Page 38 of A Queen’s Game (Aithyr Uprising #1)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Marietta

T ime crept on, moments blending together until Marietta forgot which day it was. After exploring every possible edge of the suite, frustration and boredom left her pacing the living room.

To escape Satiros, she needed to make a plan, but that seemed an impossible task when she couldn’t leave the suite.

The palace’s layout was unknown to her, as was Satiros itself, meaning she had to rely on someone’s help.

There had to be at least one person in the entire gods damned city that would aid her return to Olkia.

Marietta needed to believe that she could break free.

Deep longing filled her as she thought of returning home. Olkia would never feel the same without Tilan, but it was her home and she missed its familiarity. Maybe if she escaped Satiros, she could give the information she learned to the Olkian Guard to hurt Keyain.

His words from the other day echoed in her mind. For what it’s worth, I’m trying to be better. She would believe it if she saw it, which was unlikely. If Keyain couldn’t change before, there was little hope for him now.

“Are you going to keep pacing in the living room like a trapped animal?” Amryth asked, glaring over the edge of her book. She sat in her usual spot on the couch, never slouching, never truly relaxing.

The handmaid pulled Marietta out of her thoughts. “If I spend one more day in this gods damned suite, I will lose my mind. Keyain can’t expect me to stay here like this.”

“Well, try harder, I guess. Keyain’s orders were for you to remain here,” Amryth replied, turning back to her book.

At times, Marietta wondered if the handmaid was trustworthy.

Planning an escape would be a lot easier with someone who knew the palace.

However, she seemed too familiar with Keyain, leaving Marietta to wonder how close they were.

Perhaps the reason Amryth was so high-strung with her was that she was Keyain’s lover.

“Will you at least talk to me then so I don’t keep annoying myself with my thoughts?” Marietta grumbled.

Amryth looked up from her book again, sighing. “What would you like to talk about?”

“Anything. Tell me anything,” Marietta pleaded, still pacing the room. “What is it like living in Satiros?”

“It’s fine.”

Marietta gaped at her. “Just fine? That’s it?”

Amryth blinked, her stare as cold as an Avato winter. “Yeah, it’s fine.”

“Oh, my gods.” Marietta pinched the bridge of her nose, clamping her eyes shut. “Am I being punished? Is this Keyain’s punishment for leaving him?”

With a tilt of her head, Amryth snapped her book shut. “What do you mean by leaving him?”

Marietta swore. “When the humans captured me,” she lied. “I left his side, and that’s when they abducted me.”

Amryth stared, her dark eyes seeing through Marietta as silence encased them. “You’re a terrible liar.”

“I’m also terrible at being stuck in a tiny room all day with nothing to do but read boring books or play cards games,” she yelled, exasperated.

“Do you understand I lived a full life, every minute of my day accounted for? I cleaned, I baked, I ran my business—I did everything myself. Never did I sit around, reading and playing games all day. I need to be doing something, always. My life was chaotic, messy. And so incredibly busy. And guess what, Amryth?” Marietta squared her shoulders to the handmaid.

“I loved every gods damned second of it.”

Amryth rolled her eyes. “Calm down, will you?” The book she held thumped onto the coffee table as she stood up from the couch. Shaking her head, the handmaid left the living room, Marietta trailing behind.

“What are you doing?” she asked, peeking into the dining room.

Amryth stepped into the entryway, cracking the door. Marietta heard the low voices of the guards outside, saw Amryth laugh as she talked. Then she gestured for Marietta to come to her. “Good news. I now owe the guards a favor. We’re going on a walk.”

Marietta’s heart skipped a beat. “Seriously?”

“Unless you’d rather stay here.”

“Say no more.” Marietta pranced to the door, her body jittering with energy. Half tempted to hug the handmaid, she resisted, not wanting to sully the opportunity.

The pair departed from the suite, winding through the Noble’s Section with its marbled everything, velvet this and that. Marietta paid little regard to those details. Freedom occupied every bit of attention she had.

The sun’s warmth on her skin was glorious.

After being trapped for what felt like an eternity, she was grateful to experience any weather, including the day’s heat.

It consumed her, too, like her freedom, soaking in every drop of sunshine that touched her.

She didn’t even care about the staggering silence of the elven nobles inside, all watching her wide-eyed as she left the building with Amryth.

