A Soul of Ash and Blood (Blood And Ash Series Book 5)

Vikter returned not long after Tawny had entered her room through a connecting door within the Maiden’s chambers. He strode down the hall with a white cloth clenched in his grip, which he all but shoved into my hands.

Glancing down at the crisp white with its gleam of gold, I could barely contain my disgust as I realized it was the mantle of the Royal Guard. “Thanks,” I muttered.

“Try not to look too thrilled,” Vikter replied.

I lifted my gaze to him. “The same could be said about you.”

He stood across from me, the faint light catching the nicks and grooves in the black armor covering his chest. “Would you prefer that I pretend I approve of this decision?”

“No.” I tossed the mantle over one shoulder, wondering if he called the Maiden Poppy. “As long as you understand that no matter how many times you complain to the Commander, it won’t undo his decision.”

Vikter huffed out a short laugh. “You think I’m not aware of that?”

“You think I believe you went to see the Commander just to graciously retrieve the mantle for me?”

“I don’t give two shits what you think,” Vikter retorted.

“Well,” I drawled, my head tilting, “won’t that make working together a bit difficult?”

“Nah.” He shook his head, his blue eyes as cold as the ice that capped the High Hills of Thronos near Evaemon. “I don’t need to know what you think for either of us to carry out our duties. I already know enough.”

“And what is it that you know?” I asked.

“The Commander thinks you’re not only ready but also capable enough to take on this responsibility. You’re obviously skilled, quick with a sword, and strong as an ox.”

“Flattered,” I murmured.

A blade-sharp smile appeared. “And you’re also arrogant and cocky.”

I arched a brow. “I do believe they are the same thing.”

“And a smartass,” Vikter added.

My lips twitched as unwanted respect grew for the man. Something warned him to be wary of me. An innate instinct, which was spot-on. “You forgot to add wickedly handsome.”

He huffed a breath. “What I forgot was that you don’t know when to shut your mouth, but that’s something you’re going to learn.”

Biting back a laugh, I turned my head to face the end of the hall, where specks of dust caught in the fading sunlight coming through a small window. “You wouldn’t be the first to wish I’d learn how to do that.”

“Not surprised at all to hear that,” he said. “The difference with me is that you either learn the easy way or the hard way.”

A grin snuck free.

“You think I’m fucking with you?” Vikter sneered. “Accidents have a way of happening around here, even with Royal Guards—even with newly promoted Royal Guards.”

My head turned back to him. Was he actually threatening me? The burst of disbelief gave way to another ripple of amusement. “I’m not fucking with you, Vikter. You just remind me of someone I know.”

“Doubtful,” he muttered.

“Let me guess, the hard way involves breaking my jaw or worse?” A short laugh left me as Vikter’s eyes narrowed. “So, I’m right. He’s said the same thing quite a few times.”

Vikter was silent for a moment. “And who is this clearly astute person?”

“A father of a friend.” I met his stare, my humor fading. “Look, we don’t have to like each other. We don’t even really need to get along. You have your duty, and I have mine, and we share that responsibility. I will not fail her. That’s all you need to know.”

He held my gaze, then let out a low, gruff noise as his attention shifted over my shoulder to the door. A moment passed. “Is Tawny still in there?”

“No, she left a little bit ago.” I rested my hand on the hilt of the broadsword, assuming we’d reached some sort of understanding. “Will the Maiden remain in her chambers for the rest of the day?”

“If that is what she chooses,” he replied. “What did the Commander prepare you for in terms of your role?”

“The basics,” I answered. “As for her schedule, he didn’t go into that much detail on what’s prohibited and not.”

Vikter nodded. “We will alternate days and nights. That’s what we’ve always done,” he explained, some of the tension easing from his shoulders. “There is something you should know—to prepare for when you guard her at night. Sometimes, she has…unpleasant dreams.”

The tautness that left him seized me. “Nightmares?” I thought of what I’d seen when she was unveiled. “What causes them?”

He just stared at me.

“Are they about how she was scarred?” I surmised.

Silence.

I pushed back the frustration. “Look, I get you’re protective of her. Even more so than I’d expect a guard to be,” I said, and his eyes narrowed. “But I need to know everything about her to do my job.”

“You don’t need to know anything to protect her other than what your damn job is,” he snapped, then cursed low. “She got the scars when she was a child. Six years old. In a Craven attack that killed her parents and nearly ended her life.”

“Fuck,” I rasped, rubbing my hand over my chin. I knew about the Craven attack, but I hadn’t heard this, and if I had, I must’ve forgotten it. “She was six? How the fuck did she survive?”

“She’s Chosen,” he answered.

I looked at him, shaking my head. “She must be,” I muttered, glancing over my shoulder. She’d been six years old? Good gods. “No wonder she has nightmares.”

