by Naomi Lane
“It makes sense, though. Why else would someone want to marry that walking disaster?” said Crystelle.
“She should marry the palace archivist,” replied Yolanda. “I’m sure he would appreciate her language skills.” At this the girls began to giggle again. Then the proctor’s snores became slightly uneven, and the girls suddenly went quiet.
Jenna rolled over onto her side and tried to put the conversation out of her mind. Still, after all of her experiences and her long journey to the palace, it was simply too much. Tears rolled down her face.
After silently weeping for awhile, Jenna fell asleep and began to dream. She had had vivid dreams for as long as she could remember and often relished the chance to let her mind roam. That night she did not feel blessed. She dreamt she was climbing an endless white marble staircase. Every time she managed to climb a fair distance, she would trip and fall back down to the bottom. After several tries, she finally made it to the top. Suddenly Mrs. Hawes was there. “There you are, Miss Mallory,” she said, with her standard exasperated tone of voice. She grabbed Jenna’s arm. “Follow me.” Jenna was dragged through the palace. The figures in the frescoes on the walls and ceilings that she had thought so beautiful before now seemed to sneer at her as she went by. Mrs. Hawes opened a door and pushed Jenna through it into a sitting room. As she stumbled and fell to her knees, the other Ladies surrounded her.
“Look everyone,” Crystelle said. “The darkie is here. Should we help her back up?” They all laughed. Jenna wanted to leave, but she couldn’t move. “Poor thing, doesn’t she know that silver jewelry is out of fashion?” A hand ripped off her necklace. “And that lace is so last summer.” Hands began tearing at her gown. There was more laughter, and soon Jenna knew she would be naked before them. She wanted it all to stop. She wanted to get away from this place.
She started to concentrate and found herself rising above the ceiling. She could then see out across the whole palace complex and was free to roam. Harcourt Tower loomed in the west, so east she fled, away from the palace and her tormentors. Soon she was over Lake Elinore, and she picked up speed. The terrain began to become less familiar until the Zidarian Mountains loomed before her. This dream was an especially vivid one, even for her. She could see the Badlands stretching out on the other side of the mountains. Jenna had never seen them before, but recognized it because it was the only place in the known world where absolutely nothing grew, after being damaged after the last mage wars over a century ago.
Now on the eastern side of the mountains, Jenna spotted something unusual. There was a stone wall carved into the mountain face. It looked like mage work, possibly a relic from the old wars, and she moved closer to investigate. Although it definitely looked like something from an old legend, there was light inside. Jenna went through a window at the top of the wall and found herself in an office. Judging by the jars and artifacts on the shelves, she guessed it belonged to a mage. A fire roared in the hearth. She found it somewhat mesmerizing.
“Who’s there?” Jenna whipped around. She hadn’t noticed that man before. He was standing by a desk, and by his black robes and the amulet around his neck, must be a mage. He was tall with black hair and a young angular face. Jenna thought he had handsome features, but they were marred by the anger in his eyes.
Although he looked in Jenna’s direction, it was obvious he couldn’t see her. While continuing to look around the room, he picked up a knife from his desk, a knife like none Jenna had ever seen. It had a small angled head at the end, more of a precision instrument than a dagger. Suddenly, he stopped looking around and slowly turned toward Jenna. Then his dark eyes stared right at her. “By the gods.” He gripped the knife harder and raised it over his shoulder. He was about to lash out, but she couldn’t move.
At that moment, Jenna snapped back into her body and woke up back at Sevalian Palace in her bed in the Ladies dormitory. Sweat had broken out on her brow, and she felt slightly out of breath as her heart was still racing from seeing the mage. Jenna thought it such a strange dream, but she didn’t have long to think it over before falling back to sleep, this time without any dreams at all.
Chapter 3
When Jenna woke, it was still early. The sun had risen, but was still shining through the trees. All of the other Ladies were asleep. Jenna, however, felt restless and got out of bed. She had only a vague recollection of her disturbing dream, but did not think too much of it. Unfortunately, the conversation she overheard still ate at her, so she wanted to take the opportunity to spend some time for herself without having to deal with Crystelle or Yolanda. Since it appeared the other Ladies would still be asleep for some time, and she knew it was still some hours before she had to be at breakfast, she decided to put on one of her plainer dresses and go to the stables and take Bree for a ride. She wasn’t sure it was entirely appropriate, but as far as she knew did not violate any rules.
