Page 28 of A Kiss of Flame
‘The Grandmaster took care of them, didn’t he?’
He was a boy from one of the outer provinces. Finn glanced at his face, stalwart bravery and sheer undying belief in Roland vying with the fear of nightmares and stories. The shadow kin had been here, in the citadel, in one of the most warded parts of the palace. And if they could get in there, into Roland’s own study, where else could they infiltrate? Who else would they try to kill?
Everyone was scared. This boy was actually hiding it better than most.
‘The Grandmaster did,’ Finn replied, trying to make his voice comforting. ‘And the princess called on the light of the Aurum to aid him. We fight the Nox, remember?’
‘With flame and sword.’
The boy nodded, swallowing hard and echoed the vow of the knights that Finn had begun for him. ‘Is she really the princess?’
‘I believe so.’ What else could he say? He knew she was. He had seen what Wren could do. The balance of light and dark was wavering inside her, the Nox and the Aurum vying for control. But all the same, she kept reaching for the light.
He prayed she always would. Because if Wren faltered and failed… if the temptation became too great for any reason… the Nox incarnate in her body, with her power, would be beyond terrible.
And he would still love her.
He would give up everything to protect her. Including the chance to be with her. He had no choice.
To his surprise Anselm met him by the main gates to the palace complex. He was dressed in plain leathers and carried his sword but no armour.
‘Shouldn’t you be guarding Wren?’ Finn asked bluntly. It was early still. And Wren was asleep in her bed. He wasn’t about to tell Anselm this, or how he knew. Anselm was probably aware of it anyway. The last thing anyone would say about Anselm Tarryn was that he didn’t see everything that went on around him.
‘Olivier is on it. He volunteered.’
Well, almost everything. Anselm didn’t see what was in front of his own nose when it came to Olivier but that wasn’t Finn’s secret to tell. He’d seen the way Olivier looked at Anselm for years, the way they sought each other out, even if Anselm at least didn’t appear to know why. And Olivier would never broach the subject himself. His family were strict and religious. He was sworn to the Aurum and nothing could come before that. Not even his own feelings. He always said he had given up everything to serve the Aurum.
‘Anselm, you don’t have to come with me.’
‘Someone should. Just in case.’
‘Wren will need you here.’
Anselm cast him an indulgent look. ‘And I’m not planning on staying with you, Finn. But…’ he shrugged. ‘It seems wrong to make you slink off in the dawn like you’ve never been here.’
Finn shouldn’t have felt quite as relieved as he did. He didn’t have many friends. But Anselm was one.
The city beyond the palace gates pressed together, buildings on top of buildings, houses and towers of shared rooms, narrow streets which ran down in a steep spiral, like unspooling thread. The harbour to the east hugged the cliffs but towards the western gate, the richer inhabitants had spread out, taking up space, filling the lower city with gardens and plazas.
Castel Sassone had always been a huge, oppressive structure. The Earl of Sassone had charge of the city’s watch and the gates. Though he was more usually found in the palace, the compound which loomed over Finn now was an ugly block of stone.
‘Not so pretty, is it?’ asked Anselm. ‘Try growing up in there. He has dungeons of his own, you know. And he can call on an army to man the walls if we come under attack, to hold the city until the knights can be summoned. I’ve tried to warn Roland but…’ He sighed. ‘I guess they need him. Rich, powerful, a leader of men… My mother died just up there.’ He pointed to a circular turret jutting out of the walls above them. ‘Threw herself off the bartizan and died on the lower walls.’
He said it so casually that Finn wasn’t quite sure he’d heard him at first.
‘I didn’t… I didn’t know.’
‘Why should you?’ Anselm gave an unusually cold smile. ‘No one talks about it. My father wouldn’t have that. So we all packed it away and moved on. I haven’t been back in years. I’d rather keep it that way. Why don’t you show me your embassy instead?’
He was here for a reason then. Of course he was. Scope out the Ilanthian embassy. Roland probably sent him. Find out who had already arrived, who was expected and what sort of welcome they gave Finn.
‘You are going back, aren’t you?’
His friend laughed softly. ‘Of course I am. I certainly don’t want to waste any more time in the vicinity of that monstrosity than I have to. I spent far too long escaping from it. I was sneaky even as a child, you know. I had to be.’
‘Escaping?’
Anselm tapped his nose. ‘Secret tunnels, Finn. Riddled with them. He’d have a fit if anyone ever found out though, so keep it between you and me. My father always has another way out. So did his grandfather before him. Once upon a time we were no more than robber barons, before the Aurum and the royal family. They built this city around my family home, swallowing it up. That’s why Castel Sassone looks the way it does and why he keeps his own men. Can the Ilanthian embassy say the same?’