Page 12 of Hearts on Fire
“Who says that?” Elex must have revealed who he was, at least to the king. That would explain him gaining royal favor so quickly. The two were family, after all.
“It may be just rumors. But there is often some truth to the court gossip. The new lord may be the king’s long-lost brother, or his nephew. Or maybe even his bastard son. In any case…” She splashed, standing up. “It’s good you caught his eye. His magic is strong. If he claims you, he’d be able to protect you from all the others.” She swam back to shore. “I’ll get us some soaps and oils. They’ll add some shine to your skin.”
“Zenada.” I stood up, too, facing her. “Why are you so good to me? Why do you care about me at all?”
From day one, she’d been feeding me, healing me, and keeping me warm. And lately, she seemed to search out my company even more, spending whatever spare time we got with me.
She blinked, staring at me, as if thinking about that for the first time herself.
“Well…” She twisted the end of her wet hair around her finger. “You were hurt and looked so weak when we found you.”
“You felt sorry for me?” I wasn’t offended if she did. I was in a sorry state when they found me.
She shrugged, not denying it. “I’m rooting for you, Amber. I want you to find your place in this world and be happy. Besides,” she flashed me a grin. “Everyone needs a friend, right?” Her smile faded quickly. “I don’t have many of those left.”
Zenada had been close with Ertee and Isar. I understood the loss she was feeling. But I didn’t trust friendships, just as I’d lost faith in love long ago.
Was it possible, though, to go through life completely on my own? This world was so cold already, wouldn’t staying away from people make it even more miserable and harsh?
I smiled at Zenada. She nodded briefly before leaving the cave to get the soaps. I followed her with my gaze to the main cave visible through the entrance. Women splashed and swam in the water under the stares of the men on the paths above.
Some of thesalamandraswashed quickly and left. Others floated on their backs, displaying their bodies to the men. They washed leisurely, stroking their hips and rubbing fragrant oils over their breasts.
Maybe like Zenada, they appreciated the importance of having a lord for a lover and wished to attract one. Maybe they just enjoyed the men’s attention after being deprived of male company in the Sanctuary.
I wasn’t going to judge the women for trying to bring a little fun into their lives of hard work and solitude. But I feared that in the king’s castle, male attention came with a price.
Five
AMBER
New clothes waited for us when we returned to our room. There were feather-light, long shirts with wide sleeves held at the wrist with embroidered cuffs. The dresses to wear over them had no sleeves, similar to the garments we wore before. Only unlike our old baggy dresses of scratchy wool with a rope around the waist, these gowns were made of shiny jacquard and tailored with darts on the sides. Open in the front, they were held together with two metal clasps under the breasts.
The women gushed and gasped, changing into the fine clothes. Zenada grabbed a bright orange dress and thrust a blush-pink one into my hands.
“Try this one,” she said excitedly. “It’ll give some nice color to your cheeks.”
No one seemed to care about modesty, changing in the open. I shed my old, worn clothes, too, then pulled the shirt over my head, careful not to dislodge the wet cloth hiding my hair.
The light fabric of the shirt whispered down my naked body, and the voluminous sleeves caressed my arms like silky clouds. The embroidered hem reached down to my ankles, but the material was rather transparent. The pink of my areolas was clearly visible through the milky-white of the shirt.
Thankfully, the dress covered my nipples completely. But the last clasp in the front was just above my belly button, allowing the skirt of the dress to fly open with every step I took. The nearly transparent shirt was the only thing that kept me from exposing myself completely while I walked.
I was glad to see the women putting their robes on over their rather revealing clothes and grabbed mine too.
Before long, all of us were dressed in the new clothes with the old robes over them. Instead of the worn boots, we now had light slippers on our feet.
“Lower your hoods, sisters,” Mother ordered.
I draped the golden lace over my face. As annoying as it was to look at the world through the yellow mesh, I was glad for the protection it provided against the uninvited stares as we walked out of our room and into the rush of the servants and courtiers in the corridors.
As we ascended the winding staircase, I stole a glance at the wall outside the tower window—the spot where I saw Elex last.
Of course, he wasn’t sitting on the wall anymore, but the thought of him made my stomach feel warm and jittery, as if a sparkle of fireflies swarmed inside it. I wondered if he’d be at the celebration today. He probably would since it was the king’s event, and Elex was the king’s favorite, according to Zenada.
We exited the tower a floor higher than last night, then stepped into a much larger room than the one we’d had dinner in before.
This one was perfectly round, with a high dome above. Windows and fireplaces were spaced equally along the circular walls. Fire burned brightly in the fireplaces. But the shutters on some of the tall windows were open, letting in daylight and winter wind.