Page 89 of Of Spindles and Nightfall
He had agreed to protect the humans, but that deal had been driven by her motives, not his.
“Every couple of months, His Majesty must weave a new spell by hand from the magic threads he creates. However, our service isn’t the only thing he receives in return, there is something else he gets out of it,” Ernon offered.
His eyes were bright with excitement, and she knew he wanted to tell her.
“Can you ever shut your hole?” Mils said.
Ernon threw up his hands. “She wishes to understand, and what harm is there in informing her when it could aid in the trials?”
“The question you need to be asking is why hasn’t the arch king told her already? He clearly doesn’t trust her.”
Aryana blinked. “I thought Zarathos only makes one-to-one bargains.”
“He makes one-to-one bargains whenheis offering something, but he can require extra things from those he makes bargains with, depending on the level of support he is giving.”
“What else did he demand from Kingdom Inferna?” Aryana asked.
“The loyalty of Kingdom Inferna in the trials.”
She tripped on the stairs and barely caught herself. So Zarathos had gotten something worthwhile out of the deal.
She understood why the leader of Kingdom Inferna would want to eliminate the small creatures. They were a liability to any secrets the nation wanted to keep. Aryana was surprised that Zarathos took a risk on them to safeguard his private matters. Then again, potential genocide was a powerful motivator to curb any natural instincts.
The miniature imps stopped in front of the heavy wooden door. “We’re here,” Ernon said.
They led her into the large, rounded room. The windows were now covered in a sheer white cloth to let in light but not direct sunlight. Around the sides of the chamber, the once bare shelves were full of thread dyed all sorts of colors. She took in the spinning wheel in the center of the circular space.
And behind the wheel was a tapestry loom.
Aryana drifted over to it. It was at least as tall as her, similar to the one she had in her chambers back home. She traced her fingers over the fine wood.
“Do you like it?” Ernon asked, a grin on his face. “His Majesty told me toassemble it.”
She stared in disbelief, her stomach doing somersaults. “He had this set up for me?”
“Mimps may be gossips, but we are also craft workers,” Ernon answered. “We’ve been assembling the loom over the last four nights. Other mimp families have been dyeing the thread, as you see.”
“Nearly broke our necks trying to place the covers on the windows,” Mils muttered.
Four nights. That was just after their visit to Uncle’s castle. “But why?”
Ernon scratched his head. “We wondered that at first, too. But he must not have wanted you to be bored, stuck here in his rooms. The trials can last up to a month.”
“I don’t understand.” Why do any of this if he was only planning on killing her in the end? It made little sense.
“His behavior has been quite different as of late,” Mils said.
Now Ernon cast Mils a dirty glance, but she only shrugged. “What? It’s true.”
“We should get going.” Ernon grabbed the other demon and backed away. The door shut behind them as the exited the room.
The shelves of thread brimmed with vibrant hues of every shade imaginable, a tapestry maker’s treasure trove. Each spool, arranged by color, waited to be woven into a greater design. She ran her hand along the shelf, taking in the rich tones—blacks, browns, and deep blues—the grounding forces that added depth and contrast, giving the lighter threads room to shine and stand out. In the delicate balance of creation, these dark threads formed the necessary shadows,creating structure and definition, allowing the tapestry to come to life in its full, complex beauty.
“I see Ernon and Mils have shown you the additions to my sanctuary.”
Aryana jumped and spun to face Zarathos, placing a hand on her chest. “You startled me.”
“I can tell.” A small smile lifted his lips, and his gaze dropped to where her heart galloped.
