Page 104 of Hellbound

It was everything she had worked up to, and yet, she was woefully underprepared for what was to come.

She had earned a powerful seat as the king’s hidden blade, but she still felt like a lowly peasant. After she had won the competition, there had been no word or acknowledgment from the king.

She crossed over the stone bridge that separated Hearth from the rest of the kingdom. As she reached its apex, the mist and rain parted temporarily, and she spotted a small sloping garden tucked against the castle’s side, full of flowering bushes and climbing roses.

A thin man with wheaten-blond hair and a crown upon his brow was tending a simple gravestone there. With a brush and pick in hand, he dusted the polished surface clean and carved out the grime that had embedded itself in the engraving.

Karsan turned, brushing off his hands. Their gazes locked before the mist took hold, obscuring him from view.

“Welcome to Hearth, Lady Senka.”

The servants and staff bowed deeply to her and led her to her quarters in Hearth’s southern wing. The doors were deliberately unmarked and appeared plain from the outside, with rounded tops and iron bands.

But as Ksenia pushed through, she could see that the neighboring doors were false. Her new quarters were twice the size of her childhood home. The walls were covered with rich crimson-and-gold tapestries and hunting-landscape oil paintings. A large oaken desk dominated one corner, along with ample bookshelves.

A floor-to-ceiling rack of weapons lined one entire wall, displaying a wide array.

Beside it, a fireplace with a great stone mouth opened wide enough to fit three of her comfortably.

In the center of the room, arranged on embroidered rugs, was a sumptuous bed with thick oak posts rising toward the ceiling, topped by a canopy. Arched lancet windows served as a glassy, colorful headboard behind it.

A muffled giggle came from behind the curtains.

Ksenia’s hand flitted to Caromir, then stopped.

A slow smile crawled to her face as she made a show of checking her new quarters.

She dramatically unfolded the bed coverlet, tossing the pillows.

Another stifled sound from the curtains.

Ksenia noisily checked beneath the bed, then wrenched open a wooden trunk at its foot. Every wrong guess drew a louder giggle from the drapes.

Finally, Ksenia pulled the curtain back.

Petra shrieked and burst out. “That took you forever!”

“I almost gave up. Nearly left.”

“No, you didn’t!” Petra swatted Ksenia’s sleeve.

“You’re right, I didn’t.” Ksenia crouched down to the little heathen. “But I got close.”

Petra beamed, bouncing on her heels excitedly. “Senka! The captain has requested you join him for dinner tonight.”

Ksenia’s stomach lurched.

“And I’m going to be your servant girl from here on out!” Petra swung her hands back and forth with a little skip.

She ruffled the little girl’s hair as she watched her leave.

She was the Sevrant now, but she still had a carefully orchestrated part to play at all times.

She opened her wardrobe and found an assortment of finery. Her closet was well stocked with gowns and clothing suitable for all occasions, a wide range of form and function.

Some of the gowns even had hidden sheaths and pockets for weapons and vials of poison. She would be expected to do her job regardless of how she looked.

Her mind of late had been blissfully clear and free of Vornaya’s intrusive words and hallucinations, thanks to her triple murder. But one person in particular had begun lounging freely in the recesses of her mind.