Free Mist-Torn 01 - The Mist-Torn Witches by Barb Hendee Page A

Anton would think if he knew that she and Amelie had been considered beyond fortunate back home to have lamb chops and stale coarse-grain bread with tea for supper.
    But Amelie was clearly enjoying herself, making small sounds of contentment with each new bite, murmuring about the delicious gravy, while Céline’s mind could not help turning to the future. Perhaps Sub-Prince Damek had done them a favor.
    If she could succeed here and become not only Castle Sèone’s apothecary, but Anton’s official “seer,” then she and Amelie would never need toworry about scraping pennies together for a few bites of meat again.
    Yet in order to make herself a permanent place here, she needed to know more about the people around Anton—who could be trusted and who was dangerous—if she was to understand how she might make herself indispensable.
    Plus, she needed as much information as possible if she was to solve these strange deaths.
    Watching Pavel take another swallow of wine, she said carefully, “I feel at a disadvantage here, not knowing anyone but you and the lieutenant.”
    He put his goblet down, eager to engage her in conversation. “Who would you like to meet?”
    “Not so much meet”—she smiled—“but who is the Lady Karina to Prince Anton? Is she his father’s sister?”
    Her gaze moved to the woman sitting beside Anton, his aunt Karina, and even from here, Céline could see she had a comfortable relationship with Anton, close but not smothering.
    Pavel appeared pleased to be speaking of Karina and shook his head. “No, she’s his mother younger sister, but his mother died when he was just a boy.” He paused. “Lady Karina came here about four years ago, after Prince Anton’s wife, the Lady Joselyn, died. My lord was in a bad way, and Lady Karina came to help, all the way from the southern territories, down near the Everfen. He depends upon her now. She plans the menus and oversees the kitchen cooks, and she handlesthe household staff. My lord listens to her counsel in matters of state and the management of the fiefdoms.”
    Céline took this in quietly. So she’d been right about Joselyn being dead. That was a different kettle of fish best left for another time.
    Amelie had been listening to the exchange and breathed out through her nose. “Jaromir seems to like being Anton’s main counsel. How did he feel about Lady Karina coming here?”
    Pavel paused. “The lieutenant came to serve Prince Anton shortly after the Lady Karina arrived, so he has never known the castle without her.”
    That pulled Céline’s attention sharply. Jaromir had been in charge of the Sèone guard for only four years? He wore that mantle of power in the castle like he’d been born here.
    She needed to know more—about everyone surrounding Anton.
    Although she felt somewhat guilty using Pavel’s obvious attraction in order to get information out of him, now that she’d started, she wasn’t about to stop.
    “And who is Inna?”
    The pleased expression on his face faded, as if she’d spoken a sour word.
    Inna was still hovering behind Anton. No wonder she was so thin. She never sat down to eat anything.
    Pavel hesitated. “She came here about five yearsago as a girl, with the Lady Joselyn, as Lady Joselyn’s personal maid. Folks say Lady Joselyn saved her from a bad home, and she was most grateful, maybe too devoted. But now…she takes care of my lord.”
    So Inna
was
some kind of servant who’d been here since she was only thirteen years old or so. Céline mulled over everything Pavel was saying, trying to interpret what he was not saying.
    Joselyn had rescued Inna from some kind of unfortunate situation and trained her to be a lady’s maid, creating a possibly unhealthy devotion, which had now been transferred to Anton. She would definitely bear watching.
    “What about Master Feodor?” Céline asked.
    Pavel’s mouth tightened, and he looked even less pleased. Céline noticed that his eyes were an unusual shade of