Page 32 of Deadwood
“It’ll be a smooth flight, I’m sure.” Though I couldn’t tell if I was reassuring her or myself. There was something exciting about the unknown, yet it remained formidable.
“Safe travels, Lady Auria.” With a dip of her chin, she was heading down the hall, leaving me to face the doors before me.
How many houses could have been built rather than wasting such resources on all these grand doors?
The guard standing post stepped forward, opening them for me. I entered the room, leaving him in the hall.
“Auria,” my father greeted.How welcoming.“Being tardy to your own trip is not the best impression.”
Heidi glared at me from her throne beside him, her eyes promising chastisement had my father not been present. Surely, I’d receive her infliction upon my return.
“My apologies,” I said quietly. “Packing took longer than I thought, as you’d expect, given I’ve never been away for so long.”Or at all, I wanted to add, but thought better of it with my stepmother seated only ten feet away. I’d rather not add to her already growing list of reasons to punish me when I returned.
“As you are aware, you will be traveling for three weeks. After you have visited Sulphur, Torbernite, and Feldspar, your traveling party has direct orders to return to Amosite immediately. The wedding ceremony is set for one week after your return.” My brows shot up at that, but he continued. “There is no room for debate, and if you are not back when you are expected, there will be consequences. Is that clear?”
I fought the urge to turn my eyes to the ground, instead keeping them trained on my father. Even in the small bit of freedom I was being given, I was still to be controlled, but did I expect anything else? It was the way my father talked of objurgating me if we were unpunctual, as if it’d be my fault. He rarely, if ever, was the one to dole out threats to me, so what was different with this? The risk of losing me for good? If instilling fear was his assurance that I would return, I worried it might only do the opposite.
I didn’t miss the hint of a smirk on Heidi’s face.
“Yes, Your Majesty. We will return in three weeks, and not a day later.”
Not so much as a blink indicated he heard me. “I will see you then.”
So much like the words I told Taylin moments ago, yet with a completely different emotion behind them. No pleasantries or hugs, just a formal farewell. I should have expected that from my father, yet somehow, I thought this goodbye might go differently.
I turned to leave, but my stepmother’s voice stopped me in my tracks. “I’d suggest following the rules laid out by your guards and being on your utmost behavior.” Her eyes narrowed, her voice lowering on what she said next. “Word travels.”
Her threat was loud and clear.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
And then I left, heading for the carriage that would take me away from the only place I’d ever known.
A place I wasn’t sure could be called a home.
CHAPTER 12
“Sulphur’s the farthest kingdom from us right now,” Lander stated from where he sat across from me in the carriage. He had offered to accompany me for the first leg of our trip, while Paxon had opted to travel on his personal horse outside, along with his brother’s being led just ahead of the coach. “But we’re heading there first due to the ease of travel along the land bordering the chasm. We can get there in prompt time on this route.”
I shifted on the seat, glancing at the small, curtained window. My dress was too tight, and the carriage was stuffy, a sort of musty smell invading me ever since I entered. We hadn’t crossed the bridge yet, having only left a short time ago, and I honestly wasn’t sure how far it was from the castle. Regardless of the uncomfortable space, excitement thrummed through me.
Before this moment, I never thought leaving Amosite would be possible for me. Sure, my father had talked about the trip and made plans for it, but like all else I longed for, I assumed it’d be taken away at the last minute. Something so desired put within arm’s reach, only to be snatched away before even the tips of my fingers could graze it.
But such wasn’t the case for this.
“Sulphur has livestock?” I asked, remembering some of what Katie had informed me of last night. She’d given me a quick rundown of details she thought I might need to know before my visits to the other kingdoms. She never brought up her near-warning again, though.
“And crops,” Lander added. “From cows to chickens, and corn to berries. We eat it, they grow it.”
“Is my father’s arrangement with them the problem?” I was trying to glean as much information about the trade issue as I could, given my father preferred to keep me ignorant on political matters. A woman with knowledge was powerful, so he did the one thing he could to prevent that—he kept me naive. And it worked. I didn’t know enough to go against his word.
I might as well take advantage of the opportunity to learn more from Lander while I could.
Lander folded his hands between his knees, swaying side to side as the carriage ran over dips in the path. “Such hard questions before we’ve even crossed the bridge.”
I shrugged. “A lady doesn’t waste her time.”
“She does not, indeed.” He was quiet in thought. The wheels creaking over the dirt and horses’ hooves stomping the ground were the only sounds in the enclosed space. “Not solely with them, I’m afraid.”
