The Ranger of Marzanna (The Goddess War #1) - Jon Skovron Page 0,80
your thoughts to turn to those family members who will not witness it. I had meant to put off telling you until after this evening, but I suppose it is better for you to hear it from me first, rather than some tipsy officer at the ball. Shortly after your sister murdered the patrolman, I sent several men to search Gogoleth for any sign of her. One of them never reported back.”
“You mean…”
“Some time later, his frozen corpse was discovered on a rooftop near the College of Apothecary.”
“Perhaps he merely froze to death?”
The commander shook his head. “I’m afraid not. His arm had been broken, and his throat slit. Presumably by your sister when she was discovered.”
“How terrible…” Sebastian still found it difficult to think of his sister as a cold-blooded murderer. She’d had a temper, certainly. And during their childhood she had been mean to him on any number of occasions, but he’d always assumed that to be the typical cruelty of an older sibling toward their younger sibling. Had she been harboring something darker all along? He’d never understood why she’d spent so much time with Mikhail. Sebastian hadn’t been close with the man, but he’d always seemed a rather harsh fellow. Perhaps he had been the one to take her down so sinister a path.
Vittorio smiled and placed his hand paternally on Sebastian’s shoulder. “It is indeed terrible. But every family has its black sheep, so I do not hold you or your mother accountable for your sister’s crimes. Today is a day for celebration, so let us put aside such grim matters for now.”
“Yes, sir.”
Engagement balls were traditionally held at the groom’s family’s main estate, but since the Turgenev estate was relatively humble, Commander Vittorio had generously offered to hold the ball at Her Imperial Majesty’s Grand Northern Ballroom.
The ballroom had been constructed shortly after the Treaty of Gogoleth and the end of the Winter War. Its main purpose was to offer an appropriately lavish and stately location for Her Imperial Majesty to entertain, should she decide to visit the newly acquired northern region of her vast empire. She had not yet deigned to do so in the twenty years that followed, but the ballroom was always kept at the ready, immaculately clean and fully staffed, just in case.
Sebastian had never actually seen the Grand Northern Ballroom before, and when the carriage drew near, he was awed by its immensity and grandeur. It was the largest single building in Gogoleth, with the possible exception of the venerable College of Apothecary. It was made not of the black stone that was so prevalent in Gogoleth, but a beige, almost white stone that had been transported at great expense from Aureum. Set among the dark buildings around it, the Grand Northern Ballroom seemed almost luminescent beneath the light of the full moon that shone overhead.
The carriage stopped at the bottom of the white stone stairs before the front entrance. Commander Vittorio stepped out first, followed by Sebastian. In addition to his green jacket, cleaned and brushed to perfection, and his tall, polished black boots, Sebastian wore pristine white gloves and a white cape with green trim over one shoulder.
He followed Commander Vittorio up the stairs and through the main doors into the spacious foyer, where an army of well-wishers descended upon him, most of whom he did not recognize.
After nodding, smiling, and shaking hands for what seemed an eternity, Vittorio finally managed to extract Sebastian from the group and lead him into the ballroom. There he was accosted by an even larger group of guests.
He did his best to appear gracious, but there was so much going on in that magnificent ballroom, he could barely focus on the person in front of him. Five crystal chandeliers, each with four tiers, were evenly spaced across the ceiling, glittering with countless candles. Tables lined the sides of the ballroom, laid out with nearly every type of food he could think of, from whole roast boar to a three-tiered chocolate cake slathered in vanilla icing. Servants weaved through the crowds holding aloft trays of wine or vodka. A small chamber Aureumian orchestra was tucked away in one corner, the trembling sound of strings wafting through the air as enticingly as the food.
“There you are, my darling boy!”
Sebastian turned eagerly toward the sound of his mother’s voice. She was dressed even more splendidly than he’d seen her before, with a wide hooped skirt and sleeves bordered in exquisite lace.