Read The Queen's Gambit: Book One of Imirillia (The Books of Imirillia 1) for Free Online Page A

into their conversation.
    “And I am too causal then?” she challenged. “To close to the people? ‘A mortal’ in your phrasing?” Her smile had not faded as she continued to eat. Wil took a drink from the cup before him then responded in a quieter tone.
    “They call you Eleanor .” He had said her name carefully, like it was a delicate glass he was not supposed to touch, and the queen stiffened.
    “Only those who work closely with me call me that, and the familiarity has not weakened my position,” she said.
    “Weaken is exactly what familiarity does.”
    “So, I ban those around me from using my name?” Eleanor responded. “Even Edythe?” The thought made her laugh again, but it was softer this time.
    “I assume Edythe is second in line for the throne,” Wil said. “As long as you are certain that she doesn’t want your power for herself, she should also foster the distinction of superiority. If she has given you any reason to doubt this, watch her closer than your most dreaded enemy.”
    The smile faded from Eleanor’s face. “I don’t believe myself guilty of naiveté, Traveler,” she responded in earnest, “but neither does your level of jaded interpretation fall within my perception of life. Are you so faithless in those around you?”
    Wil shifted in his chair and did not answer. The table had again grown quiet, and the queen, noticing their finished meals, stood abruptly. Everyone followed suit, including Wil, who was not satisfied with the way the conversation had ended.
    Eleanor looked towards him, as if to speak, but thought better of it. “Pleasant evening,” she said, addressing the assembly. Then her guard stepped forward and escorted her from the hall.
    “The queen appeared engrossed in your conversation,” Aedon said, having come up behind Wil. Giving a slight nod to Aedon, Wil lifted his cup from the table, and took another drink.
    “Do you mind me asking what it was about?” Aedon’s query was calm.
    “No,” Wil said and shook his head. “I don’t mind you asking, but I’ll probably not answer.”
    Aedon waited, and Wil set the cup back down on the table, moving away so a serving maid could clear the plates. With no intention of answering the councillor, Wil started for the exit.
    “The protection of the queen is a serious thing,” Aedon persisted as he fell into step with Wil. “And you, a traveler, are welcome, but a stranger nonetheless. My question cannot appear to you as unreasonable.”
    It didn’t appear unreasonable, Wil thought, but Aedon, who had watched Wil more closely than the rest, was the last person he wanted to engage in conversation.
    “That is very good of you, sir, to concern yourself,” he said. “But, I am certain the queen values her privacy, as I do mine.” Wil gave an apologetic smile. “And, prying would hardly be hospitable.” Then he excused himself.
    ***
    Eleanor was descending rapidly, her bare feet touching the cold spiraled stone, the sounds of her steps loud inside her thoughts, beating against the echoes of the dreams she’d had. Despite Eleanor’s candle, the hidden staircase that led from her private rooms to the dungeons was rather dark.
    Eleanor almost stopped, her hand pressed flat against the stone. She couldn’t explain why she was acting so irrationally. “Something in my mind, almost a dream—” Eleanor said, speaking as she continued, “—a warning against the spring.”
    Faster, Eleanor hurried around the twisting staircase, downward through the walls of Ainsley Castle. The white lace of her nightdress washed against the worn steps like the waves of a frigid ocean. As if she had been submerged, Eleanor could now feel herself below ground level, the earth close around, hugging the castle walls, the chill of the long frozen winter reaching for her bones through the thick stone. She shivered, pulling her blanket closer around her shoulders. In a sudden moment, which startled her from the residue of her dreams,