Page 25 of A Kiss of Flame

Which left her trapped in the antechamber, stuck there with Finn and Roland, like she was awaiting judgement.

Roland had a number of hushed conversations with others who came and went. Finn stared at her and Wren tried to look anywhere but at the door to the Grandmaster’s office.

‘I didn’t do anything,’ she whispered and he reached out to take her hand for a moment, to gently squeeze her fingers and then retreat. At least, she thought, she had that.

A booming voice broke the silence that followed. ‘Grandmaster? What’s this I hear about an incursion?’

Was it her imagination or did Roland wince for a second before wiping his face clear of all expression and turning to greet the newcomer? Finn moved closer to her, a shield again, her guardian. Which meant he felt she was now in need of protection rather than simply comfort. This could not be good.

‘Lord Sassone.’ Roland’s voice was a rumble. ‘There’s nothing to be concerned about. We have the matter in hand and a representative of the maidens is already?—’

Lord Sassone didn’t quite come up to Roland’s eyeline, but he made up for that in sheer obnoxious presence. The clothes he wore were the most costly Wren had ever seen, trimmed with gold thread and embroidery. He had an entourage following him as well, armed men in uniform wearing a simpler form of the same livery, his personal guards no doubt. They filled the narrow antechamber and suddenly it seemed as if all the air had been sucked out of the place.

‘Is the princess unharmed?’ Sassone asked courteously.

‘Of course,’ Roland replied. ‘She’s perfectly safe. She was with me the whole time.’

Thankfully he didn’t mention her magic or that she had used it to drive them off. At least Roland was discreet.

Sassone turned his piercing gaze on her. He might have been handsome in his youth, she thought absently. And he would have known it too. He reminded her of Pol, the boy from the village she had thought she was in love with. The one who had found out about her ability with magic and shunned her. Who had married someone else, and got her with child in the darkwood. Who had nearly killed her.

She didn’t know if he was still alive. The village of Thirbridge had been destroyed by the Ilanthians led by Prince Leander, hunting Finn. The prince who had captured her and almost killed Finn. The man who served the Nox and would see Wren made its vessel in the world, filled with its power with no will of her own.

Sassone had the same air about him as Leander as well, she thought suddenly. That was who he truly made her think of. Finn’s brother. Raised to rule and heedless of anyone else.

He skewered her with his gaze.

‘Well, that’s good news at least. Light forfend anything should happen to you, princess. You are precious to all of us in Pelias.’ He was saying the right words, but every nerve in her body felt repulsed.

She didn’t know how to reply to that. People like him tended to lock away precious things and never let them see the light of day.

‘She needs a guard, Roland,’ he went on, Wren dismissed as a person capable of her own thought and speech. ‘A reliable guard.’

‘And she has a unit already assigned to protect her,’ Roland ground out, clearly irritated. ‘Your son is among them, as requested.’

‘And Ward?’ Sassone lifted the corner of his upper lip as if he tasted something unpleasant. He glanced at Finn, still so close to Wren that she could fold into his arms if needed. She didn’t dare move.

Roland’s jaw tightened. ‘Ward has other responsibilities, as you know.’

‘We had word from Ilanthus,’ said Sassone. ‘The Ilanthian ambassador will be here soon. You should probably take yourself off to the embassy to see it’s all in order before they arrive, Ward.’

Roland let out another of those low growls but Sassone didn’t seem fazed. He narrowed his eyes, and there was a light deep inside them that was almost gleeful. Oh, he did not like her father at all, did he? Nor Finn.

‘It’s an olive branch, Roland. I know you don’t see them often in your line of work, but we need to grasp them when offered. The light knows, they are few and far between when it comes to the line of Sidon.’

At the sound of his family name, Wren glanced surreptitiously at Finn. His eyes were focused on the wall above Sassone’s head as if he might bore a hole into the stone with his will alone but she was sure his shoulders stiffened.

An Ilanthian prince given in hostage to the victors of their great war, he must have heard this sort of thing a thousand times over. How could he just ignore it?

‘I am aware,’ said Roland quietly. Nothing more. The silence stretched on, awkward and strained. ‘Is there anything else I can help you with, Lord Sassone?’

‘No, I think not.’ His pale grey eyes lingered on Wren again, weighing her somehow. She drew back and Finn stepped in front of her, arms folded over his chest. Sassone didn’t seem worried about that either. ‘It will be good to see some of your own, Ward,’ he continued, a little louder than was necessary. ‘I am told the last meeting with your brother didn’t go so well.’

Wren lifted her hand to Finn’s back and his muscles stiffened beneath her touch. Alarm, anger, grief… they came off him in a wave that only she could feel. If Finn managed a polite smile, it was fleeting and there was no trace of it in his voice. ‘They rarely do, Lord Sassone. But then, I’m sworn to serve here now.’

‘And you serve us well in all things. Including this new mission, I am sure. When do you leave for the embassy? I presume you’ll quarter yourself there?’

It was Wren’s turn to stiffen, to try to stop herself showing her dismay.