4
T
he richly detailed Frasian maps made it easy to lose the hours. It wasn’t until my stomach rumbled demandingly that I finally was able to pull my attention away from the richly detailed representations of cities and coastlines I’d never seen. With some regret, I rolled the maps back
up and slipped them into their leather tubes.
Downstairs, I found Fina curled up in an overstuffed chair by the fire, entranced in a novel and already three-quarters of the way through it.
“Hey,” I said.
She jolted so hard she nearly toppled out of the chair. “Oh!” She blinked rapidly. “Wow! What time is it?”
I bit back a laugh. “Looks like you’re enjoying the book,” I said.
She brandished it at me. “It’s about a wolf who falls for a dragon shifter,” she said. “Very intense.”
“Sounds like it.”
“And I thought the king was intimidating,” she said. “Whew. At least he’s a wolf.”
“I don’t know,” I said, “I think I might prefer a dragon. At least then you don’t have to deal with the rest of the pack.”
“What?” Fina squawked. “The pack is the best part. I can’t wait to go on a run with the Nightfall wolves… I’ve heard they’re some of the fastest and strongest in Frasia, even stronger than the Dawnguard wolves.”
“Don’t let Wynona hear you say that,” I teased.
“Can you imagine?” Fina said, laughing. “She’d body slam me before I could finish the sentence.”
“Hey,” I said, “I was going to see about dinner. Would you like to join me?”
Fina’s big grin somehow grew even bigger. “I’d love that,” she said. “Should we see if the rest of the girls want to join? Even Wynona?”
I nodded. “I think we should,” I said. “Since we hardly had any time this morning. And we were all a bit on edge. I think it’d do well for us to get to know each other.”
“I agree,” Fina said. “And you know, if I don’t end up winning, it can’t be a bad idea to be on good terms with the queen.” She shot me a wink.
I laughed and shook my head. Fina wasn’t privy to my plan, but she didn’t need to be. She was right, though. If Fina won, and it was easy for Daybreak to gain access to the king’s ear—that might be the best solution I could imagine.
“Wonderful,” I said. “I’ll have my maidservants send invitations to the other women.”
“And I’ll ask mine about arranging the smaller dining room,” Fina said. “In two hours, then?”
“Perfect.” I offered Fina a playful curtsy, which made her laugh. “I’ll see you then.”
“I have to finish this chapter.” Fina waggled the book again. “I think they’re going to kiss.”
Laughing, I made my way back to the front of the library, where Amity and Rue were waiting for me. Both had a book in hand, which made me smile—I knew I liked them. They jumped to their feet as I approached.
“I’d like to invite the other women for dinner this evening, in the small dining room,” I said. “Can one of you extend that invitation?”
“Certainly!” Rue said brightly. “I’ll do that right away.” She handed her book to Amity then shifted with a goosebump-inducing crackle. Her wolf wagged its tail, then bounded out of the library and down the halls.
Amity set the books they’d been reading back on the stack where they’d found them. She escorted me back to my quarters in human form, which I was oddly grateful for. I’d had quite enough of wolves today—the guard had gotten under my skin.
“Are you enjoying Efra so far, milady?” Amity asked. “Is there anything we can provide to make you feel more welcome?”
“It’s lovely,” I said. To my surprise, I found I meant it. Despite the drafty, dark halls of the manor and the guard that had pushed me around a little, I was excited to make friends. I didn’t have them in Daybreak—just Griffin. Having a friend like Fina, even if it was temporary, was a new and unique joy. I wondered if I could get any of the women to tell me a little more about the landscapes of their cities—maybe that had sketches of their own. I longed to compare the real cities to the maps I’d seen.
“I’m very impressed by the library. I can’t say it’s something I expected.” “The Lady Glennis is an avid reader,” Amity said.
“But not the king?”
“I can’t say I know.” Amity followed me into the room and briskly stoked the fire until it was roaring again. “Will you be changing before dinner?”
“Oh, perhaps, but I can do it on my own,” I said. “I have some personal business to attend to.”