On her way to the stables she encountered a few servants. They looked a little confused to see her out and about, but did not try to stop her. When she arrived at the stables, she went straight to Bree, who had just been given some food. She sent Bree an image of a ride, and she started eating a little faster.
Jenna went up and down the stables, introducing herself to the other horses. Most of them were fine-looking animals, but were more interested in breakfast than in communicating with her, until she stopped in front of one who looked particularly dazzling all in white. “Hello,” she said. He sent her an image of herself. “Yes, that’s me.” She pointed to herself and said, “Jenna.”
“Miss? Who are you? What are you doing with Lady Aurelia’s horse?”
Jenna turned around to see a man glaring at her with his arms folded across his chest.
“Oh. Hello. My name is Miss Jenna Mallory. I am one of the Queen’s Ladies, just arrived yesterday. I came down for a short ride on Bree, my horse, before breakfast.”
He rolled his eyes. “Miss Mallory, if I may, my name is Master Durand, your riding instructor. If you have not yet been informed, allow me to explain that riding is only permitted during the appointed times. Perhaps with some advanced notice we could prepare your horse to be taken out, but we have too much to do to cater to the Queen’s Ladies’ every whim.”
Jenna became confused. “But Master Durand, I did not think to have you ‘cater to my whims.’ I can prepare Bree myself. Just show me to her tack.”
Durand’s face became incredulous. “You mean to tell me that you can saddle a horse on your own?”
Jenna usually had a little help, but she was tall enough she thought she should be able to handle it. “It shouldn’t be a problem, sir.”
Durand let out a sigh and somewhat reluctantly showed Jenna to the tack room. She quickly identified Bree’s riding gear, took as much as she could carry, and went back to her stall. Bree was ready and waiting. As Jenna began to prepare Bree to ride, Durand called to another, much younger stable hand. “Tobin, check over this Lady’s horse before she rides out to make sure everything is in order.”
“Certainly, Master Durand,” replied the boy. Jenna noticed he spoke with a slight accent common in the eastern provinces where there was more Khazaran influence.
“And you are prepared to rub your horse down afterwards?” Durand asked Jenna.
“Of course, sir,” she replied.
“All right, but if this causes any trouble I won’t allow it again.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you.” Jenna gave a slight curtsy and went back to work. She got Bree ready as fast as she could and began to lead her out of the stables. The boy, Tobin, came over to take a look. He had a bit of a scowl on his face as he checked on the saddle.
Jenna sighed. “I’m sure everything is fine. Bree would have told me if anything were wrong.” She bit her lip, remembering her promise to her brother not to mention her magic, but it was too late.
“You mean to say you can talk to your horse?” he asked.
“Uh, in a way.” He stared at her disapprovingly. His rig
ht eyebrow rose so far as to be covered by his black hair. Jenna gave in. “Well, I have a magic that allows me to communicate with them. In fact, I think that bay horse there,” Jenna pointed to a horse nearby, “has a problem with its shoe on its rear left foot. I would check on it.”
This left Tobin speechless. Jenna took the opportunity to lead Bree out and mount up. She would ride sidesaddle as was appropriate for a Lady.
Before leaving the stable area, Master Durand returned. “Miss, are you sure you are okay to ride?” he inquired.
“Yes, sir. I plan to just take a turn about the park. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Very well then.” He paused. “Thank you for the tip about the shoe.”
Jenna nodded and rode out. The air smelled fresh, and it was not yet late enough in the day to be overly warm. Bree, too, seemed happy to get some exercise, but she was curious about the sidesaddle since Jenna normally rode astride at the Salara riding school. Jenna gave her an image of a proper lady riding sidesaddle and a knight riding astride to try to explain. Bree seemed to understand.
They did ride through the park as Jenna had promised. It was pleasant enough, with many flowering plants and several fountains. Statues of gods and goddesses lined the trails. Bree sent her an image of the woods on the other side of the palace. Jenna also wanted to go riding there, but sent Bree an image of the sunrise to indicate another day.
