Page 7 of A Clash of Embers

Clairece, my mother? I knew her name was Clairece, but we never called her that. It wasalwaysQueen Claire. My mother was always pro peace in the world, and it made sense that she would say something like that.

I didn’t want to give away who my mother was or my heritage because I needed to gain as much information as possible.

“So, when you say the royal families... Is that the name of their regions too or–?”

“When we make it to Monowi, I have a map I will show you. It will explain it a lot more than I can right now.”

The horses stopped outside a large wooden building overlooking the dark bay filled with boats and large ships. The chill in the air was more pronounced now, and my teeth started to chatter. I had never felt this type of coldness before because it had always been warm in Carondelet.

“Here we are, Clara.”

Leo assisted me in dismounting the horse and walking into the inn. The sign hanging outside of the building caught my attention. A painting of Hybrid Chrysanthemums with the word ‘Tranquillo.’

As we walked into the inn, my eyes locked on the interior. The walls were wooden panels with gold sconces and baskets of different sorts of flowers. Some I had never seen before.

A soft voice startled me. “Prince Leo. This is a surprise. We are all trying to remember what happened. It all feels like a strange dream. We all decided we would just pick up where we left off and fill in the pieces as we go,” the older woman spoke.

“Yes, that would be the best thing for everyone at this point,” Leo answered. She was an older woman with white curly hair pinned back. Her dress was thick and maroon with black lace around the edges. It was slightly tattered and worn, but so was she. Looking into her eyes, I noticed the twinkle of a purple shade I knew well. Just as quickly as I saw it, the color went away.

She was marvelous, and I wondered what she looked like in her younger years. I’m sure she had all the village boys going wild. She noticed me looking at her, and I smiled.

“Prince Leo, I know you are looking for rooms for your group. How many do you need?”

“I will need five rooms, please. Also, Clara, this is Susan, the Tranquillo’s innkeeper.”

The innkeeper glanced through her leather-bound books before remorseful eyes lifted and met Leo’s. “I’m sorry, but I only havefourrooms available and it’s lovely to meet you, young lady.”

He sighed, looking at the ground before returning his eyes to the woman. “That’s fine. We’ll take it. Also, do you have some clothes that could fit my friend?” He gestured to me.

The woman eyed me from head to toe before returning her gaze to Leo. “I have a few things that could work. Here are your keys. Fresh towels are in the closet on the second-floor landing, and I will bring up the clothes in a few minutes.”

She left Leo and me standing in the inn’s foyer by ourselves. Leo turned to hand me a key. “You will need to share a room with one of us. Each room has two beds, so you wouldn’t have to share abed,justthe space.”

“I don’t mind sharing a room with Clara.”

Neither of us realized that Callan was standing behind us when his voice bombarded us, causing me to jump slightly. Cal was stealth, and I liked that. He was beaming the biggest smile and winked, reminding me of Griffin. He had soft skin with hazel eyes that anyone would be intrigued to get to know.

Leo interrupted, “No, Cal. Not a chance.Iwill stay with her.”

I was still looking at Callan when his eyes moved back to mine with a hint of mischief in them before he responded to Leo. “Of course, YourHighness.”

Leo handed Callan a key without saying anything and started walking up the inn stairs. I realized about three seconds later he meant for me to follow him.

Once I reached Leo, he unlocked the door toourroom, and he held the door open for me to walk in first. My eyes raked over the two beds in the space and the windows that overlooked the bay. I walked toward the dormer and watched the boats depart their docks.

I heard Leo take some deep breaths. “Clara, I’m sorry that I put you in this situation. I know this is uncomfortab–”

I interrupted him without turning around. “I’m not uncomfortable, Leo. It’ll be fine.”

He didn’t know it, but I could kill him with a flick of my finger.

There was a soft knock on the door and Leo opened it. The innkeeper, Susan, came in with at least three dresses. They werenotmy style, but they would do for now.

When she approached me, she bowed. My eyes shot to Leo, who shrugged his shoulders and shook his head slightly with confusion. When she rose to look me in the eyes, I noticed she was being sincere and kind as she spoke.

“I know a goddess when I see one. I hope these dresses will do. Enjoy your evening.”

I held the dresses as I watched her walk out of the room, Leo following her to lock the door. When he turned around, he smiled. “Well, it won’t take long for people to find out who you are.” He walked to another door that was in the corner of the room.

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