Page 137 of Fortress of Ambrose
She ventured into the hall and paused, waiting for her shadow of death. But the ancestors didn’t come. She descended the stairs to the lower floor and exited her estate. The snow chilled her toes, despite her shoes. By the time she got to Yagrin’s quarters, she couldn’t feel her face or her hands. She knocked at the door and twisted the knob. It was unlocked. The room was in disarray, with clothes all over the floor. But he was not there.
She wanted him back. She needed him back. She left his room and made her way back across the snow. Had something happened to him? Yagrin could take care of himself, but Ellery had become someone she didn’t recognize.
When she approached the doors of Dlaminaugh’s main building, she froze, realizing there still weren’t any dead swarming around her. The ancestors weren’t outside her door. They weren’t hovering outside the building either. She gazed around her in every direction, but didn’t see a single one.
The toushana inside Nore twinged, like a shard of glass stuck between her ribs.
She pushed the door open and found the estate dimly lit. A huddle of Electus occupied a circle of lounge chairs.
“Excuse me,” she said to them.
“Headmistress! Sorry, didn’t see you there,” one said, a simple white mask bleeding through their skin.
“Have any of you seen ancestors looming around here?”
“The dead haven’t been in this corridor since noon, Headmistress,” a round-faced girl with dark bangs said. “I’ve been here working on Anatomics since then.”
“There was one outside during the lesson earlier in the graveyard. Remember? You mentioned it when we were using the diffuser stone.”
“Right.”
“One?”
“Yes, one.”
Nore’s mind whirred. She thanked them and excused herself, when the girl with bangs cleared her throat. She stood up from her study chair now, showing off her gray dress, which was cropped at the shin. There was blue stitching along the bodice in leafy patterns.
“I hope it’s alright,” she said. “I did the changes myself. My mother’s Oralian, an expertly trained Vestiser.”
Nore watched the girl turn, showing off the nice movement of the fabric. She ran her fingers across the detailing. But what caught Nore’s eye was the erectness of her posture, the slight pucker to her smile. She wasproud.
“It’s the prettiest dress I’ve ever seen between these walls,” Nore said.
“I was thinking of dyeing the tips of my hair to match the detailing.”
“Only if you save some of that dye for me, too.”
She curtsied. “Yes, Headmistress.”
“Nore. Please call me Nore. I’m a handful of years older than you.”
“Respectfully, age doesn’t make a Headmistress, intellect does.”
“What is your name?”
“Lauren, ma’am.”
“And who is your lead maezre?”
“Maezre Ogle. I’m sorry if I’ve offended you. I only meant that you were chosen before it is custom, which means you must be wickedly sharp. And from what I’ve seen, you have a refreshing way of thinking about things.”
Nore felt a lump rise in her throat. She’d never stood in these walls and heard such kind words about herself. And certainly not like this now. When she was hardly worthy of the role she had. It was a facade. It was all a facade. Except she had recognized the brilliance in Winkel’s push to be bold. She knew what it was like to feel like you were dancing to a humdrum melody stuck repeating the same step. Something as simple ascolorbrought fire to her soul.
“It takes cleverness to recognize it. I am going to tell Maezre Ogle you’re very impressive and he would be wise to keep an eye on you.”
She beamed. “Also, my understanding is the ancestors thrive under the moon’s light. So they are most present at night. But the last three nights I’ve studied here, the halls have been more vacant each time. Maybe they moved back outside?” She hugged around herself. “Having them around all the time indoors is taking some getting used to.”
“They won’t hurt you.”It’s me they’re after if I disobey their request.“Don’t worry.” Nore thanked Lauren again and left them all there. The estate was large, and she hadn’t roamed its every nook and cranny since she was very young. The dead had to be around there somewhere. She was going to find them.
