her brother’s horse, her arms seizing his chest in case the beast took a fancy to flinging them off. She did not trust horses. They were so large and they moved in unexpected ways. People were one thing—Rin enjoyed trying to guess a person’s thoughts. But who knew what a horse was thinking? Rin looked into the huge round eye of the beast beside her and decided that she did not want to know. It most likely involved eating its rider, bones and all.
The city was everything that the Forest was not. A wall ten men high kept the trees out and the people in, boxing in the clanging and whirring and cracking and whacking. So much noise that Rin wondered how the people could stand it. She startled constantly, confused by the commotion, imagining she kept hearing someone call her name. Her heart was tired from stopping and starting, and she wanted to cover her ears and yell at everyone to just hush up.
Dasha said, “Soon it will all sound like wind in the leaves to you—just noise you find yourself ignoring.”
“You don’t notice the noise anymore?”
“Not so much.”
Rin considered. “If there was a dog standing on your pillow barking in your face every night, do you think you’d eventually get used to that too?”
“I . . .” Dasha smiled. “I hope to never find out.”
It seemed to take all day to ride up the curving streets, but at last they reached the topmost swell and faced what could only be the palace. It was as huge as the city-dwelling beast of Rin’s nightmares.
“Oh no,” she said aloud.
“Did you say something?” asked Dasha.
Rin did not care to admit, “I’m feeling fairly alarmed at the moment and I suspect if I go inside that thing, it’ll chew me up and spit me out,” so she said, “It’s big.”
Razo snorted. “That’s the truth. Just wait till you see inside—it’s full of Rooms. ”
He dragged Rin through corridors and galleries, courtyards and antechambers, pointing out the absurdity of the palace finery with a tone that attempted derision but sounded proud. “Vases everywhere, as if all the tables weren’t enough. I mean, what’s the point of having all those little tables if you have to go and find vases to put on them, and then find something to put in the vases? Hundreds of vases, nearly a thousand . And you’ll know I’m not exaggerating if you count sometime. I have.”
His fervor made Rin smile, which was a distraction from her lingering dread. At least the palace had not actually turned into a monstrous beast and chewed her up. Yet.
Rin could not tell much difference between a stone wall and an inlaid wood wall, but she said “ooh” and “wow” so Razo could believe she was properly impressed. He greeted everyone by name—kitchen staff, chamber ministers, guards and courtiers and maids alike. Everyone hailed Razo in return, and no door seemed closed to him.
“My sister,” he’d explain in passing. “Here from the Forest. I’m showing her all the Rooms. ”
And the sentry would nod and let him pass.
“You’re important here,” Rin told Razo, knowing that would make him puff up and gloat, but she could not resist.
“What do you mean here ?” he said, but he was so delighted, he took her to the kitchen next. “Best place in the palace.” She soon agreed. The storeroom alone took her breath.
The rest of the day rushed past like a spring-fattened stream. They ate; they found Dasha, who had secured Rin a post as a waiting woman, whatever that meant; then Razo and Dasha bid her good night.
Another antechamber. This one full of beds and wardrobes and screens for undressing. This one was apparently her new home. It came with three waiting women who talked. And talked and talked. And sometimes expected a response.
So Rin tried to do as she’d always done, patterning her style of speech and attitude after another, trying to fit into their mood. But one girl talked quickly, the other slowly, and one was quiet, then given to sudden bursts of
The city was everything that the Forest was not. A wall ten men high kept the trees out and the people in, boxing in the clanging and whirring and cracking and whacking. So much noise that Rin wondered how the people could stand it. She startled constantly, confused by the commotion, imagining she kept hearing someone call her name. Her heart was tired from stopping and starting, and she wanted to cover her ears and yell at everyone to just hush up.
Dasha said, “Soon it will all sound like wind in the leaves to you—just noise you find yourself ignoring.”
“You don’t notice the noise anymore?”
“Not so much.”
Rin considered. “If there was a dog standing on your pillow barking in your face every night, do you think you’d eventually get used to that too?”
“I . . .” Dasha smiled. “I hope to never find out.”
It seemed to take all day to ride up the curving streets, but at last they reached the topmost swell and faced what could only be the palace. It was as huge as the city-dwelling beast of Rin’s nightmares.
“Oh no,” she said aloud.
“Did you say something?” asked Dasha.
Rin did not care to admit, “I’m feeling fairly alarmed at the moment and I suspect if I go inside that thing, it’ll chew me up and spit me out,” so she said, “It’s big.”
Razo snorted. “That’s the truth. Just wait till you see inside—it’s full of Rooms. ”
He dragged Rin through corridors and galleries, courtyards and antechambers, pointing out the absurdity of the palace finery with a tone that attempted derision but sounded proud. “Vases everywhere, as if all the tables weren’t enough. I mean, what’s the point of having all those little tables if you have to go and find vases to put on them, and then find something to put in the vases? Hundreds of vases, nearly a thousand . And you’ll know I’m not exaggerating if you count sometime. I have.”
His fervor made Rin smile, which was a distraction from her lingering dread. At least the palace had not actually turned into a monstrous beast and chewed her up. Yet.
Rin could not tell much difference between a stone wall and an inlaid wood wall, but she said “ooh” and “wow” so Razo could believe she was properly impressed. He greeted everyone by name—kitchen staff, chamber ministers, guards and courtiers and maids alike. Everyone hailed Razo in return, and no door seemed closed to him.
“My sister,” he’d explain in passing. “Here from the Forest. I’m showing her all the Rooms. ”
And the sentry would nod and let him pass.
“You’re important here,” Rin told Razo, knowing that would make him puff up and gloat, but she could not resist.
“What do you mean here ?” he said, but he was so delighted, he took her to the kitchen next. “Best place in the palace.” She soon agreed. The storeroom alone took her breath.
The rest of the day rushed past like a spring-fattened stream. They ate; they found Dasha, who had secured Rin a post as a waiting woman, whatever that meant; then Razo and Dasha bid her good night.
Another antechamber. This one full of beds and wardrobes and screens for undressing. This one was apparently her new home. It came with three waiting women who talked. And talked and talked. And sometimes expected a response.
So Rin tried to do as she’d always done, patterning her style of speech and attitude after another, trying to fit into their mood. But one girl talked quickly, the other slowly, and one was quiet, then given to sudden bursts of
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