Page 45 of Artemysia
“The Syf love contracts.” - Riev
W hat the hell am I doing here? It’s a question I’ve been asking myself every day.
It’s still unbelievable that I’m a fucking Syf prince. It’s astounding, and must be a trick of some sort, and I suspect I’m being used.
The Artemysian history Foss recited to me this week was vague, and when I asked questions, he lectured over me. I couldn’t find anything useful in the books I read. Some were missing pages here and there, so obviously they were curated to give me only the knowledge they wanted me to have.
There’s more to the story of the three kingdoms. South Kingdom. Artemysia. North Kingdom. What am I missing here? Until I find out, I refuse to believe Foss.
Uncle Foss. Pfft. I’ve never had family before, and I’m not starting with a Syf family.
He spent the week preparing me for this mission, and tried to impart a bit of Syf royal history.
I was forced to take all my meals with him, but I gathered valuable information I may be able use against him in the future. I leave for North Kingdom tomorrow.
Tonight, after a meal of odd-tasting meat and sweet wine, King Foss directs me with an emerald-capped pen.
“Sign here, please.”
The Syf love contracts. Dealing with them seems to be what King Foss does a mind-numbing fifty percent of the time as ruler of Artemysia.
Reviews contracts, signs contracts, orders them drawn up for various royal concerns and business.
I’ve been shadowing him for a week, observing him as he goes about his day, while also completing my assignment of reading a dozen books about North Kingdom.
Luckily, I read and retain information quickly and still have time to annoy him.
The contract for my mission with Delphine is written by hand in green ink on thick cream stationery.
At least I can write my name. R-I-E-V.
“Last name?”
“Wolfgang.”
He taps the contract, waiting for me to continue my signature.
“Couldn’t write it to save my life.”
“That is going to be a problem. You’re going to have to learn to write.”
“I could draw you a picture of my handsome face instead…” I mutter dryly.
King Foss cocks his head, studying me. We have the same nose. Do I appear as snooty as he does when I look down my nose at people? I decide I must. He has a natural frown, too.
“You know, I knew you when you had wings,” he says. “Your hair was black, and you never cried. Your name was Aeros.”
What the fuck. I’m immediately engulfed in disgust. It takes all my energy not to shove the green fountain pen into something. Jam it into the contract. King Foss. Myself.
Against all instincts, I take a breath and imagine Delphine’s look of disapproval if I did any of that. She’d say I was acting out of self-loathing. And perhaps she’d be right .
It is a punch in the gut that someone knew me as something other than what I am now.
An innocent child.
Marije did, but she’s gone.
Galke has known me only as a killer.
I assumed King Foss viewed me as one too, but if he did, there would be no reason for him to bring up what I was like as a baby.
And I had a Syf name, too.
“Aeros,” I repeat with a grimace, guarding my churning emotions. The name rolls off my tongue. It isn’t terrible, but somehow it makes me feel more lost than ever.
“Syf names either start with a vowel or end with S. Both, in your case.”
Great. My name is doubly Syf. Just fucking fantastic.
“It’s a strong name,” Foss says mildly. “As is Riev.”
Right. This is a new kind of torture. Why is he being nice?
“Your parents shouldn’t have died just because they…” His lips shut, pressed tight. “Anyway, I’ve changed the laws since.”
When I see past my disgust, realization dawns on me. I’m both shocked and somewhat impressed.
Is Foss trying to bond with me?
Delphine would be able to read him.
I fucking miss her. They assured me that Delphine, Throg, and Ivy would be well taken care of as long as I stayed away from them until my assignment.
In return, I’m being civil. On my best behavior.
I’ll always have violence as a choice, but I agreed to read all the books King Foss assigned me to learn about North Kingdom.
Apparently, the library here is filled with stolen books from both North and South Kingdom.
He maintains that infiltrating North Kingdom is part of my penance for the lives I’ve taken. It doesn’t seem terribly unfair.
And in return for asking no questions now, I am promised all the answers I want after I return from North Kingdom.
Since I care about the safety of the others and want to see the mission through if only to uncover the mysteries presented, it seems our interests are temporarily aligned.
There’s no reason to fight right now. But that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about this.
What I am happy about, though, is that I will see Delphine tomorrow. The Syf have better been treating all three of them right. Otherwise, I’m sure Delphine and I can come up with an alternate plan together on the two-hour carriage ride.
She always knows what to do. It’s why the Syf have kept us apart.
She’s a damn force to be reckoned with.