“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “You may hear her scream,” he said, each word stated slowly as if he were taking the time to choose them. “She will be fine, but I ask you not to bring it up to her.”

As someone who had spent way too many decades with unpleasant dreams, I quickly understood what he was saying. He didn’t want her embarrassed. I could respect that, except…

“How am I to know when a scream is due to a nightmare or her being under duress?”

Vikter snorted. “She won’t scream if she’s under duress,” he said, leaving me wondering exactly what the fuck he meant by that as he went on. “In terms of her schedule, she is not to be disturbed in the early hours of the morning. That time is for prayers and meditation. She normally takes her meals in her chambers.” He gave the rough times for when the staff served them, usually handing the meal over to whoever guarded her door. “Servants generally enter her chambers to clean when she is taking her lessons with Priestess Analia, which you will attend on the days you’re guarding her. Sometimes, she will be present when the servants need access. We try to avoid that, but…” He trailed off, clearing his throat. “She is to be veiled during those times, and you will be required to enter her chambers if she is present when servants or any of the other staff are there. The only ones allowed to be in her chambers without you are the Teermans and Tawny. As far—”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “Does the Duke visit her chambers?”

“He hasn’t, but it is not an impossibility.” A muscle ticked in Vikter’s jaw, and I didn’t like the looks of it. He quickly moved on. “She will sometimes sit in the atrium, usually in the early afternoons when it’s empty. She also likes to take walks on the castle grounds in the mornings, and especially after supper. When she is moving about the grounds, she will not interact with others…”

My brows inched closer and closer together as he spoke and had to be nearly connected by the time he reached the very short list of things the Maiden did. That couldn’t be it, but something he said made me think of Lord Mazeen.

“What about the Lords and Ladies?” I asked. “Do they interact with her?”

“Some do,” he confirmed. “They do not see her unveiled.”

“But is she to be alone with them?” I pressed.

“Not usually. They could, of course, request to speak with her in private, but that is rare.” He studied me. “Why do you ask?”

“Just want to make sure I know exactly what is and isn’t allowed.” I folded my arms. “And I’ve heard that some of the Lords and Ladies are known to disrespect personal boundaries.”

Vikter’s left eye squinted. “A few are known for that.”

“Any that I should be aware of when it comes to the Maiden?”

A moment passed. “I do not let the Maiden stray too far in Lord Mazeen’s presence.”

My jaw tightened. For the Lord to have carried the Maiden’s scent, someone had allowed it, but I didn’t believe it was Vikter. “Is he a…problem?”

“He can be.” He drew a hand over his armored chest. “But only to the point where he makes a nuisance of himself.”

From what Britta had shared, I wouldn’t consider Lord Mazeen’s behavior a nuisance. But there was only so much Vikter could say about the Ascended—or would, considering he didn’t exactly trust me.

But I knew enough to know to keep an eye on Lord Mazeen. I changed the subject. “So, that’s all she does?”

“Other than attending the City Councils, that’s about it,” Vikter confirmed. “She doesn’t go out in public.”

Oh, yes she did, but that was beside the point. I glanced at the closed doors behind me as Vikter continued on with a much longer list of things she couldn’t do. She was not to speak to others, eat among company, leave the castle grounds—the list went on and on until I wondered if she was allowed to visit the bathing chambers without permission for fuck’s sake. “What does she do with the rest of her time?”

He frowned. “Why do you ask?”

“Why?” I faced him. Was he serious? “She spends the majority of her time in her chambers? Alone?”

That muscle was ticking double-time now. “Yes, and other than the situations I listed above, it will be rare for you to find yourself in her chambers.” His chin dipped. “Very rare. And when you do, the doors should be left open. She is aware of this.”

I didn’t respond to his clear warning, and silence descended between us. I was stuck on the fact that the Maiden truly spent the entirety of her time alone or being watched. I’d known the latter, but I’d assumed her days were spent doing…well, whatever it was the so-called Maiden did.

Apparently, this…this was it.

Damn. I dragged a hand over my head. Her existence had to be a lonely one. Damn.

“You used her name.”

My attention cut to the Royal Guard. “What?”

“When you spoke your vow,” Vikter said, “you used her given name. Why?”

A slew of lies rose to the tip of my tongue. I could just claim that I didn’t know why, but after what I’d learned? “I just wanted her to know that someone saw her.”

Vikter inclined his head, but there was no other acknowledgment. No reprimand, either. I didn’t think he had an issue with it, and my reluctant respect for him grew.

And that was a damn shame.

Because if we were summoned to the capital, he would be one of the guards escorting her. Which meant it was likely that Vikter Wardwell would have to die for me to succeed in what I’d come to do.