Zhang2 by Michelle M. Pillow

Author:Michelle M. Pillow [Pillow, Michelle M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Lyra pressed her back against the palace wall, listening as the sound of footsteps faded. The cool, hard tiles slid as she inched along. The hall looked familiar, but then that was because it looked like the other halls she’d gone through. As silence resumed, she pushed away from the wall and continued on until she found herself at the doorway to a rectangular room. Long tables stretched over the length, dominating the floor. They were unattended.

Lyra couldn’t resist. An eclectic collection of human artifacts were laid out in an orderly, yet cluttered, fashion. They spanned the ages, from anchors to hooks, to coins dating from antiquity. The barnacled pieces of a shipwreck were set on the floor in the corner, as if pushed away for later cataloging.

She walked around the table. There was an old pocket watch with a broken chain and clouded face next to the tarnished silver handle of a lady’s brush. A hardened glove with delicate buttons wore a large ruby ring. There were pieces of yellowed silk, chipped vases, a Greek bust, rusted navigational tools, pewter silverware, pieces of a crystal chandelier, and sections of armor.

Growing up in a family of fishermen and sailors, she knew a lot about shipwrecks and lore of the sea. These looked like the recovered items of a shipwreck. On impulse, she reached to touch the watch. The once smooth surface felt grainy.

“Oh, hello, my lady,” a man said. “I did not know to expect you this morning, or else I would have been here to greet you.”

Lyra stiffened, quickly withdrawing her hand from the table.

The man was slighter than the other Merr in stature, with short brown hair and kind brown eyes. He wore loose wool pants and a shorter wool shirt. “I did not mean to startle you. Of course, I am pleased that you have come. I have been asking Rigel to allow you to visit. We have so many questions for you.”

“Allow me to visit?” she repeated, unable to help her frown. “I need his permission?”

“They really aren’t that good at explain things, are they?” he said, more to himself. Then, as he came closer, he added, “I’ve been here for so long I have forgotten that you might not know everything we take for granted, though if truth be told, I’ve been relearning quite a bit with you new ladies in residence. When I said he allowed you to visit, it’s not that he gives you permission, per se, more like he… allows it?”

“Is that a question or a restatement of the fact that I’m a prisoner and you’re trying to soften the blow?” Inside she hardened. Lyra thought of the poor transparent creature imprisoned in the palace dungeons. Was that her fate? They had referred to it being once Merr, but what did that mean, really? She needed to learn more.

“The fact that he is considered your guardian means he is in charge of you until you decide to marry. Lord Rigel will take care of you and it is up to him to approve those seeking your hand.

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