Crush the King (Crown of Shards #3)(56)
“Keep half the guards here at this end of the bridge. When we get over to the island, post the remaining guards at that end of the bridge,” I said.
Auster frowned. “But I was going to send them all with you. To ensure your safety during the ball.”
I gave him a grim smile. “Nothing can ensure my safety. We could take a hundred guards, and the Mortans would still try to kill me. Besides, I can’t afford to appear scared, frightened, or worried. Not tonight when everyone will be watching. So no legion of guards.”
Auster didn’t like it, but he gave me a reluctant nod.
“I also can’t afford to get trapped on the island,” I continued. “I want the guards stationed at both ends of the bridge to make sure that we can get back across the river to Bellona after the ball.”
Auster nodded again. “As you wish, my queen.”
The captain ordered some of his men to take up their position here, while the rest of us stepped onto the bridge. Auster and the remaining guards followed us.
The sun was setting, and the golden rays had turned the tearstone expanse the same dazzling light gray as my dress, while the surface of the water gleamed like a bed of moving, sparkling sapphires. Farther out, the ships in the harbor bobbed up and down on the waves, and their colorful crested flags snapped to and fro in the cool, steady breeze.
Despite the lovely, picturesque scene, I couldn’t help but notice the shadows slowly creeping over everything. Or perhaps those were simply reflections of my own dark thoughts about the danger that waited for us on the island.
Still, it was a pleasant walk, and my friends chatted back and forth, telling me how the Bellonans had done in today’s Regalia events. My countrymen and -women had acquitted themselves quite nicely, winning and placing in several competitions for the cook, thread, plant, metalstone, and other masters. Nico, Diante’s grandson, had won the archery tournament, one of the day’s big events. I made a mental note to congratulate him and his grandmother the next time I saw them.
We were almost to the end of the bridge when I noticed a ship anchored all by itself near the middle of the harbor. It was a relatively small vessel, the kind I would expect to be much closer to shore, given the violent waves that sometimes rocked the water. Even stranger than its location was the fact that it wasn’t flying any flags, and no sailors were working on deck. It almost seemed like the ship was deserted, although someone would have had to sail it out to its current location. Maybe the crew and the passengers had gone over to the island to cap off the Regalia’s opening day by celebrating in the gaming and pleasure houses. Either way, the ship wasn’t a threat, since it was so far away from the bridge, so I put it out of my mind.
We stopped at the opposite end of the bridge so Auster could give a few final orders to the guards. Then we left them behind and stepped onto the island.
The plazas and the boulevard had been crowded during the day, but they were absolutely packed with people this evening. The sour smell of wine and other spirits filled the air, and the crowd was much more raucous than before. The winners of the day’s events were celebrating their victories, while the losers were drowning their sorrows.
My friends and I kept an eye out for trouble, in case Maximus or Driscol had sent more assassins, but no one approached or seemed to be watching us, and we left the waterfront behind and climbed the steps to the top of the island.
Captain Auster led us to the plaza that surrounded the Pinnaculum arena, then headed into a nearby series of gardens filled with flowers, trees, benches, and fountains. A few minutes later, we stepped onto a new path, and the gardens fell away, revealing a castle looming up from the landscape.
“And this,” Auster muttered, “is the DiLucris’ not-so-humble home.”
The DiLucri family castle was made of the same glowing white stone as the Mint, but it wasn’t nearly as large or covered with garish gold coins. This was a far more tasteful, elegant structure, with gleaming windows, fluted columns, and other bits of artistry. The floors and wings led up to several slender towers, each one topped with a white flag that featured a gold coined-woman crest. More flags were planted along the cobblestone walkway that led to the castle.
We fell in with the steady stream of people heading toward the castle. Since this was a royal ball, everyone was dressed in formal jackets, gowns, and glittering jewels, although nothing too large or ostentatious. Calandre had told me that the jackets, gowns, and jewels would get more elaborate, colorful, and expensive as the Regalia went on, with everyone saving their most dazzling items for the third and final ball.
Still, the lords, ladies, and jewels weren’t nearly as impressive as the castle. White marble floors polished to a high gloss. Paintings and mirrors in gold frames. Chandeliers made of sparkling crystals. Something glittered, glistened, and gleamed everywhere I looked, and almost as much wealth was on display here as there was in Glitnir, the Andvarian royal palace.
But it was easy to tell that this castle belonged to the DiLucris, given all the images of the coined woman. The crest was carved, emblazoned, and stamped onto almost everything, from the floors to the walls to the frescoes that stretched across the ceilings. Something that was perfectly normal, as many royals, nobles, and merchants proudly displayed their crests, including myself with my own crown of shards. But the longer I stared at the symbols, the sorrier I felt for the woman depicted in them. It almost seemed like the coins in Lady Fortuna’s eyes and mouth were slowly growing larger and larger and threatening to swallow her up completely until there was nothing left of her features but a golden gleam.