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Drawers opened, belts and blades clinked together, then he entered the kitchen. More rustling ensued before he returned to his bed, slid on his boots, buckled the latches, and left without a word.
She had to be imagining this. He’d just… ignored her entirely. No threats. No posturing. As if she wasn’t worth a second of his time. It was almost relieving. Better to be perceived as inconsequential where he was concerned.
Arianna remained on the floor, waiting. Listening. She didn’t know if he’d come back right away, but something told her he wouldn’t. He was their general and if she’d learned anything from Talon’s busy schedule, The Demon would be gone for most of the day.
She stretched her stiff body, knees and back cracking in protest, but her bladder held priority. Arianna limped toward the bathroom, moving as fast as her muscles would allow. She wasn’t sure which brought more relief, standing or relieving herself.
The tiny room was simple enough. A small washbasin sat upon a thin table to her front with a used pan in the right corner, her only source of a toilet. She shifted her gaze, trying to ignore the contents, and focused on the empty vanity where she imagined a family’s keepsakes might once have been.
A lump formed in her throat as she tried not to think about that family. Maybe they’d evacuated in time or maybe The Demon had buried their bones in the garden, left as a reminder to those who doubted his resolve.
Arianna sighed and went back into the main room. Morning light filtered through the small window, but the room remained dimly lit. Candles lined the dresser and bed stand. The Demon hadn’t lit them last night, so she wouldn’t light them now. Perhaps he preferred the dark.
She threw a few more logs into the fire and pressed her hands toward the flames, letting her cold fingertips soak in the heat. She needed warmer clothes if she hoped to survive the winter.
Once she’d warmed herself enough, Arianna crept toward the window and peeked through the dirty glass. Even disguised as a half-breed, she could still hear those beyond the wall. All five of them. It would be impossible and reckless to escape now. She needed to watch, bide her time, and formulate a plan. It would take time, but if she could appease The Demon, then maybe she’d get it.
Arianna sighed, longing for her Fae form. It’d give her the advantages she needed, but it’d also alert every warrior in the vicinity to her identity, and she’d be back in irons before she could blink. Remaining disguised as a half-breed was her only option.
She chewed her lip. How long would it take The Demon to figure her out? Could she outsmart him? Would he suspect her plans?
Without the irons, could she finally reveal herself?
Arianna leaned her back against the wall. Her short life had been a whirlwind. She’d always planned to serve as one of her sister’s advisers. Ellie would rule as Móirín’s High Lady and Arianna would function as her eyes and ears, resolving grievances before they developed into more troublesome problems. But if anyone discovered her ability to heal, she wouldn’t be serving at all.
She’d be queen.
And not just of those within Móirín. She’d be the queen of every Fae and half-breed on the entire continent of Alastríona.
She’d never wanted the title. Her father had ensured she knew her place. She was too weak to lead. Too meek to stand up for herself, let alone an entire race. Which was why her father had chosen Ellie as his successor. Her thoughts drifted back to the slave that’d died yesterday. But if she stood up and united the four countries, would that end the war?
Legend claimed every Fae would rush forward to worship her, but with everything she’d heard and seen from the Fae of Brónach, she wasn’t so sure. Maybe she’d reveal herself and they’d laugh, utterly revolted by the thought of a Móirín queen. Then there was The Demon himself to consider. Maybe he’d kill her just to prove nothing could stop him.
Fiadh and Pádraigín were another story. It wasn’t a secret that Fiadh desired more land, they just lacked the military power to take it, thus they’d struck up an alliance with their neighboring country rather than risk war. They traded in jewels, which didn’t seem practical to her, but her father found it acceptable.
And Pádraigín was so far north it wouldn’t make any sense to consider them a threat. Unless of course Pádraigín and Fiadh joined forces but the two smaller countries had been at each other’s throats for decades.
Peace was a laughable concept.
Arianna shook away the thoughts and took in the state of the cabin. It was tidy, sure, but far from clean. Dust lined everything, coating the shelves so thick she wasn’t sure anyone had ever wiped them down. The floor carried stains, and she knew from sleeping on it just how many particles littered the area. Or were those particles from his magic?
Arianna threw another log on the fire and a thousand thoughts flew through her head at once. Where would she get wood? What about food? Was she allowed outside the cabin or expected to remain within? Hopefully, he’d tell her, or perhaps someone else would. The only thing she could do now was clean.
She padded toward the kitchen and fumbled through the cabinets and drawers in search of supplies. There wasn’t much, an old brush and bucket, so she improvised, pumped cold water into a bucket, and set to scrubbing the floor on her hands and knees.
A mantra developed in her head.
Earn his favor, plot, escape. Earn his favor, plot, escape. Earn his favor, plot, escape.
If only it’d turn out so easy.
Arianna scrubbed the floors and dusted the nightstand. She pulled cobwebs from the candle holders and wiped away the grime that’d settled on the bronze doorknobs.
Her stomach growled around lunchtime and clenched painfully at dusk. She eyed the dry goods in the corner cabinet but didn’t dare touch them. With the amount of dust on the lids, she doubted The Demon even knew they existed, but she wasn’t taking chances. Not with him.
Arianna eyed the dresser. She’d been working up the courage to shuffle through the contents all day. She didn’t want to risk angering the general, but her body hadn’t stopped shivering.
Arianna finally pulled open the top drawer. His shirts and pants all sat neatly folded and in perfect order. She noted the attention to detail, then opened the second to find an arsenal of weapons and a variety of belts to secure them in place. She hadn’t held a weapon in ages, though now probably wasn’t the best time. He’d notice one missing and the thought of killing him was laughable anyway.
