The bar landed in the water next to her with a splash. Lara opened her eyes in time to watch him remove the towel from his waist and toss it on a rock, his feet smacking against the path as he strode naked back to his room.
Biting the insides of her cheeks, Lara struggled to contain her grin. This man might be a hunter. But he was mistaken if he believed she was prey.
7
Lara
Lara stayed in the hot springs until her skin was pink and wrinkled, half to annoy the King of Ithicana and half because the sensation of being wholly immersed in warm water was an unfamiliar delight. In the oasis, bathing had been limited to a basin, a cloth, and lots of vigorous scrubbing.
Back in her rooms, she took care with her appearance, selecting a sky-blue gown that left her arms and most of her cleavage bare, braiding her wet hair into a coronet that revealed her neck and shoulders. In her trunk was a chest of cosmetics, the false bottom concealing tiny jars of poisons and drugs, from which she tucked a vial into her cleverly designed bracelet. She darkened her lashes and swept gold dust across her skin, staining her lips a rosy pink right as the clock on the desk struck the seventh hour. Then, taking a deep breath, she stepped out into the hallway and followed the smell of food.
The polished floor of the hall reflected the light from beautiful sconces made of Valcottan glass. The walls were covered with a latticework of thin pieces of amber-colored wood, on which several bright paintings framed with bronze were hung. The end of the hallway led to a kitchen, so she took the door leading left, and found herself in a foyer tiled with marble, a heavy exterior door framed with windows revealing nothing in the growing darkness.
“Lara.”
Turning her head at the sound of her name, she looked through the open doors into a large dining room, which was dominated by a beautiful table made of wood inset with squares of enamel, around which a dozen chairs were placed. Ahnna sat with her chair pushed back and a glass balanced on one trousered knee.
“How was your bath?” The amusement in Ahnna’s eyes suggested she was not unaware of Lara’s conversation with her brother.
“Delightful, thank—” She broke off with a surprised gasp. Sitting on a chair across from the princess was the largest cat she’d ever seen, at least the size of a dog. Regarding her with golden eyes, it lifted one paw and licked it, proceeding to groom itself at the dinner table. “Good god,” she muttered. “What is that?”
“That’s Vitex. He’s Aren’s pet.”
“Pet?”
The other woman shrugged. “Aren found him abandoned when he was just a kitten. Took him into the house and then couldn’t get the damned creature to leave. He does keep the snakes out, I’ll give him that.”
Lara watched the animal warily. It was big enough to take down a human, if it got the jump. “Is he friendly?”
“Sometimes. Best to let him come to you, though. Now shoo, Vitex. Shoo!” The enormous creature gave her a look of disdain, then hopped off the chair and disappeared from the room.
Lara sat down across from the princess, taking in the full wall of windows, which she expected showcased an impressive view in the light of day. “Where is everyone?”
Ahnna took a long mouthful of wine, then picked up the bottle on the center of the table and filled Lara’s glass and her own, the act making Lara blink. In Maridrina, only servants handled a bottle. One did not pour for oneself. She rather thought that her countrymen might perish from thirst before ever breaking with the custom.
“This is my parents’”—Ahnna broke off with a wince, then corrected herself—“my brother’s private residence, so there isn’t anyone here right now but us three, plus the cook and two servants. And I’ll be gone tomorrow once my hangover wears off.” She lifted her glass. “Cheers.”
Lara dutifully lifted her own and took a swallow, noting the stemware was also from Valcotta, the wine from Amarid, and unless she missed her mark, the silverware from her homeland. She catalogued the details away for later consideration. Ithicana made the market for most goods, buying at Northwatch, transporting the products through their bridge, then selling them at a premium at Southwatch, only to reverse the process with the southern kingdoms’ exports. Merchants who traveled the length of the bridge paid stiff tolls for the privilege, and they were always kept under guard by Ithicanian soldiers. Ithicana itself exported nothing, but it appeared they had no compunction against importing products from other places.
“Is the entirety of this island the king’s private domain, then?” Lara asked, wondering when or if the man in question would make an appearance.
“No. My father built this home for my mother so that she would be comfortable during the times of the year they were here.”
“Where were they the rest of the time?”
Ahnna smiled. “Elsewhere.”
Secrets.
“Are there others living on this island whom I should be aware of?”
“Aren’s honor guard is here. You’ll meet them at some point, I imagine.”
Frustration bit at Lara, and she took another sip of wine to soothe the sensation away. She’d only been here a matter of hours. No one—not even Serin and her father—could expect her to find a way through Ithicana’s defenses in the space of a day. “I look forward to meeting them, I’m sure.”
Ahnna snorted. “I doubt that. They’re a little rough around the edges compared to what you’re used to, I expect. Though you are something of a mystery.”
The princess was doing her own digging. Lara smiled. “What of you? You say that you will be leaving tomorrow? Is this island not your home?”
“I’m the commander at Southwatch.”
Lara choked on her mouthful of wine. “But you’re a—”
“Woman?” Ahnna supplied. “You’ll find we hold to a different way of life in Ithicana. What’s between your legs doesn’t determine the path you’ll walk in life. Half the garrison at Southwatch is made up of women.”
“How liberating.” Lara managed to get the words out between coughs even as she envisioned the horror on her father’s face should he discover the island he’d failed time and again to beat in battle was defended by women.
“It can be for you, too, should you want it to be.”
“Don’t make promises we can’t keep, Ahnna,” a male voice said.
The King of Ithicana strode into the dining room, his dark hair damp from bathing, though she noted his face was still rough with stubble. It gave him a roguish appeal, but she stamped the thought down the moment it rose.
“What’s wrong with her learning how to wield a weapon? Ithicana’s dangerous. It would be for her own safety.”
He eyed the table, then sat at the end of it. “It’s not her safety that I’m concerned about.”
Lara shot him a look of disdain. “You’d fit in well in Maridrina, Your Grace, if the thought of your wife knowing how to wield a knife puts such fear in your heart.”
“Oh my.” Ahnna filled her glass up to the brim and leaned back in her chair. “I misjudged your wit, Lara.”
“You’re wasting your breath, Ahnna,” Aren said, ignoring the comment. “Lara believes weapons are the domain of common soldiers and not worthy of her time.”