Page 27

LETTERS

T he first letter had been funny, the second sad, and now that they seemed to be multiplying like a hutch of rabbits, she truly did not know what to do with them.

Each letter was the same, supposedly from her parents, asking that she contact them. The issue was that she had no parents that she could remember and even if she could remember them, why would she want anything to do with the people that had left her to die tied to a railing in the snow?

She should just throw them away, or burn them. Burning them sounded more satisfying. Emryn took the little pile of letters over to the fireplace, where the little fire burned, and tossed the letters in.

They smoldered, giving off an odd green smoke that Emryn knew immediately was going to give anyone that breathed it immediate issues and thanked everything that she was alone.

She raised her flame, using it to surround the hearth in an impenetrable shield, and guided the miasma of the burning paper up the chimney where it could hurt no one.

But the issue then became who would have sent the letters and how would they know that she would have burned them?

That said, they knew something about her, and that was very interesting and no little bit frightening.

She turned her back on the fireplace as the smoke dissipated and went back to working on the thing she was struggling with. Which was half the plan demanded by the council and half the written questionnaires that had been sent in by her potential tutors.

She would wrestle with the rest of it later.

She stayed bent over the table until Brutus came over and pawed at her leg. Cas was in meetings with the council all day today, which meant that she was going to have to walk him alone.

Not that she was in any sort of physical danger in the palace gardens. Mental danger maybe, but only from the idiotic twittering of the other noble ladies who disparaged her just loudly enough that she knew she was meant to hear it.

Not that it bothered her. Let them play their lawn bowls and she would walk Brutus and return to her rooms and very firmly not think about how badly she missed the temple.

While she’d had no fast friends there, no one she could bare her soul to, they had all been involved in the saving of lives and there was a sense of camaraderie in that.

It made no true difference. Relationships would come in time or they would not and she wasn’t the type of person who was going to chase approval from people that had never worked a day in their lives.

She got Brutus’ leash and took him out into the gardens. Her gown was simple today, in deference to the idea that she had nothing to do other than walk Brutus and figure out who was going to teach her.

She could at least walk their puppy. Even if she was utterly overwhelmed by the other.

Cas was due back soon, and again, Emryn had to remind herself that she couldn’t fall for the prince of Rodilla. Eventually he was going to figure out that he couldn’t be happy with her and ask that the tie be removed.

She walked out with Brutus. The puppy had already doubled in size over the last few weeks and was now up to her knees.

Cas had taken her to see the palace guard dogs and their heads were nearly to her shoulder.

She wasn’t certain how large Brutus was going to get, but the kitchen was having a hard time feeding him.

She should go to the kennel master and see if there was anything else she needed to know about taking care of him.

She changed her steps, heading out of the gardens and towards the stables. Cas had taken her there to show her the horses, he wanted her to rise with him when the seasons changed and the court went out on vast hunts that were pure panoply and very little actual hunting.

If it made him happy.

Emryn stopped, that was Cas’ voice and he wasn’t talking to her. “Ruby-”

“Cas,” there was a sound, one that she’d only heard a few times, but was unmistakable once you actually heard it. She’d heard the palace gossips, knew who Ruby was to Cas and now they were kissing in the back end of the gardens.

And it shouldn’t hurt like it did. A horrible pain down the center of her chest that felt like it was going to crush her into the dirt.

“Brutus, let’s go,” she whispered to the puppy, but he’d heard Cas and before she could get a better hold on him, he’d slipped her grasp and had dashed off around the corner.

Emryn followed, trying to get him back before-

But she didn’t succeed, and stumbled to a stop right in the eyeline of Cas and Ruby. Who smirked at her with a horrible, cruel light in her eyes.

“I-” Emryn turned. “Forgive the intrusion.” She started back the way she’d come. His Highness had Brutus and if she didn’t walk away, she was going to break down like a fool at the way Ruby was draped over Cas.

She heard him, calling for her, but she just picked up her skirts and fled. The pain rushing through her chest like a wave.

She made it back to her rooms, closing and locking the doors. She just needed a little bit to catch her breath. Emryn knew what would happen next, and she needed to be armored against it before it came.

As soon as the illness was gone, she was going to remove the tie and let him go back to his life.

She didn’t know where she would go, or what she would do, but it was better than this.

He’s said- but that didn’t matter either.

Emryn went to over to the bed. The one where he’d held her at night and slid down to sit on the floor next to it. Trying to think her way through what she had to do.

She’d said she would remain apart, would allow him to live just as he always had, and maybe it was time to revert back to that. Maybe she should just remain here, in her room, unless she was needed somewhere.

Blinking the tears back and down, Emryn stood up, walking to the table and settling back in front of the proposal for the city water. She could do this at the very least.

At least this way she could serve the city.

Even if she was alone.