Pieces of Eight (The Frey Saga, #2)(38)

"The servants?" I asked.

"Only the ones that warrant it," she answered dryly.

"Maybe I should lie back down," I admitted.

Steed laughed as he helped me up and, along with Ruby, led me to my own room.





I was asleep quickly and, though Ruby had stayed there to watch me, awake again nearly as fast. I'd been dreaming of Fannie again, destruction and murder, when her dark, dangerous, cat eyes stared into mine as blood dripped from her muzzle. The instant I woke, I impulsively found the remaining mountain lions I'd left in the castle and snapped their necks where they stood. I was breathing heavily and Ruby questioned me.

"No, I'm fine," I said, "just a dream."

"Then sleep, Freya."

"Ruby," I asked, "what's going to happen to Fannie?"

"I can't say, she's got her share of tails." She giggled and then amended, "Pursuers."

"What will Junnie do?" I asked.

"Junnie is hard to estimate, though I suppose she's got Fannie on the top of her list."

"Why?" I said automatically, sure it couldn't be merely in protection of me.

Ruby considered whether to tell me. "Well, I guess you're already in bed," she muttered before continuing in a more audible tone. "For taking out council."

"I don't think your pass-out humor is funny," I snapped. And then I examined what she'd said. "But why would she care? Chevelle said that she didn't agree with council's ideas."

"She doesn't agree with them, on certain points," she stressed. "Chiefly, that they manipulated events to control the rise of the north. But that doesn't mean she'd see them slain."

Of course, that made sense, but, at the same time, it didn't. "I saw her fighting against them, before we got to the castle."

"Only those that attacked you, some for their own reasons, not council's desire." She moved closer. "I can see you're not grasping the full scope here, Frey. Junnie's entire family is on that council."

I gasped. How could I have been so oblivious? I'd known, even before I'd left the village, that her family had received the calling. "And Fannie's killing them."

"Yes," Ruby answered, "and it is only worse that Junnie is responsible for saving her from your mother's fate, protecting her those years in the village, though Fannie considers it punishment, entrapment, and hungers for revenge."

Her reply had the tone of her fairy tales and I was confident, once again, that there was truth in all of them. I remembered what Steed had said, that Junnie had merely stopped on her way to warn us. "So, is that what Junnie's doing here, searching for Fannie?"

"Not exclusively," Ruby said. "She has many arrows in her quiver."

I recalled the battle again and couldn't help but ask, "Why is she after Asher?" Ruby looked momentarily stunned so I clarified, "If she doesn't agree with council about suppressing the north's rule, I mean."

I heard her release a breath. "That is an entirely different issue. Junnie is fine with leaving you in charge."

"But not Asher?"

"But not Asher."

I waited for more but was forced to speak the obvious follow up. "So, why?"

"Freya, there is much you do not know. Sleep now, tomorrow will turn up soon."

I wanted to argue with her, but I was exhausted. And she'd given me plenty to think about already. My thoughts were swimming in the eddy of my mind but, before long, they slowed, as if the water had thickened and then gelled, and I was in a deep sleep.

My limbs felt heavy as I dreamt, each step seemingly a monumental undertaking. I walked forever through the corridors and from the castle, never certain where I should be, until, finally, I recognized the stones, the distinctive marker on the path, and turned to find the passageway. It was dark and cold inside; it felt abandoned, forsaken. I heard the cry of a prey bird but could not see the sky, merely blackness. The bird called again, screeching this time, and it seemed to pierce my ears. I tried to find it with my mind to silence it, but instead found something foreign. Pain seared my mind and the shriek became metallic and unbearable. I drew my hands to my temples, pressing uselessly against them, and suddenly I wasn't alone. I could feel a presence, hear my name.

"Frey!" Ruby commanded.

My eyes twitched open as a shudder tore through me. A dream. Ruby pulled my fists from my head and ordered me to calm down.

When I'd finally relaxed, she asked what was wrong.

"Just a dream," I answered.

"What about, a dragon's lair?"

I knew she'd meant to be sarcastic but something about it seemed right. "No, just rocks," I said.

"Rocks." She shook her head absently. "You nearly scared the fire out of me."

I laughed at the odd expression and my throat was raw. Had I been screaming?





After I'd cleaned up per Ruby's standards, we went down to the dining area for breakfast. Chevelle was waiting for us.

His voice was demanding. "Elfreda."

Uh oh. "Yeah?"

"Why are there dead cats scattered throughout the castle?"

Crap. "Sorry, I forgot."