and she nodded, shooting me a look of thanks as she darted out of the room. At least one of us could be saved from this conversation.

I returned my gaze to Slaviya, waving my hand in invitation to the chair opposite. She proceeded to lean against the door frame and cross her arms, maintaining her physical advantage while levelling me with a challenging stare.

I didn’t supress the grit of my teeth this time. ‘Come on Slaviya, are you really going to play it like this? Who are you trying to impress here? Look around, it’s only us,’ I said, gesturing to the empty room.

‘What if I prefer standing?’ she countered.

I shrugged, her stubbornness a familial trait. ‘Suit yourself, but we both know your energy is drained after the teleport from Savast.’

My sister had trained as a Sol after her magic revealed she had strengths in both fire and earth. Despite her superior magic to the everyday mage, a teleport of great lengths is taxing on the body, unless you were travelling to the Isles, where the Temple of Wystia regenerated our energy immediately. I was fortunate that my abilities made teleporting great distances a breeze, so never missed an opportunity to prod Slaviya about that fact.

I waited to see if she would move to the chair. Her only response was to subtly sag further into the door frame.

‘To what do I owe the pleasure of your unannounced presence?’ I repeated.

‘I thought I would arrive a few days before the Forum commences to see how things are tracking here.’

Translation, you better have an assassination plan for me.

‘That’s nice of you.’ I smirked, deciding to make her work for the information.

I caught a flicker of fire on the tips of her fingers, the only visible sign that I was getting on her nerves, before she leant more heavily against the doorframe.

I sighed, my magic latching onto her body and pulling her towards the chair, not letting go until she was dropped onto the seat in front of me.

‘Valare,’ she spat out.

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