Page 9 of Ties of Deception

Before I could study the picture of the woman surrounded by flowers and fruit closely, Pris flicked to a new picture. “Here is an Amazone. What you can’t tell from the picture is how tall they are. Their hair is always worn in braids when they are on duty, and the color of the beads represent their rank, though I don’t know how. They are mostly in service to the royal family as guards, though you will see them walking around when they’re at leisure, especially at the capital. There are only a few here in Yienna, though you might see others who ethnically originated from Hassia and have similar coloring. Many of the guards you see tonight will be Amazone since the royal family will be present and they prefer Hassian guards. Well, at least the empress and Prince Sebastian will be here. The emperor-consort often remains in their main palace in Hassia, despite him being originally from our island, Atos. He doesn’t come back here often.”

She let me linger on this picture of the Amazone. The goddess was strong and beautiful with a brave, determined expression. Muscular arms gripped a spear, and a sword was sheathed at her waist. Her skin was a rich reddish-brown, and the intricate ebony braids of her hair fell artfully to her waist. She wore a knee-length tunic and leather breastplate that was both practical and richly adorned with gemstones.

Pris flicked to the last image with a tremble of excitement. “And this is a god of death from the Unseen Lands. All the Aida look and dress similarly to their gods.” The man staring out of the image had a hard, brutal face. He was dressed in black armor with an enormous sword strapped to his back. His skin was light brown, his black hair short and straight, and his eyes had epicanthal folds. I thought he was the most striking of all the characters, probably due to the intense stare the artist had given him, and I was unmistakably drawn to him.

Pris flicked the page, but the rest of the pages were gone, so she snapped the book shut. “There you go. Now you know what to look out for and who to stay away from. As you can see, they’re quite distinctive. Nobody else wears so much black.”

I was still looking at the book. From the side I guessed at least half the pages were missing. “Why is it damaged?”

Pris shrugged. “I don’t know. This book’s old. A lot of the old ones are missing pages. I always assumed the glue binding the pages failed after so long and only so many pages could be saved when they were rebound.”

I frowned. It didn’t look like that. It looked like they’d been torn free. And the drawings had appeared immaculate. Unless they had been restored? Or added later? I didn’t push the topic.

Pris stood. “I should get this book back to the library. We’re not meant to take books out of that room—especially the old ones. In case they get damaged. It’s a rule for every library in Atos, actually. People can be really strict about it. I probably wouldn’t even touch the books in the palace if I were you.” She sighed and looked me up and down with a look close to fondness. “You should get ready. Mother will want to fuss over you before you go.” She grinned and tucked the book under one arm. “Good luck. And try to have fun. I hear the food is good.”

She hurried from the room. I stood and stretched as I mused over the god’s dark expression that sent chills up my spine. I knew Pris was fanciful and potentially quite ignorant of the court. Would he really kidnap an unsuspecting Grace like she said?

Either way, I’d have to worry about it later; it was time to get dressed.

Just as Flaviafinished adding the final hair pin, Drusella announced herself as she approached from the gardens. I stood and smiled, hoping to convince her that I was in a steady, positive mental state. She barely glanced at my face, however, being far more preoccupied with what I was wearing: a long, pink, sleeveless dress and leather sandals that had been dyed gold.

“No, no, that’s too much.” Drusella took a pair of tailoring scissors from the dressing table and snipped the bow from the back of my dress so the fabric fell formless around my figure. She gave an approving nod. “Remember, you need to be dull and uninteresting tonight. Our aim is for your presence to be noted, but to draw no special attention. It’s too early for you to be thrown into the world of politics.” She dropped the silk bow to the floor and straightened the golden clasps that gathered the material over my shoulders. “And remember, whatever you do, don’t speak or even look at any Aida if they are present.” I opened my mouth, but she waved my words aside. “Just trust me on this. You’ll know who they are. Far too much black and sour expressions.” She stepped back from me and smiled. “Perfect. Make sure you have lots of fun tonight, now. Be polite. Whatever you see and hear at the palace, don’t gossip; it won’t do you any favors. Learn to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to everything.”

I gave Drusella a confused look. There were an awful lot of warnings for a party. Just what was she expecting to happen there?

She smiled and patted my arm. “As I said, have fun and be safe.”

She escorted me down the drive to the front of the gardens where a carriage was waiting. Flavia climbed in beside me. Drusella closed the door herself. “It’s an hour and a half to the palace at a brisk trot, so relax. There are plenty of refreshments stored under your seat.”

I thanked her—to stop her fussing—and waved, signaling to the driver that I was ready to depart. I left Drusella standing in the drive, waving a cloth after us. Her anxiety was clear even as the distance between us grew. However, as we left the villa and turned into the streets of Yienna, a guard flanking the carriage on either side, all I felt was excitement.

After passingfield after field of vineyards, ancient olive groves, ripening wheat, goats, and cows, the countryside finally became obscured by the growing dusk. The walls of the capital city of Fierro bloomed with torchlight ahead.

Flavia touched up my hair and makeup as the carriage came to a stop. My heart thudded at the enormity of what I was about to experience. After spending my entire life, short as it was, stuck in the villa or the litter under Drusella’s close eye, I was entering a completely unfamiliar place alone, and I didn’t know half of the rules or expectations. Hopefully, I wouldn’t make a fool of myself. Maybe being around other Graces would help me understand myself better. It would be good not to feel so lonely and adrift as I tried to find my feet.

Flavia opened the carriage door from inside and bowed her head. “I will wait with the carriage, my lady. We will be ready to leave whenever you wish, just ask the servants to summon us. There is no expectation of staying late, but if you want to, we have accommodations we can use in Fierro.”

I nodded my thanks and looked ahead. Vast marble steps led upward between huge, fluted columns. The pillars were so large that four or five people would be able to link hands around them. The whole scene was atmospheric, the dark only broken by torches of flickering flames on long slender sticks marking the way on either side.

As I stepped onto the lowest step, the carriage behind me left, and a new one replaced it. I quickened my climb so I didn’t get in the way of whoever the next guest was.

A servant took my heavy velvet cloak in the atrium, and I was ushered down a dark corridor. I guessed that the darkness was meant to give more impact to the glowing room at the end.

I glided into a giant hall filled with candles, their light fractured by thousands of tiny mirrors. Flowers were everywhere. They carpeted each wall, the ends of vines pooling on the floor. What little I could see of the columns and walls was gleaming gold.

The room was full of people, and of course, I knew nobody. Many of the women wore extravagant dresses with trailing chiffon and cashmere trains. I was glad of my relatively plain dress. I already felt like I belonged in the background of this party. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself due to my ignorance.

There was a whole world Drusella and Hermon hadn’t told me about, and now I was thrown into it. I understood their desire to not overwhelm me and to hide away anything that might upset me, but, still, I would’ve been grateful for more advice that hadn’t just been warnings.

Uncertain of what to do, I drifted to the food table and put a few slices of orange and half a pomegranate on my plate. As I edged further down, looking for drinks, I neared a group of young men dressed in bold-colored tunics that ended at the knee and long red or blue cloaks that they held wrapped over one arm, I assumed to stop other people from treading on them.

One man was talking excitedly, leaning forward as if not wanting to be overheard, but not lowering his voice. “I heard that the Cassinos have lost their goddess.”

There was a responding scoff. “They’ve had her less than a year, haven’t they? Poor fools. What was their one called?”

The first man shook his head, displaying his bemused smile. “Haven’t the faintest idea.”

A third one talked with his mouth full while pointing at the others with a breadstick. “I’ve heard that goddesses are like cats. If you don’t treat them exactly as they like, they wander off to somebody else’s house who feeds them better.”

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