At least she had convinced her father to purchase a Jenkins sidesaddle for her. A recent invention, it had a second, lower pommel that made it easier for her to control her horse and ride faster. She worked Bree into a trot, and they were soon past the East Wing of the palace. Jenna didn’t really know if it was appropriate to ride past the Central Tower. She decided since it was still early that she could risk it. She was curious about the West Wing and wondered where the other stables were.
Bree trotted out, and Jenna caught her first close-up glimpse of the palace’s other half. It seemed larger than the east side and much less ornate. It was made of stone masonry rather like the Central Tower, but a different kind of stone of lighter color. Arches ran along its length, and many workers were out restoring places that looked eroded or cracked. Jenna continued to ride through the park, keeping a fair distance between herself and the palace. She eventually spotted the riding training yard and main stables. These stables were much larger and more impressive. Jenna felt an itch to go over and peek inside, but she knew it was pushing it, and she didn’t want to get banned from riding on her own.
Luckily, some servants were leading two horses out for a little exercise in the training paddock. Jenna did not see her brother’s horse, but she did notice one of the horses had a large amount of desert blood. He was a black stallion, rare for a desert horse but not unheard of, and had a small white star on his forehead.
On his way into the paddock, his eye turned toward Jenna, and he suddenly looked spooked. He reared up, frustrating his handler. This worried Jenna. She had never tried to communicate with a horse at this distance before, but attempted to send him calm thoughts. She made contact, and his unease ceased.
From his mind Jenna sensed the curiosity and vigor she associated with young horses. He sent her an image of her on Bree coming over to him. Jenna bit her lip. She wanted to get closer as did Bree—it seemed Jenna was not the only one impressed by the young stallion—however, she didn’t want to get caught doing anything against palace rules. The stallion seemed to grow impatient. Jenna sent images to him and Bree of a stern-looking Mrs. Hawes slapping Jenna’s wrist with a riding crop. The horses seemed to understand, but were still disappointed.
She noticed one of the handlers had begun to stare at her. Jenna took this as a bad sign. She also knew she had to be back before breakfast, so she sent some final apologetic thoughts to the stallion and headed back in the direction of the East Wing.
Jenna made it back in plenty of time for breakfast. She received some stern words from Mrs. Hawes, but when she explained that Master Durand let her ride, Mrs. Hawes was mollified.
The rest of the morning proceeded quietly. The Ladies spent some time in the park enjoying the weather, but Jenna mainly kept to herself. She tried to do some reading, but it was hard for her to forget about the stallion and how disappointed he seemed when she didn’t get the chance to say hello. But as the day wore on, she had fewer thoughts about the stallion and more about the coming formal dinner. In fact, when the time came in the afternoon for Jenna to get dressed for the feast, she hardly knew where the rest of the day had gone.
She dressed in one of her favorite new gowns. It was made of green linen with gold trim and had long sleeves that flared at the ends. It was still quite plain in comparison to some of the older Queen’s Ladies, but Jenna hoped it would be deemed suitable without drawing too much attention. Her hair was braided and wound around the back of her head and covered by a simple net. Jenna examined it using a hand mirror that her mother had given her. It looked satisfactory, though she would never be entirely happy with her appearance. She would never have her mother’s beauty. Her nose was a little too large and her face slightly too round. Everyone said her eyes were her best feature. They were large, round, and dark, but she still didn’t think they were as beautiful as her mother’s.
She was just about to go downstairs when she was startled by Aylin, stunning in lilac and silver, walking over to her. “Jenna, I have a request,” she said with a smile on her face. “You speak Khazaric, and I still try to learn Sevalian. Will you translate for me at the dinner? Sit at the high table, next to me?”
Jenna was shocked by this. She had been told she would sit with some of the other Ladies and younger noblewomen that had arrived that day for the feast. To sit at the high table would be considered a huge honor, and as a commoner it might be presumptuous to even accept the invitation.
After seeing Jenna’s reaction, Aylin said, “No worry. I ask the Queen and she say yes.”
