The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1)(17)
Yet whatever warning had passed between brother and sister, Aren chose to ignore it. “You are welcome to correspond with your father. But your letters will be read, and if they contain information that jeopardizes Ithicana, you will be asked to remove it. If you’re caught using a code, your privileges will be revoked.”
What he might ask her to remove would reveal a great deal, a concept that was not lost on the Commander of Southwatch. Ahnna’s eyes flashed with irritation, and she opened her mouth before shutting it again, unwilling to compromise her performance. Though Lara had no doubt she’d argue against the correspondence once Lara was out of earshot.
“I don’t care for having my private letters read,” Lara argued, only because he’d expect it.
“And I don’t overly care to read them,” Aren snapped. “But we must all do things we don’t care to do, so I suggest you get used to it.” And without another word, he shoved back his chair and exited the room with a slight sway to his step.
Ahnna let loose a world-weary sigh. Pulling the cork from another bottle of wine, she filled Lara’s glass to the brim. “At Southwatch, this is what we call an Ahnna pour.”
Despite knowing that the woman’s behavior was an act to earn her trust, Lara smiled, taking a mouthful of the liquid. “Is he always this quick to temper?” she asked, even as she thought, Is he always this much of a prick?
The smile on the other woman’s face fell away. “No.” There was a slight slur to her voice, and she frowned at her glass. “God, how much of this did I drink?”
“Amarid makes the finest wines in the world—hard not to indulge.”
Moments later, Ahnna’s chin hit the table with a heavy thud. One of the servants entered at that precise moment, his jaw dropping at the sight of his princess snoring at the dinner table.
“Overindulged,” Lara said with a grimace. “Will you help me get her to her room?”
Ahnna was deadweight between the two of them as they half dragged, half carried her down the hallway and into her room, which was as lovely as Lara’s own.
“If you hold her, Majesty, I’ll check the sheets for snakes.”
Snakes? The thought distracted Lara enough that she nearly fell sideways under Ahnna’s weight when the boy let go. He walked over to the bed and gave it a solid kick before flipping down the bedding, which was thankfully devoid of serpents.
Easing Ahnna onto the bed, Lara dodged a near kick to the face as the taller woman rolled onto her stomach with a muffled grumble. Jerking off her boot, which had a wicked-sharp blade concealed within it, Lara tossed it next to the bed, followed by the other, then dusted off her hands. “Thank you for your assistance,” she said to the boy, exiting the room and waiting for him to follow. “What’s your name?”
“It’s Eli, my lady. I should say, this isn’t normal for Ah . . . Her Highness.” He bit at his lower lip. “Perhaps I should let His Grace—”
“Let it be.” Lara closed the door. “No need to embarrass her further.”
The servant looked ready to argue, then Ahnna let out a loud snore, audible through the thick door, and seemed to think better of it. “Do you require anything else this evening, Your Grace?”
Lara shook her head, wanting him gone. “Goodnight, Eli.”
Bowing, he said, “Very good. Please check your bed for—”
“Snakes?” She gave him a smile that turned his cheeks pink against the soft brown curls of his chaotic hair. He bowed again before fleeing down the hallway. Lara listened for the clatter of dishes being removed from the dining room, then silently let herself back into Ahnna’s room, flipping the latch shut behind her.
The princess did not so much as twitch as Lara methodically searched for any information of use, sighing covetously at the woman’s arsenal of weapons, which were all of the finest make. But else of interest, there was nothing beyond a few keepsakes, a jewelry box with some worthless items, and a music box with a false bottom filled with poetry. A childhood bedroom now seldom used.
After turning down the lamp, Lara eased open the door to ensure the hall was empty before striding to her own room. There had been noise of activity at both ends of the hallway; no chance of her making it to the other side of the house without one of the servants noticing. Chewing on her thumbnail, Lara eyed the clock. The narcotic wasn’t intended to last long, and the king hadn’t indulged in wine to the extent his sister had. Which meant she was running short of time.
Slipping off her dress, Lara retrieved some toweling, along with soaps and scrubs and, lamp in hand, she stepped out into the courtyard. The night air was cool, a light mist of rain dampening her shift as she walked barefoot down the stone path toward the hot spring. Setting her bathing supplies next to the pool, Lara slid off her shift and slipped into the steaming water, taking one of her knives in with her. Then she turned down the lamp to a bare glow and allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkness.
The noise of the jungle managed to be both deafening and soothing, a ceaseless cacophony that settled the rapid patter of her heart as she rested her elbows on the edge of the pool, perusing her surroundings. The chittering of birds merged with the rustle of leaves, the sharp shrieks of monkeys called back and forth through the trees. A creature, perhaps a frog of sorts, made a repetitive rattling noise, insects droned, and mixed with it all was the gurgle of the waterfall behind her.