Page 434 of Warlords, Witches & Wolves

Chapter 39

When Rossa rounded the corner and reached the kitchen gardens, she knew something was wrong. Too many people bustled about, fetching and carrying with a feverish intensity that told Rossa they feared the consequences if they failed in their task.

"What is it? What has happened?" she demanded of the nearest man.

"The master has arrived! Everything must be made ready!" He excused himself and hurried off.

The master? The only master Rossa knew was her father, in his role as Master Assassin. But he couldn't possibly be here – the passes were still blocked by snow, and would be for months yet.

Mother would know. Whoever was here, they would not have arrived without her knowledge. And at this hour, as she was usually to be found in the solar they used for a dining chamber instead of the draughty great hall, that's where Rossa headed.

Sure enough, Mother wasn't alone – a man and a woman stood before her, cloaked against the cold, for the fire had only recently been lit.

The man's grey cloak seemed to blend in with the wall behind him, so that her eye was drawn away from him, dismissing him, but the woman's cloak of regal purple was as vibrant as flowers in the spring. A member of the Emperor's family, perhaps? For surely only royalty could afford such costly dye.

"Rossa, I was just about to send someone to summon you," Mother said.

The pair turned, and the grey man pushed his hood off his head.

"Father!" she exclaimed, rushing to hug him. It wasn't until she pulled away from him that she felt the purple woman's eyes on her.

Amethyst eyes, like nothing Rossa had ever seen before. Drawing her in, as if with a powerful enchantment she could not resist…

Father coughed, and the spell was broken, if indeed it was a spell. "Rossa, you won't believe where I found your fairy godmother. We got to talking about you, and the more we talked, the more we agreed that it was time she paid you a visit, so she cast a portal, and here we are." He spread his hands wide. "Lady Zuleika, your god-daughter, Rossa. And Rossa, this is Zuleika. My niece."

Lady Zuleika managed a nervous smile and ducked her head. "I'm still new to this. My mother Zoraida – Master Zoticus's sister – died only recently, and I am still learning the full extent of her duties as fairy godmother. I'm sorry I haven't come to help you yet, but you seemed to be doing all right, not in need of my help yet, until Uncle told me of his vision…"

Father waved her into silence, which only intrigued Rossa more. She knew Father had visions of the future, but she'd never heard him having one about her.

"Ah, I'm not the only one who brought an important guest. Prince Boris, have you come to see the holy relics?" Father asked, striding past Rossa.

How could she have forgotten Boris and Igor?

Boris's eyes darted about, as if seeking an escape – not an uncommon response for someone meeting her father for the first time, as his reputation often preceded him – before he decided to hold his ground and offer a nervous smile to Father. "Forgive me, sir, but I do not recall where we met before today."

Father's smile was genuine, as he shook his head. "No, forgive me, Your Highness. It's just that you are so like your likeness in the cathedral, I recognised you instantly. A man with your reputation would surely have come here to pray over the holy relics my wife's ancestors brought back from their most holy crusade. The relics of the Holy Innocents, no less! It is no wonder you sought them out."

"I…" Boris seemed as lost for words as Rossa herself.

"You must stay here in the castle, with us, if Lady Sara does not object. Only our best guest chamber is good enough for such a prince!" Father said.

Mother moved to stand at Father's side, repeating his offer. Before Rossa could object, Mother whisked Zuleika, Boris and Igor off to show them their chambers.

Leaving her alone with Father. Whose gaze remained fixed on her, as he smiled, waiting for her to ask the questions that burned her tongue.

"Do you…Father, how do you know Boris?" she asked.

His smile widened. "Oh, his reputation is well-known. As a warrior, as a leader, and there are those who say he is a saint. Quite a remarkable man. I have always wondered…and now I have seen him with my own eyes. A remarkable man indeed."

A man she'd called a monster. Which she still hadn't apologised for…

Rossa ducked her head, not wanting to meet her father's eyes. Gah, she'd been so stupid. It was a good thing Father had left her at home.

"With your godmother's help, we will leave for court on the morrow. With Prince Boris, for I have an inkling he might want to leave earlier than the spring," Father said. He patted her shoulder. "If you have any suitable court clothes, you'll want to bring them, so you'd best go upstairs and pack."

"Yes, Father." Rossa was halfway up the stairs to her tower before she thought to question how Father knew all the things he did. Yet she didn't dare return downstairs to ask, lest he reconsider letting her go with him.

Finally, Father believed she was ready, though Rossa herself felt far from it.

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