Page 39 of A Throne of Blood and Ice

“Tell you what, Nox,” the queen says, her pale eyelashes fluttering, “how would you like to come stay with me?”

My heart skips, and my mind replays the invitation. Before my fumbling mouth can get the words out, Zora answers for me. “You mean at the palace? Of course we want to come stay with you. Right, Nox?”

Zora must be completely oblivious to the fact there’s a guard holding me still, because she bounds right up to us and shoves me in the arm.

My tongue is numb, but not from the cold.

“Nox,” Zora hisses.

“Right. Of course. It would be our honor,” I say, having to relearn how to talk before I get my reply past my lips.

But the queen doesn’t smile like I expect her to. Instead, her blue eyes flit back and forth between my sister and me, her whitewashed lips forming into a hard line that slits across her face. “I’m afraid I must not have been clear. There is only room in the royal household for a single apprentice.” Her gaze settles on me, even as Zora recoils.

An apprentice?

The single word sends flurries of excitement racing through my veins. The queen doesn’t just wish for me to stay the night at the palace. She wants to name me her apprentice. I’m not sure what all that entails, but I’m fairly certain it means access to the queen’s laboratories, as well as a heaping pile of gemstones in my future, at the very least.

“Him? Why do you want Nox?”

The queen purses her lips, her expression less than pleasant.

To be honest, I’m wondering the same thing. Most strangers fawn over my fair-haired sister. Where her cheeks are naturally sun-kissed with health, I’m fairly certain I could spend the summer in the Sahli and still be just as sallow. Where her blue eyes are bright and inviting, mine are the shade of the ice barring a frozen lake.

People find me eerie.

Of course, people find Zora eerie too, but only after they discover she’s my twin.

A twinge of delight trickles into my stomach.

The queen prefers me to my sister.

Zora crosses her arms, and based on her acrid expression, I figure the only thing keeping me from getting another helping of snow in my mouth is the guard at my back.

“Mama and Papa won’t stand for it,” she says, and then she takes off, sprinting up and hill and disappearing from view.

“She’s just jealous,” I tell the queen, nervous now that she’ll take my sister’s assumptions seriously. “Mama and Papa will be honored.”

That lovely smile returns to the queen’s pretty face, and the knot in my chest loosens.

At the queen’s command, the guard helps me into the carriage. It makes me nervous to sit, because the cushions are white as freshly shorn wool, and my britches are muddied from wrestling Zora in the snow.

The queen must sense my hesitation because she gestures toward the seat across from her and her husband. “It’s been a long while since I’ve had the pleasure of cleaning up a child’s mess.”

That gives me the confidence I need to take my seat, though my mind latches onto her words. I don’t remember my parents saying anything about the queen having a child. But perhaps if her child is dead, she might not wish to speak any more on the topic.

With a whistle, the king signals the driver and the horses launch into motion. Except instead of continuing on their route, they turn around.

“Oh, wait. My parents live that way.” I gesture toward the west, which we are leaving behind in the dust.

The queen’s pale brow creases. “But dear. I thought you said you wished to return to the castle with us.”

The king frowns in unison, and I’m beginning to wonder if he simply mirrors everything his wife does.

I stumble over my words, frantic now that the queen has misunderstood. “No, of course I want to come stay with you. But my parents will worry when I haven’t returned. And won’t…won’t I need a change of clothes?”

The question feels silly rolling off my tongue. Of course, the king and queen will have a change of clothes for me to wear. They are the king and queen, after all.

“You needn’t worry about clothes, child. As for your parents, I imagine your sister will inform them of the situation. Though if you desire, I’d be more than happy to send Cochran to relay the message.”

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