Page 66 of The Stolen Throne
Pella relaxes the smallest bit. Then tenses back up when Vida strolls over to me to tweak at the materials. “I should add more fur to the cuffs,” she murmurs to herself. “Frostbite is not a joke.”
“I have no doubts everything will be amazing,” I assure her, reaching out to squeeze her arm. Which is a lot for me.
Vida laughs. “Liar,” she says through chuckles. “You don’t care about clothes. I’ve known that from the start. But thanks for the confidence.”
Over her shoulder, I can see Pella’s sour face, how she always looks around me. I’m tempted to stick my tongue out at her, but I’m nineteen now. I should probably try to outgrow those urges. So again, I don’t.
Vida gives my shoulder a squeeze. “Now where were we?” She’s been riding beside me most of the way here and has been a bundle of questions. Mostly about my life as a hidden princess. “I think you were going to tell me about the palace in Oaesys. I’ve never seen a palace before, and I want to know it all.”
“You were going to tell me about living with the zariphate.”
Pella scoffs. “Why do you want to know? You’ve done it yourself.”
“Only for a day or two, and never far from Enora.” Why am I bothering to explain anything to her?
Vida grabs her pincushion. “We didn’t exactly have it easy while you were gone, you know.”
I guess she’d rather not hear about my time with Eidolon, either.
“I mean, there is a lot of sand here.” She tsks. “It’s rough on the complexion, and I wasn’t allowed to bring more than the most basic items for clothing repair with me.”
“It’s too bulky to carry with us,” Pella explains, but in a non-Pella voice that actually sounds patient.
“I know.” Vida flaps a hand, pins now between her teeth as she takes in Pella’s coat.
“Is everyone decent?” Horus’s voice sounds from outside.
“Come in,” Vida calls out, then gives him a wide smile when he sticks his head inside but not the rest of him.
He takes in the three of us with a sweeping, sharp-eyed glance. He gives Pella a respectful nod of his head, then another, deeper one to me. “Meren.”
Meren. Horus called me domina once, but that was in the Shadowood, before he learned I’d lied about being Tabra.
His choice of greeting to me makes Pella’s expression flatten.
“Don’t linger in the door.” Vida moves closer to hook an arm through Horus’s, ignoring the way he stiffens a bit at the contact, and tugs him inside. She crosses her eyes at him to get a twitch of a smile in return.
Horus clears his throat. “Cain wants to know if you’ll have everything ready by tonight, Vida. Tomorrow is the best day for us to try for the portal.”
“Of course.” She gives a cheerful bob of her head and gets back to work on Pella’s clothes. “These are the last two.”
With another nod, Horus leaves us. Vida finishes up with Pella and has her undress while she turns her attention to me.
“Speaking of Cain…” she mumbles around the pins. “He’s quite the catch.” She gives me a twinkling look. “Aren’t you a little tempted?”
I may have told Vida about the marriage proposal.
I try not to wince, and I definitely don’t look at Pella, who I’d rather not hear from about that. What do I say?
“Um—”
“I have things to do.” Pella stomps out of the tent.
From where she’s now kneeling on the ground in front of me, Vida blinks after Pella’s retreating back. Then slowly turns wide eyes my direction. “Is it something I said?”
“Pella would probably rather I not end up with her brother.”
“Why?”
