For now, I needed a way out of the library--through a window perhaps? Did I have time?
"Lord Endrick." Simon's voice had changed. He wasn't talking about the Lord of the Dominion. He was speaking to him.
My heart crashed against my chest. This was the worst possible situation.
I'd known that I would have to face my father today, and that had worried me. But if Lord Endrick was here, all that remained within me was pure fear. I couldn't do this.
I had to do this.
I was terrified.
And I was going to do it anyway.
No one is sure when the Endrean people came into being, or how. All that is known is they were first discovered in the Blue Caves of the Watchman Mountains, and that somewhere deep inside those caves was the source of their magic.
Because of the mystery surrounding their origins, and the mysteries of magic itself, most Antorans believed Endreans were naturally evil.
Darrow didn't believe that. He said we were a product of our choices, not our bloodlines. I agreed. Except Lord Endrick--he was never anything but evil.
When he spoke, his voice was a razor, each word a cut that would burn for hours. To Simon, he said, "Move aside, boy. We have business. Private business."
The door handle turned and I stood tall to see Lord Endrick enter the library first. An icy wind seemed to accompany him, and I'm sure he was pleased to see me shudder beneath his dark shadow.
It was said that Lord Endrick had once been exceptionally handsome, as all Endreans were supposed to be. Yet with every murder he committed against his own people, his skin had grayed and become etched with deep, creviced lines, particularly on the cheeks and around his eyes. His pupils had faded to a frosty blue and often darted around like he expected an attack. He wore a leather cap over his hairless head at all times, and when in public, he wore a golden mask to hide his grotesque appearance. Few Antorans had ever seen his true face. Unfortunately for me, a visit to Sir Henry Dallisor's home was not considered going out in public. Nor was it necessary to look at him to understand this man's dark nature. Even the most callous person could feel his emanating cruelty. I'd never been so close to him, though I wondered how I had not noticed all of this three years ago when I had seen him from a distance.
Lord Endrick had declared the heavens dead and himself the highest giver of mercy. Considering what I had to do now, I hoped he was wrong. I sent a silent prayer to the heavens for protection. It couldn't hurt to try.
"Who are you, girl?" Endrick said to me. "What is a servant girl doing here, Sir Henry?"
"My Lord, you remember Kestra, my daughter." He was clearly surprised to see me here, but not as angry as I would've expected. Probably because Simon had warned that I was looking for him.
"Dressed in a servant's clothes?"
I gave a low curtsy and kept my face down so he would not see the redness of my eyes, or the fear in them. "I've not had time to prepare a proper wardrobe yet."
As far as Lord Endrick was concerned, I was Dallisor property, so he felt no need to address me directly when he said, "Your daughter must fix that. She is an embarrassment to you."
"She is, my Lord."
"That won't be a problem much longer. Has a date been set for her wedding to Sir Basil?"
"We arranged it last night. They will marry in two weeks."
I looked up, despite myself. Two weeks? Then I reminded myself that it wouldn't matter. I would not be here in two weeks. I would not be here in two more days.
"Two weeks is too long," Endrick said. "Sir Basil is in Highwyn now. Why can he not marry the girl tomorrow?"
"What?" I spoke loudly, ignoring every instinct within me to stop. "No!"
"Kestra, remember yourself!"
I lowered my head again. "Lord Endrick, if I do not have a proper dress to greet you, how can you expect me to have a proper dress for marriage?"
He crossed toward me, his face pinched with anger. "You will, because I demand it. This is a marriage of one noble to another. You will marry when I say it is your duty to do so."
"Only if I agree to it. Tomorrow is too soon."
"Are you refusing your master?"