If it were true that the Queen had given her permission, then Jenna supposed it had to be okay. “I would be honored,” she replied, her heart racing.
Aylin’s smile broadened, and she grabbed Jenna’s arm, expecting her to follow. They hurried down the stairs and then met up with the Queen somewhere in the Central Tower. Jenna wasn’t quite sure where they were and suddenly felt extremely self-conscious, but there was nothing to be done then.
“Miss Mallory, welcome,” said the Queen. “I will present you to the King before presenting Princess Aylin. She will be sitting at my left side; you will sit next to her. Is that clear?”
Jenna merely bowed. They waited for awhile inside the chamber. Many well-dressed nobles were being led into another room beyond, supposedly to see the King. Finally, it was their turn. The Queen led them into an antechamber, at the far side of which sat two men. One Jenna recognized from his pervasive portrait as the King of Sevalia. He was over forty now and gray at the temples, but his blue eyes still showed great vitality. Next to him was a younger man with black hair Jenna supposed to be the Khazaran ambassador. The Queen spoke. “I present Miss Jenna Mallory, daughter of Alexander Mallory of Salara.” At the mention of her name the King’s expression remained inscrutable, but the ambassador actually looked somewhat surprised. Jenna curtsied as low as she possibly could, almost all of the way to the floor. As she rose she wondered if she should actually say anything, but instead the Queen continued to present the Princess. Jenna, feeling relieved, stood out of the way.
The King smiled when Aylin curtsied and spoke some words Jenna couldn’t hear to the ambassador, who had a smug look on his face. Jenna had a strange thought that she could be looking at the next Sevalian Queen.
Once the presentation was finished, Jenna and Aylin went into the central courtyard to stand at the high table, which stood on a raised platform. The courtyard looked far different from the previous day. It was filled with several long tables lit by festive mage lights at which many others stood, waiting to begin the feast. There were also tapestries hanging on t
he walls displaying the noble seals of each of the six Sevalian provinces as well as the Sevalian and Khazaran royal seals.
Aylin whispered to Jenna in Khazaric. “Thank you so much for doing this. I knew I would be so nervous at the dinner that all of the Sevalian words would fly out of my head.”
“I am happy to help,” said Jenna, smiling, though her heart was beating a hundred times a minute herself. Eventually the King and Queen entered the courtyard with the ambassador, and they stood at the high table. The King gave the signal for everyone to sit. The feast had begun.
Jenna examined the people sitting nearby. Across from the Queen sat a man with a strange appearance. Although he looked no older than thirty, he had completely white hair. Next to him sat a beautiful blond-haired woman alongside an older man, presumably her husband. The Queen introduced them to Aylin as Lord and Lady Vermillion, rulers of Vermillion province and also Lady Aurelia’s parents.
The first course of the meal arrived. It was some kind of fruit dish Jenna had never seen before. She thought it must have been native to the plains. She looked at her utensils and saw so many that she had no idea where to start. Thankfully, she observed Lady Vermillion start to eat hers and just followed suit. In the end, she wasn’t able to eat that much anyway. She was busy translating for Aylin as Lady Vermillion and the Queen asked her questions, mostly about how she liked Sevalia. Lord Vermillion looked bored, but Aylin seemed to be settling down somewhat, which gratified Jenna.
Into the second course, there was a lull in the conversation. Jenna’s eyes wandered to the white-haired man who had not been introduced. His attention seemed mainly fixed on the King and the ambassador, who were sitting over on the other side of the Queen along with some others, presumably high-level court officials, but Jenna didn’t know.
She was able to overhear the conversation some herself. The ambassador was also using a translator, a far more official one. They were discussing trade, specifically in lumber, a subject Jenna actually knew something about from her father’s business. The Khazars did not have extensive forested land, making them interested in Sevalian lumber. In exchange they exported mainly luxury goods, such as wine, gold, and also crafts from the Far East. Then Jenna heard something somewhat disturbing. The ambassador was talking about import tariffs, in fact offering a reduced tariff, but he was using an old idiomatic expression referring to how the goods were weighed at port. The translator was obviously confused, and the ambassador lost his pleased expression.