Tales of the Citadel 11 - Called to Power by Viola Grace

Author:Viola Grace
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Romance, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Publisher: Devine Destinies
Published: 2012-10-30T21:39:06+00:00

Chapter Seven

Syrella was so tired that she passed out the moment that her guards pronounced her bedroom clear. She had unlaced the constriction of the corset as she walked to the bed and simply flopped on top of the covers still wearing the silver silk.

Her dreams were full of her being a child and running down the imperial hallways looking for her parents. Waking in a foul mood was unavoidable.

A knock at her door brought her up, and she winced at the pain of her head due to the pins holding her hairstyle in place. “Come in.”

A timid, young woman came in and bowed. “Good morning, Your Imperial Highness. I am Mai, I am your maid until you make your own selection.”

“Hello, Mai. In the privacy of my quarters, you may call me Ma’am.” She groaned and started to move off the bed.

“Ma’am, did you not sleep well?”

“Not particularly. My memories of Vexa are not pleasant, so I am guessing I will have to make new ones.” Sy stretched and flexed, the gown slipping precariously from her breasts.

“Ma’am, may I draw you a bath?”

“No, I will have a quick shower. Can you lay out one of my day gowns?” She lifted sore arms and started to pull out her pins.

“Ma’am, please sit at the dressing table, and I will remove those. You really do not look very well.”

Knowing when she heard good advice, Syrella sat at the dressing table, and Mai pulled the pins out swiftly, without comment. Her hands were gentle as she eased Sy’s hair down and massaged her scalp, the headache faded immediately under a wave of warmth.

Sy fought the urge to twist and stare. Mai was a healer. “So, has the attitude toward talents changed at all in the last twenty years?”

Mai continued her massage for a moment and then lifted a brush. “No, Ma’am. They are still cut out of inheritances and sentenced to lives on the fringes of society.”

“I hope to change that. The skills given to us are given for a reason. We should not hide them but rather use them for the betterment of our societies. I wish mine was more useful.”

“You would not have gained the throne if they had any other choice, Ma’am. You know that, do you not?”

“I do know it, but I also know that the throne was waiting for me, and it welcomed me with the recognition of an old friend. It hurt more this time.”

Mai paused, and her golden gaze met Sy’s green one in the mirror. “So, you really touched the thorn when you were a child? I thought that was folklore.”

Syrella smiled as Mai finished unlacing her, her arms at her sides and the boning in the corset kept it from collapsing, but if she let it go, it would drop. “No, not folklore. I was summoned with my father when I was a child. Duke Saluthic and his heir were wanted at court, but the emperor asked me if there was anything I wanted, and I wanted to never be forced to come back to Vexa.

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