Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford

Author:Mara Rutherford [Rutherford, Mara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Published: 2019-08-26T18:30:00+00:00

* * *

To my relief, Ceren was gone the next day. A servant told Ebb he’d left New Castle to collect more supplies for his experiment. I asked her to set up my meeting with Lady Melina immediately. As much as I wanted to hide in my room and avoid the stares of the court, I only had a little while to gather information for Sami. And anything that might take my mind off the fact that I was going to marry Ceren—possibly very soon—was welcome.

Ebb was hesitant, but eventually I convinced her that there was no danger, since the king was still in his chambers and Ceren was absent. At the end of the day, she agreed to take me to the library for a meeting.

The library was an unfinished cavern Ebb said was rarely used, but I found it beautiful. The ceilings had been left in their raw, natural state, with pillars of stone for support. There were spiral staircases on either side of the finished part of the chamber, but there was really no need for them, since most of the upper shelves were empty. In order to keep the books safe from the damp, the room had more skylights than any other chamber I’d been in. I waited for Melina under one of the lights, soaking up as much sun as I could.

Lady Melina came alone. She had to be close to sixty, but aside from a few strands of gray hair among the black, she could have been my mother’s age. Her complexion was sallow from so many years inside New Castle, but she was still unquestionably beautiful.

“Hello, child,” she said as we took a seat on a cushioned bench.

No one had called me “child” since leaving Varenia. I was surprised to find that I’d missed it. I bowed my head. “Lady Melina.”

“How are you adjusting to life here in the mountain?”

I kept my eyes downcast, staring at the lace edging of my sleeves. She wasn’t old enough to be an elder, but she was nevertheless worthy of my respect. “Very well, thank you.”

“And how do you like your future husband?”

She was feeling me out, testing me. I didn’t know if I could trust Lady Melina, but right now, she was the closest thing I had to a potential ally. “He’s very...unusual,” I said carefully. “I don’t know what to make of him yet.”

“I suppose you’ll have plenty of time to decide, once you’re married.”

My lip curled involuntarily at the word, but I quickly rearranged my features. “Of course.”

“But if you ask me, that boy is rotten to the core,” she murmured.

I looked up finally. “Prince Ceren?” I whispered, surprised by her candor. She must have seen my reaction.

Her eyes were a deep blue-violet that stood out against her dark hair and clothing. “He is violent, unpredictable. These little lords and ladies here, they think there is safety in numbers. They believe they’re like fish in a school, in no danger from the shark circling around them.

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