Dimitri shifted his weight, then winced. “I’ll be outside, standing guard.” He closed the doors as he left.
Gwennore stared into space for a moment. A few minutes ago, she’d been relieved that the general was protecting her and Eviana. But she hadn’t realized what it might look like to others. Goddesses help her. She needed to go home as soon as possible.
“Gwennie, look!” Eviana’s excited voice shook her out of her thoughts. The little girl caught her hand and dragged her toward one side of the room.
Half a dozen windows lined the long wall, allowing the sun to pour in and brighten the room. Between the windows, cushioned window seats looked warm and inviting. Beneath the windows and seats, shelves held a huge assortment of books and toys.
Dimitri opened the door to let the maid in. She set a basket of kindling and logs by the hearth, then whisked off a white sheet that was protecting more toys from dust.
Eviana’s eyes lit up at the sight of a wooden cradle filled with dolls, a red-painted wagon, a toy pram, and a rocking horse. “Can I play with these?”
“I believe so.” Gwennore looked around the long, rectangular room. It had to take up most of the western wing.
Opposite the wall of windows, there was another long wall with a fireplace in the middle. On each side, there were several beds, still covered with dust sheets. The center of the room was empty, leaving plenty of room for children to run about.
The maid pulled off another white sheet that was covering a comfy armchair in front of the fireplace. As she folded it, she cast a few curious glances at Gwennore.
Smiling, Gwennore introduced herself and Eviana. “May I help?” She removed a sheet from a second armchair.
The maid blushed. “Y-you don’t have to do any work, my lady.” She set her folded sheet on the small table between the two armchairs, then rushed over to the nearest bed to pull off another dust sheet.
“I don’t mind. I like to keep busy.” Gwennore folded her sheet. “May I ask your name?”
“Nissa.” The maid’s blush turned a brighter pink. “I-I’ve never met an elf before.”
“I’ve never met a Nissa before. It’s a lovely name.”
Nissa smiled shyly as she folded up the sheet. The bed she had uncovered was definitely for a child. It was short and low to the ground with a railing around the edge. A blue quilt on top was embroidered with red dragons.
Gwennore set her folded sheet on top of the stack Nissa was making. “Is that a little boy’s bed?”
Nissa nodded as she added her folded sheet to the stack. “Prince Tyrus slept there.”
Gwennore ran her fingers along the railing of the prince’s bed. The quilt looked freshly laundered. “This room has been kept clean.”
“Yes.” When Nissa pulled off another dust cloth, a crib was revealed. “We have orders to clean the room every fortnight. In case there’s a new…” She glanced over at Eviana, then quickly folded up the sheet.
“What happened to Prince Tyrus?” Gwennore asked. “Did he outgrow the nursery?”
Nissa winced. “No.” She hurried over to another bed and tugged at the dust sheet.
An ominous feeling slithered down Gwennore’s spine. She glanced at the empty crib and the bed once used by a prince. Then she noticed the headboards. Symbols and swirling designs had been carved into the wood, much like the ones she’d noted earlier in the courtyard and on the gate. “What happened to the prince?”
A pained expression crossed Nissa’s face before she looked away. “He’s … gone. He was almost two.”
Gwennore’s ominous feeling crept into her bones. “And the crib? Was it used by the prince, or was there another…?”
“Another boy.” Nissa drew in shaky breath. “He lived only six weeks.”
Gwennore swallowed hard. As she watched Nissa uncover another bed, she realized this one had a white quilt embroidered with pink and lavender flowers. At the head of the bed, pillows were trimmed with ruffles and white lace.
“Oh, that’s pwetty.” Eviana skipped toward the bed with a doll in her arms. “Can I sleep there?”
“It does look like a bed for a princess, doesn’t it?” Gwennore answered in Eberoni, then switched to Norveshki to address the maid. “Was there a little girl?”
Nissa glanced at Eviana, then looked away, her eyes glimmering with tears. “Anya was the queen’s firstborn child. She lived to be three.”
Gwennore drew Eviana close to her. “The queen lost three children?”
A tear rolled down Nissa’s cheek as she folded up the last dust sheet. “She had two miscarriages as well.”
Gwennore’s heart wrenched. Five children! That would be enough to drive anyone to the brink of madness. “I’m so sorry.”
As Nissa deposited the last sheet on the stack, Gwennore noticed there were more swirls carved into the white headboard of Princess Anya’s bed. “What do the carvings mean?”
Nissa turned pale. “Oh, it-it’s nothing.” She grabbed hold of a ball-shaped bead hanging from a leather thong around her neck. The wooden bead had been painted gold to represent the sun god called the Light.
Gwennore had noticed that many of the Enlightened in Eberon and Tourin wore similar pendants around their neck, although the necklaces worn by nobles were usually made of gold. It was normal for them to touch their sun pendants whenever they were upset or felt the urge to pray.
“The carvings must have some sort of meaning,” Gwennore persisted. “I saw the same design on the gate and on the paving stones in the courtyard.”
Nissa winced. “Those are runes. For protection. But you needn’t worry about them.”
“Protection against what?”
“It is forbidden to speak of it.” Nissa dashed toward the dressing room. “I’ll see if the child’s bath is ready.”
“Wait!” Gwennore followed her. “It is my job to protect Eviana. If there is some sort of danger here, I must know about it.”
Nissa paused for a moment, frowning, then shook her head. “I mustn’t speak of it. There’s no reason for you to worry. I
