Page 28 of Insolence (Eisha’s Hidden Codices #1)
Itissa
O n the way back to the atrium, I smooth down my hair and the front of my dress, praying my shameless blushing is somewhat under control. I spot Mother Deirdre waiting by the fountain before she sees me.
Her arms are crossed, but she looks more bored than agitated. I pray to every god I can think of that Ghisele was exaggerating.
The prioress pins me with a hard, inscrutable gaze when I approach. “Good evening, Itissa.”
“Prioress,” I answer through swollen lips, feeling as if my recent activities are painfully obvious. I’m holding my breath and waiting for her to see right through me.
“Come, walk with me somewhere we can talk.” She turns aside, heading in the direction of the refectory.
Heart racing, I follow her wordlessly.
I scan the crowd as we walk, at this point wondering if Elodie’s hiding from me. And the more I think about her mood swings, her guardedness, her caginess, the more I’m starting to wonder if she’s not just keeping out of sight.
A part of me is starting to think she’s hiding something from me .
Deirdre and I arrive at the end of the hallway outside of the refectory door. Her gaze is probing when she turns to regard me. “Sister Ailen mentioned you saw something in the early hours this morning. Something that deeply upset you.”
“Right.” I take a step back, feeling like I’ve blundered into a trap. “It was a bit alarming.”
“I’m sure you have questions.” Her voice is mild. “I’m afraid I can’t go into details, but know that we did try to reason with the girl. She lost complete control of her faculties and couldn’t be calmed. She would have hurt herself or someone else if she wasn’t stopped.”
“But—” I blink, grabbing my arm. “She was running away , Prioress. It looked like Sister Kerrigan attacked her.”
“What Kerrigan did was in self-defense.” Despite the subject matter, that unsettling grin unfurls across Deirdre’s face again. It doesn’t reach her eyes.
The same roiling disquiet from the lottery surges through me. “How… could it have been self-defense?”
She heaves a sigh, as if I’m being deliberately dense. “The girl needed to be brought under control before she caused more damage than she already had. Like I said, she was entirely beyond reason.”
I don’t believe you. I bite the insides of my cheeks. None of that corresponds with what I saw. But I can’t exactly argue with her about it, either.
“Not everyone adjusts well after the ritual purification, I’m afraid. Regardless of prior consent, it’s a rare hazard of the procedure. But, a hazard nonetheless.”
“Well,” I shake my head, “I got a little worried when I didn’t see her at the ceremony today.”
“She was at the ceremony,” says Deirdre, without missing a beat.
Groping backward, I search my mind for any hint of the Screamer. I couldn’t have missed her. Could I?
But no. I was watching diligently; her beauty mark and shiny, dark hair are so distinct they would have caught my attention.
“Oh.” My voice comes too thin, too meek. “What’s her name?”
The prioress’ brown eyes flick briefly to the floor. Dread coils in my gut.
“You’ve already been told that acolytes and the betrothed won’t mingle much going forward. Well, after tonight, that is.”
“It’s just… I-I’m sure you understand my concern.”
Deirdre huffs another sigh, this one sharper, before turning aside.
“ Careful , Itissa.” She takes only a few steps before stopping to deliver her next words over her shoulder: “I understand that you only saw what you did because you were out past lights out. What happened was never meant for your eyes. And I’ve come to the end of my patience trying to explain something that’s none of your concern to begin with. ”
Her silken voice sends goosebumps clamoring over me while I wait for whatever comes next.
“With a promising stint as acolyte ahead of you, it’d be a pity to make a reputation out of being a trouble maker…”
… And you’ve seen what happens to them. She doesn’t need to put voice to the rest of it. The unspoken threat hangs in the air between us.
Something halfway between fear and fury cleaves through my chest. Distant harp music and the low din of polite conversation drift in from the atrium while I watch her retreat down the hallway.
No sooner is she clear of it than Ailen appears in her place.
The grip of her cane flashes between gnarled fingers.
Mouth screwed up, eyebrows bunched forward, she spits, “Deirdre’s more diplomatic than I’m going to be.
Next time I tell you to butt out, you butt out.
Fail to heed me and you’ll be meeting the business end of this .
” She raises the cane, shaking the bulky brass grip in front of my nose.
I gasp, my vision narrowing on it. The heavy handle curves down sharply in front and flares up behind where her palm would rest. One good swing with that thing would break bone. My pulse thunders in my ears while I watch her turn and limp back the way she came, her keyring jingling.
Where the prioress is sly and calculating, Ailen’s approach is that of a battering ram.
I spin around when she’s out of sight, my fists balled, ready to howl with frustration. Two swift strides take me to the refectory door, which I fling open and slam shut behind me.
Throwing my back against it, I let loose an angry roar into the great, deserted room. Tears sting my eyes. Overwhelmingly close to panic, I squeeze them shut.
Afterward, the silence rings. I’m abruptly aware that I’m panting. My thoughts race, and I’m throbbing between my legs, the ever-present hunger raking its claws through me from that nonsense Sadrie started but couldn’t properly finish.
“Bad night?”
Gods! Eyes flying open, I jump and clutch my chest.
At first all I can make out is a shadow-draped figure sitting at the far end of a table to one side of the room. The flash of silver jewelry catches my attention as she lifts a mug to her mouth.
That’s when I register her long raven hair, now braided neatly from the crown of her head. Oh, for shit’s sake.