The Doom of Kings_ Legacy of Dhakaan - Don Bassingthwaite [30]
The maid swallowed. “Lady Seneschal Vounn wants to see you, Lady Ashi. She says for you to wash, dress, and come to her immediately.” She moved to put down the tray she was carrying.
The anger that had kept Ashi tossing since she and Vounn had returned to Sentinel Tower and Vounn had ordered her to her rooms—with a guard posted outside the door to be sure she stayed there—came back with fresh heat. She sat up and growled, “Take a message back. Tell Vounn I’m not going anywhere on her say so.”
The maid frozen once again, tray hovering a handspan above a chest. “Lady Ashi—?”
“You heard what I said.” Ashi flung back the bed clothes and stood. Her hands clenched into fists. “Now get out!”
The tray dropped with a clatter and the maid dashed from the chamber. A moment later, the outer door of Ashi’s sitting room opened, then slammed shut. Ashi straightened her shift and stomped over to the tray. Hot water from a tall pitcher had splashed out, soaking towels and leaving a basket of breakfast rolls sitting in a puddle. Ashi plucked out one of the rolls and tore into it with her teeth.
She’d followed Ekhaas’s advice, apologized to Vounn, and what had it gained her? Maybe a shorter lecture at the watch station. The carriage ride back to Sentinel Tower had been utterly silent. Not a word had passed between her and her mentor. If Vounn wanted to cut into her now over the previous night’s misadventure, Ashi wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of going meekly before her. Vounn’s apartments were close. She could come deliver her lectures in person. Soon enough, she heard the outer door open and close again. Ashi turned to face Vounn as the lady seneschal advanced across the sitting room, her face like a storm cloud.
“What are you doing?” she demanded. “Get dressed!”
“I don’t think I will.” Ashi ripped a chunk from another roll. “Come out with it, Vounn. Tell me what you want to say about last night. I know there’s something.”
Vounn’s cheeks turned red. “Oh, there is,” she said, “but this isn’t the time for it. Tariic has asked for an early meeting. We can only keep him waiting so long.” She went to Ashi’s wardrobe and flung it open.
Ashi whirled and slammed it shut again. “Get out of there! I don’t care if Tariic wants an early meeting. Stop treating me like a child.”
“I’ll stop treating you like a child when you stop acting like one!” Vounn glared, so close that Ashi could feel the hot breath of her words. “You’re not a savage living in a swamp anymore. You have responsibilities now, and you are going to have to accept them.”
“I had responsibilities in the Bonetree,” Ashi growled back at her. “I was a hunter. I brought food to the clan. I defended my people.”
“And now you’re an heir of Deneith. You’ll bring wealth to the House and defend our honor with your behavior. Get dressed or I’ll call the House guards and drag you with me in your shift.” Vounn stepped back, crossing her arms. “You wouldn’t be leaving this room for a fortnight if Tariic hadn’t asked that you come with me this morning.”
Ashi had almost been ready to tackle Vounn and drag her down to the floor for a beating that would have earned cheers among the Bonetree, but the other woman’s final words made her stop. “He what?” she asked, a faint hint of curiosity filtering through the red haze that clouded her mind.
Vounn raised an eyebrow. “When I said we can only keep Tariic waiting so long, I meant it. Tariic requested a meeting with both me and you.” She looked down her nose. “Trust me, I wouldn’t be taking you if I didn’t think I had to.”
“Why would he want to see both of us?”
“I don’t know, but I imagine it has something to do with last night. Are you going to get dressed, or do you want to try strangling me first?”
Ashi looked down at her hands. Her fingers were curled and tensed. She would happily have strangled Vounn, but now she also wanted to know what Tariic wanted with her. She forced her hands to relax and reached instead for the pitcher of warm water the maid had brought.
“Don’t think this is over,” she told Vounn.