Outside the Noble’s Section was a courtyard shrouded by trees.

At its center was a three-tiered fountain, each layer an unfolded flower chiseled out of stone.

Upon the petals were dancing sprites with leaves for dresses and thinly carved wings.

Marietta paused to examine the details, still so impressed with the craftsmanship. If only Tilan could see.

“Come on,” Amryth murmured. “I forgot the nobles would gawk at you without Keyain around.”

Sure enough, when Marietta looked at the building, pressed against the glass were their faces, watching. She turned her back and followed the cobblestone path into the Central Garden.

The mid-afternoon heat only grew warmer, Marietta appreciating every drop of sweat she worked up as they walked. Never again would Keyain keep her trapped. She’d have to convince him it was alright for her to leave, especially under the watch of Amryth.

Marietta bent down to sniff a blue hyacinth, its perfume helping calm her. Mixed shapes and colors from the elaborate flower beds complemented one another, giving depth and dimension at each step. The sweet scent of freshly bloomed flowers filled the air as her mind eased itself.

The handmaid remained stiff as ever as she meandered the garden’s paths with Marietta. With eyes that were always alert, she scanned their vicinity and ensured no one was following them.

Marietta stopped to examine a statue covered in climbing ivy just off the path.

With the vines pulled back, she found a feline face with the body roughly the size of a child.

She smiled to herself, recognizing the creature—a malk.

Her father used to tell stories of this feyrie creature hunting in packs.

Out of curiosity, she stepped off the path, searching through the greenery.

Sure enough, she found a second malk carved to be yawning.

Sharp teeth lined its mouth, remembering that they used to tear into their prey with brutal bites.

“Where did these statues even come from?” she asked, returning to the path with Amryth.

Beads of sweat dripped down Amryth’s forehead. “Not sure. They were always a part of the palace.” The handmaid rolled up the sleeves of her jacket that covered the dress she wore underneath.

“Take off your jacket if you’re warm. It feels nice to have the breeze on your skin.” Marietta held out her arms, tipping her head back to let the wind tousle her hair.

“No, it’s alright. I’m used to the heat.” Amryth quickly wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“Oh, come on. Just take it off. Who would see if we’re avoiding people in the first place?” Marietta said.

Amryth stared, then rolled her eyes as she removed the jacket, revealing the well-sculpted bulk of her arms.

“Wow, you could make Keyain jealous,” Marietta teased.

Amryth laughed. “Oh, he wishes he had arms like mine.” A subtle flex showed that she was competition for Keyain.

“How do a handmaid’s arms make a great warrior jealous?” Marietta asked, teasing as they continued down the path.

“By training in my free time. I like to stay fit.”

A handmaid that exercised seemed odd. Perhaps that’s why Keyain had chosen her. Not only was she loyal to him, but Amryth could also protect Marietta—or subdue her. She frowned at the thought.

The honeyed voice of the Queen blew from down the path. “You’ve already ambushed me in the gardens. Why must you now pester me with questions?”

“Because she’s part of your court,” answered a deep voice. “You haven’t met with her after insisting I interrogate Keyain.”

Not having seen them yet, Marietta pulled Amryth off the path and under the limbs of the trees. The boughs, thick with leaves, hid them from sight.

“What are we doing?” Amryth hissed.

“I would rather not talk to them,” she said, gesturing in the direction of the Queen’s voice.

Amryth’s eyes followed her hand, nodding, and stood in the shadows with Marietta.

“She did nothing to suggest she knew.” Queen Valeriya appeared from around the corner, walking with an elven man.

As they approached, Marietta studied him.

Slim bodied, but a wiry build, and his expression neutral with a wave of blue-black locks falling into his eyes.

A flick of his head shifted his hair, revealing his face—haunted, with dark eyes marred by purple underneath; handsome, with a narrow chin and arched lips; mysterious, lacking any trace of emotion.

The crown on his head revealed who he was. King Wyltam. Her husband’s best friend.

Marietta’s usual clients in Enomenos had been business owners.

They had various levels of charm, personality, and charisma; but Marietta could read them all the same.

Rarely would she encounter someone difficult to read, but it delighted her when she did.

They were fun to pick apart, figuring out their personality and learning to read the subtle signs of their emotions.

The King of Satiros would be such a puzzle—one Marietta knew she’d find thrilling to solve.