he even treats them all with fine foods and drinks in the kitchen.”
That was interesting. I hadn’t seen this side of Kalon—though, to be fair, I hadn’t had the opportunity just yet. Maybe I would soon, provided our stay on Visio would be lengthy enough. But I did find this information to be soothing. Kalon had come across as curious, arrogant, and daring. It was nice to hear he treated the servants well. It was a mark of a generally good person, though that was not a rule set in stone.
My brother and I had met plenty of tyrants disguised as decent people.
“Does he come to the palace often?” I asked, as Zurah put a delicate silver necklace around my neck. Diamonds and sapphires were mounted in teardrops which hung gently from the chain. They brought out the blue in my dress, even softening the green in my eyes. She then gave me clip-on diamond earrings to wear. Shaped as teardrops, they were the perfect complement to the necklace.
“I’d say three, maybe four times a week,” Zurah said, admiring me in the mirror. “You look beautiful, milady. A true vision in midnight blue.”
“Thank you, Zurah. I have you and the lady supreme’s style artist to thank,” I replied. “Does Kalon come to the palace so often on business?”
She smiled, bound to have noticed my interest in him. I held my breath for a moment, worried she might point that out. “His business with the lord and lady supreme is scarce, at best. Lord Visentis mostly deals with the chief councilor. It’s the high priestess whose work is mostly tied to the palace. Lord Visentis is good friends with Valaine. They have been since she was born, in fact.”
I glanced at her over my shoulder. “Friends?”
“They are like brother and sister. She usually counsels him in the affairs of the heart, though it’s rumored he never really listens,” Zurah replied. She giggled, making her way into the bedroom. “Come, milady. I must do your hair, as well.”
“Right.”
I followed her and sat in front of the vanity mirror, where she took her time combing through my long and curly black hair. Needless to say, she had her work cut out for her. Halfway through wrestling with my stubborn locks, she poured a few drops of perfumed oil into her hands and ran them through my mane until all the knots were gone. A subtle scent of lilies tickled my nose.
“Have you ever seen him fight in the Blood Arena?” I asked.
“Who, milady? Lord Visentis?” she replied, and I nodded once. She watched me carefully in the mirror, working through the smaller curls before adding a few more drops of oil. My hair looked amazing, with a healthy sheen and a playful bounce. Whatever they put in that oil, it was something akin to magic. I’d never been able to make my hair so well-behaved. “I have not, but some of my friends have. I’m told he is quite something to behold. The Aeternae often admire him, calling him the Champion of All Time. He shows great promise, having survived many tournament finals so far.”
I shook my head slowly. “I will never understand this fetish for violence and death. It is beneath a species as fascinating and as advanced as the Aeternae. I don’t know. I’m baffled.”
“I was, too, when I was a child. But I quickly understood that the Aeternae don’t see life the way we mortals do.”
“Yeah, I heard the whole speech before. They have nothing left to experience, so dancing with death is a great way to pass the time,” I grumbled. “It’s still mindless violence, no matter how you dress it up.”
“That is true, milady. But Visio has been at peace for so long. Even its wars weren’t long,” Zurah said, her gaze darkening for a moment. “They took over Rimia in a matter of weeks. Nalore took about a year, but that was mostly because of the blizzards, not the resistance. The Aeternae need an outlet for the violence, which, I’m sorry to say, is in their nature. Honestly, I would rather they duke it out in the Blood Arena than have them roam the city streets at night, looking for innocent people to hurt or kill.”
She went pale, probably realizing she’d said a tad much during this first conversation of ours. Covering her mouth, she stared at me in horror.
“I am so sorry, milady,” she whispered. “My mouth spoke without me.”
“It’s fine, Zurah. I understand your reasoning.