The Ardoon King Read online

  Chapter 45: Time’s Up

  It was morning. Fiela rolled to her stomach and stretched her legs out behind her. Thal was still sleeping. She was so very beautiful, Fiela thought. She felt sorry about what was to come, but certain things had to be done. She had made her decision. The sand in the hourglass had stopped falling.

  The girl rose from the bed, used the bed pan, placed it in the hall, and then summoned two of the female Peth to start a fire in the bedroom’s fire place.

  “Quietly,” she warned. “Lady Thalassa is asleep.”

  The Peth were quiet, and by the time Thal woke, the room was warm. She rose to her elbows and rubbed a hand over her face, looking about. She saw Fiela sitting at the room’s small table sipping coffee. “Good morning,” she said groggily. “You’re up early.”

  “I thought I would surprise you. The room is warm already and I have coffee for us.”

  “You’ve outdone yourself,” said Thal approvingly.

  “Thank you.”

  Thal stared at the girl. She had a weird smile. That feline had consumed a yellow avian, apparently. “What?”

  “Do you not notice anything different?”

  “About the room?”

  “No, about me.”

  The woman shook her head, looked again. Fiela wore her old football jersey - the same one she always wore to bed. Her long red hair was tied into two pony tails instead of one. That wasn’t anything to write home about. Her bare legs were as stunning as ever, one crossed over the other. She didn’t have on socks, which was slightly unusual, because the room was usually cold in the morning and her sensitive feed were averse to the cold wooden floor. Yet the fire had already warmed the room, so there was no need for socks.

  Thal admitted defeat. “I’m sorry, Fiela, I don’t see…”

  Then she did. The girl wasn’t wearing the feather on her ankle.

  Fiela followed the woman’s eyes. “Ah, now you see.”

  Thal was not amused. “You’re not allowed to remove-”

  “It’s day twenty-nine.”

  “What?”

  “I only had to obey you for four weeks. That’s what Ben said. That’s twenty-eight days. Today is twenty-nine. I’m free.”

  “Oh,” Thal said, embarrassed, and suddenly a little uneasy. When she’d agreed to mentor Fiela, she’d expected to mentor within the confines of Steepleguard, from start to finish, with Ben available as an arbitrator if necessary. It had been a wild ride since then, and she hadn’t really planned for “day twenty-nine” to arrive while she was marooned with Fiela in middle of nowhere.

  “My time as your teacher is up then,” she said.

  “It is,” said Fiela, who seemed oddly distant. She took a sip of her coffee, looking at the woman over the lip of the cup. When she put the cup down, she said, “You must obey me now. I am your queen.”

  “Of course,” Thal said again, feeling a little stupid. She didn’t know what else to say.

  The girl, rose from her chair, walked to the bed, and sat. “Would you like to use the bed pan? There is a clean one in the bathroom.”

  Thal shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I think I’ll just get dressed.”

  Fiela shook her head. “I have already dressed you.”

  Thal lifted the sheet from her chest and looked beneath it. She still wore her nightgown. “I believe you are mistaken.”

  “You’re not looking in the right place,” said the girl, who grabbed the sheet and pulled it off the woman.

  “Fiela!” the woman screamed. “This is most improper! What has gotten into you?”

  “First, you must call me Annasa.”

  “Annasa,” the woman said. “I’m sorry. Yes, Annasa.” She was suddenly afraid. This was not a good situation.

  “Second, nothing has gotten into me. Who are you to question my actions?”

  “I’m sorry, Annasa,” said the woman perplexed. What was going on?

  “Look,” the girl said, pointing.

  Thal followed her finger and suddenly understood. “Oh, no.”

  “Oh, yes.” Fiela extended a hand, palm up, and raised her eyebrows.

  The woman next to her sighed and slowly reached down, pulling the elastic band and feather from her own ankle. She handed it to the girl, who whispered, “You said you were very ticklish. I hope you are very loud.”

  She was.