The Queen's Line (Inheritance of Hunger #1) - Kathryn Moon Page 0,34

you were on my council, I'm glad for the way things worked out," I said.

"We're here," Cosmo said at the same time the carriage rolled to a slow stop.

We were near the heart of Rumsbrooke, dark buildings tall and narrow and made of large stone. It had the look of a once wealthy and now dilapidated neighborhood, but it was an improvement on the lean-tos we'd passed on our way. I stepped out after Wendell, and he was quick to catch me by my waist, lifting me over a little running mess of refuse and water that ran at the edge of the sidewalk. My breath caught in my chest, caught off guard by the gesture and the absolute ease with which he managed it. Wendell was very tall, probably as much as Owen, and while he wasn't slim by any sense of the word, he appeared so in comparison to Owen and Thao's muscular bodies. But he was strong, and he set me down on my toes as gently as if I weighed nothing before offering me his arm to hold.

Cosmo's hand touched my back as he leapt over the gutter, and I returned to my senses, staring up the narrow, crooked stairs of the building we were in front of, my eyes landing on the woman waiting for us. For a second, I had the strange impulse to curtsey to her, but she beat me to it, bending low. She reminded me a little of my grandmother, tall and thin, with a firm and examining expression. Her features were softer, however, and there was still some brown in her hair. Her dark grey dress was frayed at the hem and discolored at the cuffs, but it was tidy and the lines were pressed smooth, and when she pushed herself up by her dark polished cane, she stood straight with pride.

"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Mistress Sanders," I said, taking Wendell's hand and following him up the stairs, watching the older woman's eyes widen briefly with surprise.

"The honor is mine, Your Majesty," she said.

I squeezed Wendell's fingers before he could correct her use of the title. "Princess Bryony, please."

"Please, come inside. I—I haven't prepared a tea, but—"

"I really came for business, you don't need to exert yourself for our sake," I said quickly.

The house was clean and bright inside, although there was a funny feeling as I stepped through the doorway as if everything might've been leaning slightly to the left. Rebecca Sanders led us slowly down a hall and then into a well-organized office on the left. Behind me, Cosmo followed close with Cresswell Stark, who left another two guards at the front door.

Two mismatched chairs faced a long desk, and Rebecca's lips pursed as she glanced between us and them. Wendell managed the ceremony, pulling out the chair with the cushion for me and then gesturing Rebecca to sit before taking the empty seat, as Cosmo leaned in at my back casually.

"It's good to see you again, Pianetta," Rebecca said swiftly, her eyes bouncing over the four of us from behind her desk.

"It's good to be home again. I hope the city is behaving itself for you," Cosmo said.

Rebecca huffed and didn't answer, instead meeting my gaze with her own soft brown eyes. "I take it you've chosen a replacement for my late husband Frederick?"

"I—" Don't stutter. Don't look nervous. "I would like you to take the position, unless you object. If it's been a burden for you, I'm sure we can find—"

"You want me to be magistrate?" Rebecca asked, jaw dropping slightly. All at once, the firm and steady woman of the front steps seemed to falter, and I recognized the expression in front of me. Not my grandmother's, but my own.

"Guard Stark and Cosmo have said you already are serving as magistrate, and if you aren't unhappy with the work, then I'm glad to make it official," I said.

She restored herself, lips pressing firmly and eyes traveling over the surface of her desk.

"I do have…changes I would like to implement, with your help," I said.

Her shoulders slumped and she didn't look up. "You'll want to raise the taxes now that you're living in the north, I take it."

"I'd like to lower them, actually. Well, I'd like to forgo them for the time being," I said.

It was as if I'd struck her with the announcement. Rebecca Sanders dropped back in her chair, twice as shocked as when I'd said I wanted her