Schooled in Magic 26 - The Apprentice Mistress by Nuttall Christopher G

Author:Nuttall, Christopher G. [Nuttall, Christopher G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781606193334
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
Published: 2024-04-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One: Marah

M ARAH HATED TO ADMIT IT, BUT she’d felt incredibly out of place at the dinner.

It was hard to put into words. Emily had told her to think about her feelings, but she wasn’t sure why. Then again, she had been a stranger to the rest of the crowd, who had clearly known each other for years, and… they’d been used to dinners with royalty in a way Marah couldn’t match. Queen Alassa had been cheerful and friendly and a little too forward, her smile so bright it was hard to recall anything else about her. And the guests – even Emily – had discussed matters of import in a manner that suggested they could actually change things. They were people too, yet they were so far above her…

Resentment twisted in her gut, mingled with envy. The queen’s apartments had been shockingly luxurious, the food plentiful as well as tasty… Marah hadn’t eaten well until Virgil had taken her in, and even he hadn’t bothered to lay out a dinner spread, certainly not for a mere two people. The level of care and attention the queen – and her servants – had lavished on her guests was eye-popping, sheer insanity by Marah’s standards, and it had felt a little seductive. But Marah had been terrifyingly out of place. They had spoken the same language, and yet the meanings were completely different, to the point she might have been happier if they really had spoken a different tongue. It would have been rude, but at least she’d have had an excuse for not understanding.

And they complain about how hard their life is , she thought, sourly. It struck her, suddenly, that the Queen had something in common with Lord Donegal, although it was hard to put it into words. They looked very different, but they shared a certain level of… comfort, as if their bodies were unmarked by life. Marah had been told she was pretty, yet she was painfully aware there were scars on her body, hidden by her dress. They don’t know what real hardship is .

She rolled over as she heard someone come into her bedroom and sat up, one hand grabbing for a fireball. Emily had told Jenny to stay out of Marah’s bedroom, and Jenny had done as she was told… Marah had the spell half-completed before she remembered they were in Zangaria, a long way from the tower. She bit her lip and cancelled the spell before the fireball flickered into life, unsure what would happen if she hurled lethal magic at a young maid. If someone like Prince Jeremy injured or killed a helpless maid, he’d probably get away with it. Marah made a silent bet with herself that the bastard already had.

And would it be better or worse, she asked herself, if I got beheaded for killing a maid… or if I didn’t?

Marah waited for the maid to withdraw, leaving a lit fire behind her, and stumbled out of bed. The

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.