head table. I hated how much care I had taken to dressâwhat reason was there to do so?âbut Iâd finally settled on a white dress with deep green sleeves.
The vibrant colors worn by the Qilarite nobles made my gown seem pale and drab. I hadnât had much choice, however, as everything the Tutors wore was white and greenâwhite to show that we were handmaidens of the god Aqil, and green to show that we were still Arnath slaves, no matter how many palace functions we attended.
As Laiyonea and I took our seats, Prince Mati shot us an easy smile that encompassed us both. It was so exactly like the smile he would have given me the day before that I had to look down to hide the crashing disappointment in my chest.
All through the meal I distracted myself by going over the higher order symbols I had learned so far and tracing them in my palm under the table. It almost worked. I almost didnât notice the procession of completely useless Scholar daughters coming up to flirt with the prince. I couldnât tell whether he enjoyed it or not.
Gritting my teeth, I wrote restraint in my left palm.
Though King Tyno had responded with hardly more than a grunt to the Trade Minister when he praised Matiâs pantomime performance, he laughed at the joking comments the western vizier, Del Gamo, kept making about the girls. I wanted to throw my goblet at both of them. Gamoâs wife sat at another table full of veiled wives, but their three daughters sat with their father at the kingâs table, as even the eldest was not yet betrothed. Not many men would take pride in a houseful of girls, but the western vizier boasted about Soraya and Alshara and Aliana constantly. Of course, he had no need to worry about their dowries. Gamoâs lands spanned the gold and silver mines around Pira, on the western coast of Qilara, and he was reputed to be wealthier eventhan the king. The golden necklaces and earrings the twins wore attested to this, as did the large purple jewel at Sorayaâs throat.
At our table, the War Minister boasted about capturing eleven Arnath slaves stowed away aboard a trading ship bound for heathen Emtiria in the east. I wondered uncomfortably if Jonis and Kiti had been involved in the escape attempt.
After the meal, Laiyonea pressed me to finish my fig cake, but I wasnât hungry. The bell dance began. For the first time, I would have liked to join the circle. It had nothing to do with the fact that there was an opening next to the prince. But Laiyonea said that dancing was not an appropriate pastime for a princeâs Tutor. Soraya Gamo took the open place.
I didnât mind at all when Laiyonea said it was time to retire. Noticing my mood as we lit candles for evening invocations in our sitting room, she laid a hand on my forehead, then sent for sunamara tea for me to drink before bed.
After I had drunk every drop to appease her, she sent me into my room and locked me in. She must have gone back down to the banquet, as she didnât usually lock my door when she was in her room. I had to cross her bedroom to get to the sitting room, so she would have known if I left. I wondered if Laiyonea used to lock Tyasha ke Demit in at night, or if she locked me in because she wished she had done so.
Still, any foolish, fleeting thoughts I might have had of sneaking out were dashed when the heavy lock bar slid into place. I undressed awkwardlyâthe tea had left me sluggishâand slipped into my loose sleeping gown. The servants had already opened the willow shutters to the evening breeze, so the sounds of thecelebration in the streets below wafted up to me as I blew out the lamp and lay down.
Be grateful, I told myself. Iâd had two narrow escapes todayâfrom the princeâs heated touch, from Jonisâs heated demands, both dangers that could have wrecked my world. Tomorrow I would go back to the Adytum and continue my lessons. Nothing had changed, not really.
Except
The vibrant colors worn by the Qilarite nobles made my gown seem pale and drab. I hadnât had much choice, however, as everything the Tutors wore was white and greenâwhite to show that we were handmaidens of the god Aqil, and green to show that we were still Arnath slaves, no matter how many palace functions we attended.
As Laiyonea and I took our seats, Prince Mati shot us an easy smile that encompassed us both. It was so exactly like the smile he would have given me the day before that I had to look down to hide the crashing disappointment in my chest.
All through the meal I distracted myself by going over the higher order symbols I had learned so far and tracing them in my palm under the table. It almost worked. I almost didnât notice the procession of completely useless Scholar daughters coming up to flirt with the prince. I couldnât tell whether he enjoyed it or not.
Gritting my teeth, I wrote restraint in my left palm.
Though King Tyno had responded with hardly more than a grunt to the Trade Minister when he praised Matiâs pantomime performance, he laughed at the joking comments the western vizier, Del Gamo, kept making about the girls. I wanted to throw my goblet at both of them. Gamoâs wife sat at another table full of veiled wives, but their three daughters sat with their father at the kingâs table, as even the eldest was not yet betrothed. Not many men would take pride in a houseful of girls, but the western vizier boasted about Soraya and Alshara and Aliana constantly. Of course, he had no need to worry about their dowries. Gamoâs lands spanned the gold and silver mines around Pira, on the western coast of Qilara, and he was reputed to be wealthier eventhan the king. The golden necklaces and earrings the twins wore attested to this, as did the large purple jewel at Sorayaâs throat.
At our table, the War Minister boasted about capturing eleven Arnath slaves stowed away aboard a trading ship bound for heathen Emtiria in the east. I wondered uncomfortably if Jonis and Kiti had been involved in the escape attempt.
After the meal, Laiyonea pressed me to finish my fig cake, but I wasnât hungry. The bell dance began. For the first time, I would have liked to join the circle. It had nothing to do with the fact that there was an opening next to the prince. But Laiyonea said that dancing was not an appropriate pastime for a princeâs Tutor. Soraya Gamo took the open place.
I didnât mind at all when Laiyonea said it was time to retire. Noticing my mood as we lit candles for evening invocations in our sitting room, she laid a hand on my forehead, then sent for sunamara tea for me to drink before bed.
After I had drunk every drop to appease her, she sent me into my room and locked me in. She must have gone back down to the banquet, as she didnât usually lock my door when she was in her room. I had to cross her bedroom to get to the sitting room, so she would have known if I left. I wondered if Laiyonea used to lock Tyasha ke Demit in at night, or if she locked me in because she wished she had done so.
Still, any foolish, fleeting thoughts I might have had of sneaking out were dashed when the heavy lock bar slid into place. I undressed awkwardlyâthe tea had left me sluggishâand slipped into my loose sleeping gown. The servants had already opened the willow shutters to the evening breeze, so the sounds of thecelebration in the streets below wafted up to me as I blew out the lamp and lay down.
Be grateful, I told myself. Iâd had two narrow escapes todayâfrom the princeâs heated touch, from Jonisâs heated demands, both dangers that could have wrecked my world. Tomorrow I would go back to the Adytum and continue my lessons. Nothing had changed, not really.
Except
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