The Reckless Reign (Book 3, The Culled Crown Series)

Chapter 26

Guest Rooms.
Reubinon Palace, Pellarmus.

As soon as we reached land we were ushered onto a train. By then, it was nearing night and we were given cabins with beds we could sleep in. The rooms were small and reminded me a lot of my first trip to Gazda. I had a similar sort of anxiety too—like I was standing on the edge of something either very good or very bad. I wasn't sure exactly when I would find out which it was.

By the time our train arrived in Reubinon, it was dark out, somewhere between two or three in the morning. The city around us slept soundly as we were escorted into cars with tinted windows and small red and gold Pellarmi flags positioned on the hoods. Isla rode in the back of one of those transports with me, Anna, and Nadia. We'd all slept on and off during the train ride and that grogginess hadn't quite left. It had been cold enough during our minutes-long wait for the cars that I was now little more alert than I had been when I'd first been woken up.

Still, we were silent as we rode to the palace. When we arrived, Darragh bid us all a good night and had servants take us to the guest wing of the palace. His home was massive, but not quite the opulence of Oredison Palace. Back in the Warwick's home, there were hundreds of unused rooms. Here, it seemed like every space was utilized and each corridor seemed to thread together in a way that was practical.

This seemed like a house and less of a castle. It was warm and inviting. And I liked it instantly.

On our way to our rooms, we passed living quarters and rooms with large balconies that led out onto curtained verandas. Beyond that, was a view of the sea. Even in the dark, I could see the moon shining on the water. I could hear the lapping of waves on the nearby beaches.

I was a buzzing sort of quiet. The sort of quiet that was full and yet empty all at once.

Isla had hung onto my arm as we walked towards the rooms we'd be staying in. "Tomorrow," she said, following my gaze, "we will go on a walk on the beach. We can collect shells."

"Shells?"

She nodded. "You know, they wash up on the beaches."

I stifled a yawn as we reached one of the guest rooms and the servant leading us indicated that I would stay here. "And do what with them?" I asked Isla.

She smiled and pulled away from me, moving to loop an arm through Nadia's, who was already half asleep on Cohen's shoulder. "Just collect them," she said. "For fun."

For fun.

Cohen offered me a small smile as they continued past. "See you in the morning. Sleep well."

I pushed open my door but didn't step inside right away. "You too."

"If you need anything," Isla called, "You can push the button by your door and someone will answer."

I didn't know what she meant, but I was too tired to ask any more questions. I muttered one final goodnight and closed the bedroom door behind myself. I barely looked at the space as I kicked off my boots and felt around in the dark for the bed.

I wanted to light a candle, but I didn't know where any were, and my ability was so unstable that I didn't want to risk accidentally setting the room on fire. So, I stripped down to my underclothes and slid blindly into bed.

It was quiet and warm and I was grateful to be on land again. But even knowing that, even knowing that I was in a palace right now, I still felt the sway of the boat every time I closed my eyes. It was disconcerting and nauseating and I wished desperately for sleep.

Tomorrow held a million possibilities and I was as hopeful as I was afraid. Tomorrow, we would go walk on the beach and collect shells. And there was no purpose to it. No dire need to collect them. Nothing we would do with them.