Page 85 of Wings of Ice and Steel

Ariadnne didn’t care. She couldn’t look at her. Whatever reason Nieve had would never be enough for the atrocity she had committed.

She stared at the body of the one person who had always been there for her. She shuffled closer on her knees until they were adjacent to the blood pool, and she took Melixanthe’s outstretched hand in her own. The General had no weapons drawn, and her face was fixed in surprise. She had been stabbed in cold blood. Nieve was a coward.

Ariadnne was motionless when the other guards arrived. Followed by more bodies and the heavily robed forms of important people.

One such robe shuffled forwards, and a wizened, gentle hand was laid on her shoulder.

‘Come, girl…’ Councillor Vesta said quietly, applying a little pressure to pull her back from the scene. ‘You don’t need to see this.’ With his other hand he gently extracted her fingers from the corpse. Ariadnne shuddered, letting out a shaky breath as she tilted her head, his form hazy through her tears. What was he saying? She only knew that she didn’t want to leave Melixanthe like this.

‘Who can take her to her rooms?’ Councillor Vesta addressed the crowd gathering in the room. From the back, Kayla pushed her way forward, her slender form squeezing past Councillors and guards alike.

‘I can, sir.’ She bowed her head. ‘I’m from her company.’

Ariadnne dragged her eyes up at the sound of her voice. The usually laughing lines of Kayla’s face were still, and she was terribly pale with a slight tremor edging her voice—a mirror to the stone-cold grief clutching Ariadnne’s chest. The other faces in the crowd were unfamiliar spectators. Kayla was the only one of her company to have arrived, the only person in the crowd she would consider a friend.

‘Very well.’ Councillor Vesta nudged Ariadnne towards her. ‘Ariadnne, it is time to go to your quarters. I understand that this is a shock, but let us look after Melixanthe. We’ll take care of this.’

Take care of this. As though it was an inconvenience and not the most devastating loss Ariadnne had ever felt.

Her feet were heavy, she didn’t want to go, didn’t want to leave her mother’s side, but everyone was staring. It was too much; the looks, the hushed voices and piercing eyes. She weakly took the hand Kayla held out to her and let herself be led from the room.

Thirty-seven

Ariadnne

Kayla delivered Ariadnne into Sascha’s arms with a hushed whisper, devastation crashing across Sascha’s features as she learned what happened. Ariadnne trembled, deaf to her attempts at comfort, locked in a rictus of grief as Sascha led her to the couch, fussing round her, plumping cushions and arranging blankets round her shoulders. Pointless gestures that barely registered.

‘What can I do?’ Sascha wrung her hands, hovering. ‘I hate to see you like this.’

Ariadnne lifted her head, voice cracking as she tried to form words. ‘Please… I need to be on my own.’

Sascha’s face crumpled as she smoothed the blanket around Ariadnne’s shoulders.

‘I understand. Just… I won’t be far if you need anything. Just call, okay?’

She let herself out quietly, leaving Ariadnne in solitude. Her mind whirled, silent tears shining on her cheeks. It wasn’t fair… to lose Melixanthe now seemed so cruel. So pointless.

Nieve’s distress tugged at her ribs and she gritted her teeth, lacking the space to care about anything beyond her own pain. She was far from interested in knowing how Nieve felt.

Melixanthe had been the one constant in her life, her companion and guiding hand.

Her dragon was beside herself, roiling beneath her skin. Demanding action. Revenge. But Ariadnne was frozen. Immobile.

Hours passed, failing to soothe the hollow pain of each breath, but the numbing frost protecting her mind began to retreat, and she recalled the letter burning a hole in her pocket. It was the last piece of Melixanthe she had, whatever it contained. With shaky fingers, she pulled it free, jaw tightening at the blood staining the edges.

She wondered if it would be something mundane, a receipt for a purchase, or note to send to the outfitter in town. As she teased the letter from the bloodied envelope, she held her breath as her eyes skimmed over Melixanthe’s looping script—

A,

Many thanks for your missive.

I’ll admit, after your people attacked mine, on neutral ground, I might add, I feared you were no longer willing to maintain your part in our arrangement. However, since then I’ve been into the cells and I saw him. I understand, now, why it was necessary.

I can assure you he is alive.

I was pleased to hear you still want to help, though things are more complicated now. There is another I suspect will wish to travel with her. My apologies for the short notice.

By the time you read this, I will have informed my daughter of our plan, and gods willing, she will be on her way to the site we previously mentioned.