Amity curtsied and left me alone in the room. I opened my trunk and pulled out my stationary kit, still tucked safely in the inner pocket. I smoothed the fine eggshell paper out on the table and set up my pen and inkwell.
Letter-writing always soothed my nerves. It was easy to sink into the ritual of it, the delicate scratch of my pen over the paper, and the crackle of the fire driving away the draft. “Dear Griffin,” I wrote, “with any luck this letter may reach you just days before I return…”
By the time I’d laid out the events of the past two days, and my hopes for how I’d make my way home, the fire had started to burn down and the sky outside was darkening. I glanced at the clock, then started—I was going to be late for the dinner I’d planned! I cleaned up in a hurry, briskly changing out of my meet-and-greet dress into a simpler warm gown for dinner. I wrapped my hair into its usual plait and left the tiara on my vanity. For a moment, I considered wearing the pendant Griffin had given me—but I didn’t want anyone to ask about it. Better to keep things simple.
Before I left, I sealed the letter with my family crest ring. I didn’t expect the Nightfall court to go as far as to read my mail—but I still didn’t want to take the chance.
I hurried to the guest dining room, following Amity in her wolf form as she trotted briskly through the darkened halls. When I stepped into the dining room, small and cozy save for the vaulted ceilings and extravagant albeit dusty chandelier, the four women were already seated at the table.“I’m so sorry,” I said as I hurried in. “I was writing a letter and lost track of time.”“No worries,” Fina said with a smile. “We only just arrived as well.”Rona sucked her teeth. “Just like a princess to invite guests and show up late.”I started. Rona said that with such venom it shocked me. “It’s just as I said, I was only—”“Evening, ladies,” Lady Glennis said as she strode through the back door of the dining room. I wasn’t expecting to see her but I was grateful for the interruption. I took my seat at the table and took a quick sip of wine, avoiding Rona’s burning gaze. “I heard you had decided to dine together. I hope I’m not intruding.”“Of course not!” Fina said brightly. “The more the me
“Well, I’d only intended to give you this.” He pulled a small sheet of folded parchment from his pocket and offered it to me.Against my better judgment, I took it from his hand, and inhaled sharply in surprise when I unfolded it. It was a carefully drawn copy of the map he’d snatched from my hand earlier. Smaller, less detailed—but certainly the same. I gaped at it for a moment before I remembered myself, and straightened back up. Yes, I would definitely be spending time reviewing this copy in my room. But that didn’t make his behavior any more acceptable.“Thank you,” I said. “But I would appreciate it if you would refrain from bothering me further.”“Oh, I didn’t realize I was bothering you,” the guard said. He looked so damn pleased with himself, with his eyes flashing gold.“And I won’t be here in Efra long,” I said. “Better not to waste your time.”“And why’s that?” he asked. “You just said you were here for the Choice.”“The king won’t be choosing me,” I said. “I’m here to repr
The manor was quiet as I made my way to the nearby guest quarters. If I was going to get put in the stocks today, I should tell my escort about it. That was the right thing for a lady to do, wasn’t it?I cringed. Not that I knew a lot about being a lady, apparently. It’d taken me a grand total of two days to ruin my reputation with the court.“Barion,” I whispered as I rapped on the heavy wooden door to his quarters. “Barion, it’s me.”From inside the quarters, Barion heaved a great sigh. After a few moments of rustling around, he opened the doors and squinted blearily at me. “What is it?” “I need your help,” I said.A furrow of concern formed in his brow, and he stepped aside to motion me into his quarters. They were much smaller than mine, but the bed was still huge, and coals glowed in the hearth. I sat down at the small table, and Barion sat across from me. He was still barely awake, in a loose tunic and slacks. He glanced around the room like he might be able to will some coffee
