House of Winter

Chapter 17, Part 1

SANNA

With Lumi gone, half the army was in the skies, looking for her, which meant Sanna was once again left to her own devices in the palace. She spent days in her room with no one but Sigrún for company. She ate what the servants brought her, and sometimes didn't bother to brush her hair. She felt lost.

The palace was alight with activity, but no one paid Sanna any mind as she walked through the courtyards. Everyone, from the noble starrlings to the ord servants seemed to know that the princess was missing, and every soldier was dispatched to hunt her down.

Sanna stood in front of General Virani's chamber doors, waiting for the servants to announce her, before she walked inside. When she saw that Tai was sitting in front of the fire, talking to Virani, Sanna found her first thought was that she was glad she'd worn a nice dress and braided her hair. She looked nicer today than she'd bothered to look in days.

"Lumi's still missing, then?" Sanna asked, with apparent disinterest, as she helped herself to a cake from her mother's desk and then sat down without being asked.

Tai glared at her. "This is none of your business," he snapped. "Auntie, send her away. We have more important matters to discuss."

"Tai, think," Virani said calmly. "Sanna may be useful to us in this instance."

Tai scoffed. "Unlikely."

"Is she not known to the dragon girl?" Virani asked.

Sanna felt her heart flutter, but she kept her face stoic. "The dragon girl? I keep no such friends," she said.

"A girl on a dragon," Virani repeated. "Ariane Domez. She was Princess Katja's ward, was she not? Somewhat of a companion to the princess, I heard. Sanna, were you not friendly with her?"

Sanna's mouth was suddenly dry, and she swallowed a bite of the cake with difficulty. "The little ward?" she asked. "The one responsible to Raphael's death? I'm sure she's locked in a Lombardian prison."

"She's not," Tai snapped. "She's here."

Sanna felt a jolt of panic. What if Ariane Domez had followed Sanna to Singtsu? But that was impossible, surely.

Why would she come to Singtsu? The girl was smart. There was no reason she'd sail across the world to an inhospitable nation. The very nation that was responsible for the deaths of her parents and older siblings. Ari would never bring herself here. There was no way. And yet...

Sanna felt a glimmer of hope at the idea of seeing Ariane. She tried to push it down. Seeing Ari was a bad idea. If Ari was here, that could only spell bad news. If Ari had somehow got herself to Singtsu, then what could possibly be happening outside these palace walls? How bad would the war have to be for Ari to travel to Singtsu?

"It seems there are intruders to the palace," Virani said to Sanna. "And you may be the best person to get them talking."

"They're my prisoners!" Tai said. "I should interrogate them!"

Sanna rolled her eyes. "I have no interest in intruders. This is all a little too dramatic for me. I think I might go back to bed."

General Virani gave Sanna a disappointed look.

Sanna refused to let either Tai or his aunt know that Ari meant anything to her. It was too dangerous. She needed to pretend that she cared nothing for the Vastien girl. But she was playing a dangerous game here. She needed to find out for herself if Ariane was really here. That meant she would have to escape Tai's notice, and her own guards, to sneak down to the palace barracks.