“I was told there were no women here,” Evina said.
The woman approached. She was lovely in a peculiar way with a small mouth, round black eyes and a high, smooth forehead. Her neck was extraordinarily long, giving her an odd and somehow graceful appearance.
The maid bowed her head. “I’ve only been brought in today to care for ye during yer stay, my lady. Ye may call me Ala.”
Evina eyed the young woman with growing skepticism. “Where did ye come from?”
Ala lifted her head and met Evina’s gaze with eyes so dark, the pupils weren’t visible. Confusion furrowed at her slender pale brows. “The village, my lady.” She said it with such innocent certainty, Evina immediately felt foolish for asking, for questioning.
“Apparently we are the first women in this castle for some time,” Evina mused.
Ala nodded, her head bobbing on her slender neck. “Ever since the mistress’s death, my lady. The entire household left.”
“Did they stare at ye when they first saw ye too?” Evina asked with a smirk.
The woman blinked her glittering black eyes. “Nay, my lady.” Her head cocked to the side. “Should they have?”
Evina waved the comment away and the maid set to helping her remove the leather armor from her body in preparation for bathing. In truth, having servants was a part of the privileged life Evina could not tolerate. Aye, she enjoyed the hearty food with its tender meat and freshly baked bread, and she loved the solitude of sleeping in a large, soft bed.
Evina had assumed Duncan would have come to her. Certainly, his gaze had lingered over her when Gillespie led her off to show her to her room. Mayhap he wanted to allow her time to enjoy her time in the tub.
Her ruminations, however, melted away once she sank into the rose-scented water. The temperature was the ideal warmth, the oils carefully mixed to leave her smooth but not greasy. Surely Heaven itself would not be as luxuriantly blissful.
“Thank ye, Ala, but ye dinna have to return tonight.” Evina leaned her head against the wall of the tub. “I can get myself into bed and ye can clear this in the morning.”
Ala inclined her head with her long neck, and took her leave as quietly as she’d arrived.
Evina stayed indulgently in the tub until the water cooled. When she finished, her entire body seemed to glow from within. For the first time she could remember, she felt truly clean.
She drew on the long night rail Ala had left her, the linen so fine, it might well be made of silk and wishes. Evina drew one indulgent hand over the cloth, and made her way to the steps leading up to that glorious bed.
The first wood stair was pleasantly cool under the heat of her foot, and she took the stairs to the top where she crawled over the wide mattress. She sank into its incredible softness with a sigh and drew the thick velvet coverlet over her, trapping in the warmth of her freshly bathed body.
Velvet. She’d seen women wear it, but had never owned anything as fine herself, let alone having slept under a sizable piece of it. She ran her hands over the smoothness one way and let it prickle against her palms when she changed the direction of her hands.
Aye, she would rest like a queen.
She settled against the pillow and closed her eyes, ready for the best slumber in her life.
Only it was the worst night of her life. No sooner had she fallen asleep, a sharp edge of something unseen scraped against her back, the pain quick and bright. She reached for her sword before remembering she was in a bed twelve mattresses high and nowhere close to her weapons.
She swept her hand over the bed clothes, but found nothing sharp, nothing to have caused such pain. Exhaustion fogged her brain and drew her to the thick, downy pillow. Her eyes closed and she gave in to sleep’s embrace.
A sharpness raked down her back, snapping her awake once more. Evina cursed and patted the coverlet, and again found nothing. Rest did not come as easily the next time, but when she relaxed into slumber, the unseen thing cut her once more. Again and again this occurred until sleep finally ceased to beckon her.
The light of dawn took the stretch of a lifetime to make its appearance. Finally the rising sun glowed in a thin, gold-red line at the base of the heavy curtains, and Evina gave up on attempting to rest in the loveliest bed she’d ever been offered.
She stomped down the stairs lining the mattresses, and tugged off the delicate chemise. A flash of red caught her eye, and she stopped, gaping in awe at the expensive fabric. Crimson dotted the brilliant white. Blood.
Her blood.
She drew in a sharp breath.
For the first time in the course of her lifetime, she had actually bled.
DUNCAN HAD BARELY SLEPT and hoped Evina’s night had been worse than his. Gillespie had confirmed he’d placed the Spear of Assal under the first mattress.
A new day had begun to show, and he found himself grateful for his habit to rise early. After all, Evina was a warrior and warriors did not let the day start without them. Duncan flew from his bed and swiftly dressed.
He had to know. He had to see.
His heartbeat echoed in his ears and his hands trembled, which made pulling on his trews difficult. Aye, he could have called for Gillespie, but he hadn’t wanted to rouse the older man, especially when the work creating a staff for the household from local creatures had left Gillespie exhausted.
It was preposterous to imagine one could generate servants from the forest. But Gillespie had said he’d been successful.
Duncan left his chambers and found a man with red hair and a sharp nose waiting stiffly for him, hands folded in front of him. His golden eyes met Duncan’s, and he