My wolf urged me to bare my teeth, growl back, show this woman that I was just as capable as she was. For a moment, my wolf surged dangerously close to the surface—my skin prickled and my adrenaline surged with the desire to show dominance. It was close enough that Rona sensed it. She smirked.But this was exactly the kind of woman I didn’t want to be. Angry and conniving, using my wolf to get what I wanted. I was a lady and I was going to act like one, even when my wolf wanted otherwise. She was so active internally, more demanding than she’d been in years.Efra was bringing out the worst in me.Before I could say anything in response, the door opened, and Lady Glennis stepped back inside. “Ladies,” she said.The air in the room crackled with anticipation. The three other girls hurried to the table, setting their coffees down, and stood near Rona and me. My wolf settled back down, cowed by the knowledge of what was about to happen.Lady Glennis stepped aside. The King of Frasia strod
Rona looked inordinately pleased with herself as she talked up Duchess Alana more—her embroidery skills, her fine tea sets, her knowledge of Frasian civic matters. “The duchess seems to think the Dawnguard pack needs to develop newer training techniques—”“Speaking of techniques,” Wynona interrupted with a cool glare, “Your Highness, how are the affairs of the Nightfall military?”The king hummed thoughtfully. I realized Wynona was the first contestant to ask the king a question. And it seemed like she’d asked the right one, from the way the king began to speak casually about his plans for developing the Nightfall troops. Lady Glennis watched him carefully as he did so, as if waiting for him to let some confidential information slip. But the king was a skilled conversationalist himself—he seemed to be discussing the intricacies of the military without actually saying anything of detail. It was hard to focus on. These were matters I had no hand in within the court of Daybreak. I couldn
His smirk turned to a grin, and he raised his eyebrows at me briefly, almost playfully, before he turned and strode away down the hall. He left me dumbfounded, standing in the hallway like my shoes were nailed into the floor.“The most interesting thing here.” I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or a threat.6The next day, mid-morning, I was seated in a hard-backed chair against the stone wall of a narrow corridor. The ceilings were high, and the stained-glass windows were thankfully uncovered, letting sunlight sluice into the room. It was gorgeous, but so, so quiet, and neither I nor the two other contestants seated next to me were looking forward to what was behind that ornately carved wooden door.It slammed open. Rona strode out, her hands balled into fists at her side. She swore colorfully as she passed us, eyes blazing with fury.“Guess it didn’t go well,” Fina murmured next me.Rona left the hallway and Lady Glennis stepped out of the room with her trademark notebook in th
“Just fine,” Fina said. “Not my strongest area, of course, but I doubt the council members know how to rotate a field to keep it producing properly all year. We all have our strengths.” She linked an arm through mine. “Listen, we have the rest of the afternoon off while the council is doing their important deliberations, and I want to go into town. I need to see the dressmaker.” She sipped her coffee. “Not want. Need. I did not bring enough warm clothes for this climate.” I laughed. “I don’t know, that seems like it might be a bit of an ordeal…” “Adora, will you go?” Fina asked.“Of course,” Adora said. “The town square is beautiful in the snow.”“Come on, Reyna,” Fina said. “There’s a bookstore.” She grinned at me.That got my attention. Adora must’ve seen it on my face, too, because she broke into a laugh.“Fine, fine,” I said. “I’ll go. I’d like to see what kind of work the tailors do here, anyway.”“Right?” Fina said. “We have to learn about our potential new kingdom. Let’s finish
The assistant’s head barely reached Camille’s waist. He swept into a low bow, then disappeared behind the curtain, and reappeared with a bottle and three glasses. He guided us to a low couch by the mirrors, then poured us each a glass of fine red wine.“Wow,” I said, settling back into the couch. “This is lovely.”“Thank you,” Camille said. “I received notice from the court that you may be joining me, so I did want to prepare a nice experience for you.” Fina sipped her wine. “Experience?”“I’d like to show you some of the designs I have to offer,” she said. “Then we can discuss fabrics, detailing, changes, et cetera, et cetera. All the things that make a lady’s wardrobe her own.”In Daybreak, the tailors made my clothes for me without much input. I wasn’t given such freedom like this—freedom to choose and make changes. Excitement swelled in my chest.“The Court of Nightfall will be covering the costs, as well,” Camille said. “So please choose anything you like. The king made that very