Unspeakably Wooed by J.S. Mawdsley

Author:J.S. Mawdsley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: court intrigue, political fantasy
Publisher: J.S. Mawdsley
Published: 2022-10-26T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

As far as she could tell, there was a town nearby, though she had no idea which one. There was a river down the hill, beyond the garden, but she had no idea if it was the Bewerian or not. During their ride from the bandit camp, Donella had gotten completely turned around, and she couldn’t have even said for certain whether she was in Sahasra Deva or Myrcia now.

Pallavi and Vikker had brought her to a country house, a pretty little place with red sandstone walls sprouting ivy and a gray tile roof. There was a patio off to one side and a little veranda overlooking the garden. Most of the rooms were kept locked, but the one they’d given to Donella was clean and comfortable, with a soft bed and a deep-cushioned leather chair by the window.

Her new captors were at least nicer than the old ones. Pallavi loaned her several dresses. They were half a foot too short in the skirt, and a little tight in the waist, but they were still a nice change from her brother’s old trousers and tunics. Donella was allowed to wander freely about the house, but when they had first arrived, Pallavi had snapped a little gold bracelet around her arm, saying, “This is for your protection, more than anything. To make sure you don’t get lost.”

The bracelet didn’t hurt, but it was impossible to remove it, no matter what she did. And it had the most remarkable and frightening magysk power. She could go out the door of the house and as far as the end of the gravel path in the garden. But if she tried to go beyond that—down the drive to the road, for example, the air around her grew thicker. First it was like water, then it was like mud, and finally, after about ten feet, it was as if she had hit an invisible wall, and the only way she could move at all was to turn around and head back the way she had come.

She tried running at the magysk barrier a few times to see if she could break through, and the only result had been a bruised backside when she bounced off it like she’d hit a mattress. Reluctantly, she came to the conclusion that she had to accept her captivity, at least for the time being.

One rainy morning, she went downstairs to find Vikker alone at the breakfast table.

“Pallavi has gone out,” he said, “and she may be away for some time.”

Donella knew better than to ask where she had gone, so she sat and helped herself to scones and coffee. She felt Vikker watching her as she ate, and she knew he was going to start questioning her again.

Sure enough, when the scones were finished, he asked, “Why were you going to Pinburg by yourself?” Both he and Pallavi had asked variations of that question, over and over, and Donella had tried a number of lies, none of which were very convincing.

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