Free City of Blaze (The Fireblade Array) by H.O. Charles Page B

Feodora has taken ill with another case of blazed nalka and I have to do her bloody shift. Will you see to the kahr’s bed linen for me?”
    Artemi unhooked her hands from the loops at her back. “I thought you told me to stay away from his sort?”
    Caala smiled and began to adjust Artemi’s lacing. “Morghiad’s a funny lad. Let us just say... I don’t think he’s a threat to you, though I daresay a pretty girl like you might turn him!” She punctuated her quip with a sharp tug on Artemi’s lacing. “In any case, he’ll be practicing killing people all day so you won’t see him.”
    Artemi raised her eyebrows. “Alright then. I’ll see to the ‘funny lad’ for you.”
    Caala chattered on: “Do you know where his rooms are? Just head to the guest apartments and turn left at that bloody big moth. You’ll enter an even bigger hallway with white marble floors. His room is on the left.”
    A thought occurred to Artemi: “Are the king’s rooms nearby?”
    “No. But watch out for him anyway.” Caala finished tying Artemi’s laces. Artemi turned to her friend. “I’ll be on the lookout for bearded monsters.” She hugged Caala and they parted company.
    The hallway outside Kahr Morghiad’s rooms was air-full and even beautiful, after a fashion. Artemi examined the marble floor as she walked its mirror surface. It appeared to have gemstones lodged inside it! They did indeed look like glinting droplets of water, and she deeply wished she could take a small section back to her rooms to admire. Sadly, there was work to do; a woman could not spend all day looking at floors. Just how many sheets did this man have, anyway? Was it really a job that would take up her entire day and preclude her from completing any other duties? She knocked once, and then pushed the dark wooden door open.
    His rooms were quite sparse, and in-keeping with the rest, very grey. Three ivory veils draped across the windows. Was she supposed to wash those as well? A wide bed dominated the room, its black wooden spears almost brushing the ceiling. Artemi could not resist stroking the wood. It was so dense, so cold to the touch and so highly polished that it felt almost as if it were made of stone. A grand fireplace stood opposite, apparently carved from a single piece of silvery-grey granite. She walked over and ran her fingers along its straight-cut angles. The stripes of quartz in it tugged at her fingertips while the rest felt gloriously smooth. Its height reached well above her head and she could easily have stood inside it as she could stand in her own room.
    A brown leather armchair sat to one side. Its arms looked curiously worn – an old piece of furniture in an otherwise immaculate room. Her eye was then captivated by the objects behind the chair. Books. Hundreds of them! They stood on broad shelves that ran the width of the chamber. She had never seen so many in a person’s room. Artemi stepped towards them, taking in their soft scents and teasing her own eyes with the view of their aged spines. All the texts she could see were bound in leather or hide, all good quality. Some looked as if they were older even than the Era of Floods. What a treat it would be to be allowed to touch them, to read the contents of their pages.
    She sighed and pulled her fingers through her hair. She did not want to lose her job over snooping before she had received her first pay.
    Artemi made her way back to the fine bed and looked over the pure, white sheets. They looked like soft clouds loosely held atop a floating shelf. It certainly appeared to be more comfortable than the cellar bedroll. She closed her eyes and listened. She could not hear a sound; perfect and uninterrupted silence. What wonderful tranquillity the nobles could enjoy! Artemi quashed the growing feelings of envy, or tried to, and began to strip the sheets.
     
     

     
     
    His shirt was slashed and dripping with sweat; the sword handle had begun to slip in his hand. His eyes stung