A Kiss of Fire (A Kiss of Magic #2)(16)

Ariana couldn’t help but feel her heart leap with excitement and fear. Excitement that the journey might be over…fear that a reckoning was at hand.

The coach bounced to a stop only a minute later and a flurry of voices and shouting could be heard. She sat back down across from Mariah and closed her eyes.

What now?

They were left to wait and wonder for a long time it seemed. Mariah reached across to pick up Ariana’s hand and squeeze it. Ariana realized her fear must have been written on her face and she immediately schooled her features. She would not give him the satisfaction. She would be poised and powerful. Just as she should be. Then she would burn his house down to the ground.

The door to the coach opened and once her eyes adjusted to the light, the first thing she saw was Lindo…and the fact that it was snowing. It had to have started only within the past two hours, but already there was an inch of it on the ground.

It was St. Haubruck’s Day. And she would not be there to spend it with the orphans as she had promised. That is…if it was snowing in Capitol City. They had travelled so far. What were the odds of it snowing there as it was here? They were much further north now and very likely in the mountains of Kilt.

She took Lindo’s hand and he helped her down. Then he did the same for Mariah. That was how she knew their journey was ended. Lindo had never allowed them both to alight from the carriage at the same time except for when they stopped for the night. It was only midday.

She stepped into a bailey of some kind. She caught sight of a building right before Lindo touched her shoulder and said, “Sleep.”

She collapsed into his arms.




Ariana’s lashes fluttered open. She sat up quickly and grunted in frustration. Damn it, she had wanted to catch sight of the way in and out of the building. How could she make any type of escape if she didn’t know the way out?

The first thing she noticed was that, outside of a few lamps, the room would be utterly dark. She looked for windows and realized there were none there.

She was lying on a bed, the mattress thick and soft, sinkable and delightful compared to the hard seat of the carriage. The bedding was furs and velvets, the plush fabrics sinful and delicious. There were dozens of pillows, presumably filled with down from the soft feel of them.

She slid out of the bed, and stood up. The bed was low to the ground so it took a little effort to get her sore body to respond to the command to rise. Her feet hit a thick carpet and she realized she was barefoot. She saw the room was made entirely of marble, from floors to walls to ceilings, the ceilings supported by marbled columns. The room was large with a massive fireplace on the far wall. And sitting before the fireplace was a large copper tub filled with steaming hot water.

“Oh my god! A bath!”

She hadn’t bathed in two weeks. She could have left herself smelling bad and covered in dirt from their travel, making herself as unappealing as possible to the louse who had kidnapped her, but she wanted the bath too much to resist it. She walked over to the tub and saw rose petals floating on the surface of the water. She groaned. She would be the fatted calf. He was preparing her for himself. Again, she debated not bathing, but she couldn’t do it.

Slowly, she pulled her soiled dress over her head and dropped it to the ground. She did the same with her drawers and undergarments. She got into the water with a moan of pleasure. The hot water immediately sank into her sore muscles, allowing her to relax. She looked around herself then and saw a large, ornate metal door in one wall. Iron. Iron and stone. Two things she could not set on fire. Perhaps if she worked hard enough she could melt the iron of the door, but again that would gain her nothing. She would then have to step through a pile of melted metal…and even she could not stand to touch metal that hot. And the act would completely exhaust her, leaving her no way of defending herself afterward.

And then there was Mariah to consider. She couldn’t leave her behind.

Where was Mariah?

And as if she had asked aloud, the door to the room opened and in walked Mariah. Ariana sank down into the tub, shielding herself from whomever else might come in, but the door closed in Mariah’s wake. Mariah, looking freshly bathed and dressed in a fresh frock came hurrying over to her.

“My lady! I thought I would die when I woke up and you were gone!” she gushed out, falling to her knees and throwing her arms about Ariana’s shoulders. Ariana hugged the girl back, just as glad to see her. Then Mariah sat back and looked her and the room over critically.

“Well,” she said, “may as well get you bathed and dressed.”

“Dressed in what? Not in that thing,” she said, nodding toward the offensive dress she’d been wearing for two weeks.

“I’m sure there’s something somewhere. In some of those drawers perhaps.” Mariah handed her a sponge and some soap she found on the floor, then she got up to look in the drawers.

She took out a colorful skirt and a violet colored blouse. The Sarens wore single dresses, empire waisted gowns that went to the floor. These clothes were in the loose fitting Kiltian style.

“There are no under garments,” Mariah noted with a frown.

“Why am I not surprised?” Ariana sighed. “I guess I should be grateful he’s letting me get dressed at all.” She eyed Mariah’s simple knee-length skirt and blouse in a pale blue color. “You wear it well.”

“I’m just grateful to be out of my old dress. Now bathe. Let’s get you cleaned and dressed before anyone decides to come in.”