The Queen, Caro tells me, prefers to remain in her room, away from the useless gossip of the estate’s inhabitants. The guards posted at either side of her door serve as a testament to this. While we approach, they remain still as stone; watching their ashen faces, I fear for a moment that time has stopped again.
Caro passes between the guards without fear or hesitation. Ina follows close behind, fingers fluttering at her waist. I wonder, with a flicker of pointed curiosity, whether she is always this nervous in the presence of the woman who raised her. Inside, the queen of Sempera sits in a high-backed chair carved from deep brown wood. Both Ina and Caro curtsy low, and I do the same, keeping my eyes trained on the thick, gold-and-green carpet below my feet.
Caro speaks first. “My Queen, may we present to you Jules Ember. Ina and I would like her to join the royal retinue, to serve you.” The Queen remains silent. “She served at Everless in her childhood, and knows the estate well. Jules,” Caro finishes.
I straighten up, raising my eyes from the ground to find that the Queen is watching me blankly. Boredom and disdain seem to have carved themselves into her features, making her beauty cold, distant—the beauty of a star. Still, her gaze is piercing, her voice even more so.
“Ina, this will please you?” the Queen asks.
“Yes,” Ina answers quickly. “Jules was Roan’s companion as a child. Nothing would please me more.”
A nearly imperceptible look passes between Caro and the Queen—a silent command that leads Caro to clear her throat. “Jules, serving the Queen and her daughter is not like serving a noble family. It comes with certain dangers.” I keep my eyes trained on Caro, though my heart has begun to pound violently in my chest. “You will not speak of the Queen to anyone. You will not enter her chambers uninvited. You will not lay a hand on her, even to assist her. If anyone should approach you about her, or suggest violence against her, you will tell me immediately.
“Threats to the Queen are not uncommon, as I’m sure you might have heard,” she explains. “With great power comes great violence, both from within and without.” Caro’s speech sounds taut—rehearsed. I wonder how many times she’s delivered it.
“Threats are dispatched without grief or conscience, and with complete discretion,” Caro continues quietly. “If you would like to serve us, you must understand this.”
I think the seriousness of her tone would strike fear into anyone’s heart, much less someone already harboring treasonous thoughts. I scarcely breathe, and hope my face doesn’t betray me. Luckily, Caro mistakes my emotion for something else and tries to give me a reassuring smile. I bow my head, suppressing a shiver. “I understand.”
“The same, of course, goes for Ina.” Now Caro’s words seem slower, as if she’s laboring over them. “If you serve her, we must be sure that you’ll protect her with your life.”
I nod. “I will.” Caro manages a weak smile.
The Queen considers me, then rises smoothly to her feet, towering over us. “We’ll soon see. Step forward, girl,” she says.
When I hesitate, Caro lays a hand on my shoulder, an unspoken prompt to move next to Ina. I swallow and take an uneasy step forward, though my knees are still trembling beneath my skirts. Ina glances at me, smiling encouragingly.
“We’re going to administer a loyalty test of sorts, Jules,” Caro says, stepping to the side of me. “To make sure you have the instinct for the position.”
“Anything you need—”
I stop when a movement ahead of me makes me look toward the Queen. She’s produced a knife from somewhere. In her hand, the blade gleams. I freeze in terror as she raises it behind her shoulder.
And throws it straight at Ina’s chest.
Silver flashes through the air.
Reflex bursts through my limbs. Faster than I can think, I move in front of Ina, sending up a plea to the Sorceress for time to slow, expecting any second to feel sharp metal biting into me.
But I feel nothing except for the double-time beating of my heart. Nothing comes. And nothing comes. For a second, I think I’ve done it—but when I open my eyes, my heart still loud in my ears, it’s Caro who stands with her arm out, fingers wrapped around the knife’s handle. She’s caught it only inches away from where it would have sunk into my chest. I marvel at her speed. Her chest rises with the effort of catching it, but only slightly.
I breathe out. A loyalty test. My life for Ina’s.
The Queen stares down at me, her face unreadable, as Caro returns the knife to her. I don’t know whether it’s my imagination or the chill of her words, but cold seems to emanate from her and settle into my own skin.
“Well done,” she says. “To you as well, Caro. I see you didn’t slip up this time.” When the Queen turns her gaze to me, Caro’s eyes flash with shame. “Remember that if you don’t protect Ina with your life, should any risk come to pass, your years will be forfeit.”
My mouth is dry as dust, but I swallow again and force myself to reply. “I understand, Your Majesty,” I say, stripping all emotion from my voice.
The ruler of Sempera settles back in her chair and nods, and the room seems to let out a breath. I hear Caro’s and Ina’s soft breathing, a swish of fabric as they move. As the Queen waves a hand to dismiss us, I turn to look at them. As one, they smile back at me, with something like gratitude—or pity—shining in their eyes.