Mist Rising by Eve Langlais
Chapter Forty-Two
Agathe blinked awakeand could have groaned at the stiffness in her body. The bench she lay on didn’t make the greatest bed.
Why am I sleeping here? She didn’t remember lying down. The last thing she recalled was sitting and staring at the statue. It remained as before, holding its sword.
She rose, and her body creaked. How long had she been asleep? Exiting the conservatory, she peeked into the relic room and gallery before the library, only to find them all empty. With a frown, she went to find a soldier by the entrance to the atrium.
“Where is everyone?” Agathe asked.
“Gone to dinner. Would you like to join them?”
“Dinner?” But that was hours away. “What time is it?”
“Almost sundown. Are you hungry?”
She had difficulty grasping the fact that she’d slept the day away. Unheard of. Unless she’d been drugged. “I think I need to go to my room.” Because she suddenly felt queasy.
She barely lifted her head as they quickly made their way to her room, where she eyed the water jug suspiciously and paced until she heard noise next door. Only then did she barge into Hiix’s quarters.
“There you are!” her Soraer exclaimed. “We wondered where you’d gotten to.”
Venna, drinking from a cup and reading a book, barely offered her a glance. “Where have you been? You missed dinner.”
“Why didn’t you come find me?” she asked.
“We looked, but you were nowhere to be found.”
“Did you not check the conservatory?”
Hiix wrinkled her nose. “We did, but not for long. That place is creepy.”
“I was napping on the bench,” she admitted.
Hiix shook her head. “No, you weren’t. And since when do you nap?”
Venna snickered. “Guess old age is catching up to you.”
“It was weird. I woke up on that bench by the fountain. Maybe you saw a different one.”
“That’s the only one in there. So, where did you really go?”
Well. Wasn’t that an interesting question? One with no answer yet. So, she lied. “I went exploring and got lost. Good thing I wasn’t caught.”
“Idiot! We just got here,” Hiix exclaimed.
“Leave her alone,” Venna huffed. “Are you hungry? We brought up some snacks.”
Her tummy rumbled, and she sat in a chair to dig into the bowl of baked and flavored nuts that crunched with a salty tang. The fruit provided a sweet and juicy aftertaste.
As she ate, Venna kept reading while Hiix rattled on about the defense in the Citadel. Archers, and oil that could make the walls slick and easy to set on fire.
Agathe half listened as she tried to wrap her mind around the hours she’d lost. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she stood. “I’m going to lie down.”
Venna paused in her reading long enough to ask, “Are you okay, Agathe? You’re acting oddly.”
Odd was her Soraers not panicking more when she hadn’t appeared for dinner. “Just tired. Old age. It’s catching up to me,” she said with a weak smile. In her case, given what’d happened to her in the past, faster than most.
“A good night’s sleep in a bed is just what you need.”
But, apparently, it would have to wait because she opened her bedroom door and came face-to-face with Maric, wearing a glower. “Where have you been?”
“I was in Hiix’s room.”
“All afternoon? You missed dinner.”
“I had a nap and didn’t wake in time. What can I say? I had a busy night. Guess my body needed the rest.”
“When you didn’t show for dinner, Xaav went looking for you. You weren’t in the Hall of Learning, and yet, according to all the guards, you never left it.”
“I had a long nap in the conservatory.”
“That room isn’t fit to be used.”
“Tell that to the comfortable bench. I had a great sleep,” she lied. As if she’d admit to lost time. “So, if you’re done haranguing me—”
“I am not haranguing but showing concern for a guest.”
“Duly noted. You may leave now.”
“You’re sure you want me to leave?”
“Yes.”
He stood there, saying nothing.
Agathe quirked a brow. “Was there something else, General Knight?”
“You need to be careful.”
“Aren’t I always?”
His laughter barked. “Since when?”
“If you ask me, being cautious is overrated. Those who wait are most likely the first to die.”
Maric arched a brow. “Is this a complaint about the citizens and the fact that they’ve yet to form a militia?”
A scowl tugged her lips. “Xaav tattled.”
“He says you think everyone should be up at dawn learning to fight. So, I will ask you, who will teach them? Where will they get weapons?”
“What will they do when the monsters keep coming? Who will bury them when no one is left?” she countered.
“If no one is left, then it won’t matter.”
“Why aren’t you doing something to prevent it?” she huffed, angry at him and the mismanagement she perceived.
“It would be giving them false hope. Because the truth of the matter is, the Valley is doomed.”
“That seems rather fatalistic coming from you.”
“Things set in motion a long time ago have come to fruition. It’s too late to change the course of the future.”
“Our ancestors turned the tide once before.”
“They did,” he agreed. “Because of the Blessed. Without them, there is nothing to hold back the mist.”
“Then find another way. A better one.”
“There is none.” His harsh claim. “Do you think we haven’t looked? Tried?” His expression turned icy.
“Maybe it’s time to try something new. A way that doesn’t have a King justifying sacrificing the Blessed.”
“They agree when they take the oath at the festival.”
“They have no idea what they’re really signing up for. The King is lying to them and should be stopped.”
“You’re speaking of treason.”
“I’m advocating for the Blessed, who are the ones suffering.”
“Be careful to whom you relate these kinds of statements.”
“Are you trying to censor my speech?”
“Just warning you that your opinion might not fall in line with that of the King’s loyal subjects.”
“Maybe I just see things more clearly.”
“Or you’ve let emotion cloud you.”
“How is it that everyone loves the King?” She couldn’t help her annoyed pitch. “Do you kill anyone who speaks negatively of him?”
“Is it so hard to believe he’s not a bad person?”
“Yes.”
“And as his soldier, do you think I am a horrible person, too?” Maric asked.
“Yes.” Not the entire truth. Maric appeared to have many redeeming qualities, even his damned loyalty was commendable.
His jaw tensed. “Well, then. Since I’m such an irritant, I guess I won’t bother you further.”
“Good.”
He whirled around and stomped off, only to pause and rapidly spin back around. “Catch.”
She reached out and caught something firm. A peek showed a plum, a tasty fruit she rarely got a chance to eat.
Before she could say, “thank you,” he was gone. Their meeting was terse, unlike the night before. However, it did result in one good thing.
A goal. Find out what exactly happened with the Blessed once they got inside the Citadel. She knew nothing once they got past the gate. Such as, how did they lose their purple eyes?
Tomorrow, she’d go looking for answers—and avoid conservatories with statues.
