Page 25 of Jailer to the Death God
With a glance at the timepiece, I climb off the bed, irritated at myself for sleeping this late. I hurry into the parlor and ring the bell to let the maids know I’m awake. Then I sweep into the bathroom to relieve myself and clean my teeth.
When I come back into the parlor Arawn is there, horned and handsome, finger-combing his long wavy hair. He’s wearing a black silken robe he must have found among my father’s things. It’s loosely belted, showing a generous triangle of his chest.
“Little Queen,” he says, low.
A thrill runs through my belly.
I’m immediately furious with myself, so I snap, “Do you know where Rose and Leilani are? My friends who died yesterday? You weren’t there to oversee the furnace. Will they get to the right place in the afterlife?”
“I can assure you they will be well-placed. As I mentioned, the process operates smoothly without me—or at least it will for a few days. After that, with your permission, I’ll return to check on things in my realm. If nothing else I must ensure that my hounds haven’t run wild.”
“Hounds?”
“Souls who did wicked things, whom I punished personally. They are hounds of shadow and fire who serve me, tracking down other cruel souls whose sins are so egregious they deserve an early death. And my beasts have other duties as well. But they are volatile, and need a strong hand to control them, or they begin choosing prey at their own whims.”
I can’t let Arawn go back into the Pit. What if he doesn’t return to me and fulfill his bargain? What if he’s trying to trick me into releasing my hold on him?
He eyes me knowingly, then says, “I’m bound to you for a year, so you need not fear—I will return.”
“We’ll see how many people you can save in a few days,” I tell him. “And then we’ll talk about you going back to the Unlife. Get dressed, and change your skin color. And dispel those horns. I don’t suppose you can shrink at all?”
He gives me a look of haughty derision.
“Fine. You can have breakfast when they bring it, and then stay here quietly until I fetch you.”
With another glare, Arawn disappears into my father’s bedroom.
I’m surprised—and a little disappointed—that he didn’t fuss at me for giving him orders again.
I return to my room to select my outfit for the day—something elegant yet serviceable. Not quite mourning, since we’re bringing hope to the people—but still somber, out of respect for the dead. I choose a dark blue gown, thick and warm.
While I’m pulling back my hair into a simple twist, two maids enter my bedroom, carrying fresh sheets.
“Our apologies for the state of your room last night, Your Majesty.” The maid who speaks looks as if she might cry. “And I’m sorry we didn’t arrive quickly enough to help you dress this morning. There are so few of us now, and we didn’t realize—”
“Think nothing of it,” I assure her. “Have my guards help you with the mattress—it’s too heavy for the pair of you.”
“You are a goddess, Your Majesty,” she says fervently, and the other maid nods with eager gratitude.
“Nonsense. We’re all pulling together to get through this, aren’t we?” I jab in a long pin and pat my hair. “I have a guest from another kingdom—a healer from Terelaus. He’s a very private person, and prefers to remain here in my suite until I’m ready to take him into the city. Don’t speak to him, or let anyone else know he’s here. We don’t want to raise false hopes, you understand.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” they chorus.
I hurry back into the parlor, where the maid Hessie is setting my breakfast tray on the table—toast and porridge for two, with a little fruit. I smear a piece of toast with a thin layer of porridge, dribble some fruit over the oatmeal, and then slap a second piece of toast on top. Cup of tea in hand, and then I’m out the door, meeting the chief manager halfway down the hall.
“Report to me as we walk,” I tell him. “I have a tighter schedule today.”
12
Last night, before the Queen had her nightmare, I lay in the bed, prey to the sensation of those phantom chains constricting my body, like dark lines of ice.
When I was wrestling with the Queen, and then later, when I entered the hot bath, those sensations disappeared. And during the second half of the night, when she was pressed against me, I couldn’t feel the chains at all. Instead my skin surged with tingling heat wherever her body contacted mine. The sound of her steady breathing lulled me to sleep, and though I woke early, needing less rest than humans do, I remained utterly motionless, simply resting in her presence.
My nearness seemed to soothe her, too. There were no more nightmares.
Now, as I walk through the parlor, the glide of the silky black robe against my body mutes my sense of the chains as well. And when I begin to eat the breakfast brought by Hessie, the maid, the chains evanesce entirely.
Apparently human sensation eases my awareness of my own bondage.
