Passion Play (River of Souls 1)

“A worthy one, yes.”

“Which means you will not listen to my opinion.”

“I will. But not here, and not now.”

Ilse began to wish herself back in the kitchens with the rotten potatoes. She stirred, uneasy, and Hax glanced in her direction. “My lord, you are right. Not here and not now. Would you grant me an interview tomorrow morning? I find it’s easier to arrange my thoughts when I’m fresh.”

“You mean easier to argue back. Very well.” To Ilse, he said, “You will have a difficult master, you see.”

“Like student, like teacher,” Hax said under his breath.

“You see how he does not give up? Not really. He will argue with me for weeks now. Understand, it will have nothing to do with you, or how well you perform your duties. It will only be that he hates to lose. What was that, Berthold?”

“Nothing, my lord. Only that we ought to inform Mistress Raendl of the change.”

“Good. I thought you were beginning to repeat yourself. A sign of old age.”

“A sign that my lord has turned deaf. If you will excuse me, I should like a few words with my new assistant.”

“Then you agree?”

Hax smiled, but it was a stiff unhappy smile. “In form, if not in essence, my lord. Yes, I agree.”

Kosenmark shook his head and murmured something about needing to see to his visitors below. Hax watched him go with a long considering look. “Interesting,” he said. “And unexpected, though not surprising. So you asked for a promotion, Mistress Ilse?”

“No, sir. Lord Kosenmark offered one, and I accepted.”

“Hmmm. How did he come to make that offer?”

Out of kindness and pity, she thought. “Maester Hax …”

Hax waved a hand. “Never mind. You are being discreet. A good trait, especially in your new position. I would encourage it.” He paused and seemed to consider his next words. Ilse expected him to talk about her new duties, but Hax was shaking his head. “It will be very different, with you as my assistant. A challenge for us both, I believe. Very well. Report to me after nine tomorrow morning.”

A clear dismissal. Ilse curtsied awkwardly, not knowing what was correct. Hax seemed not to notice. When she glanced back from the foyer, he was staring off into a corner, his restless hands still.

* * *

SHE SLEPT BADLY and woke early, just as the bells began to peal the eighth hour. A floor above her, the large hour glass for Lord Kosenmark’s complicated timepiece would just be turning over, its chimes softly echoing those outside. The other girls still slept—they had worked hours longer than her, and would not wake for some time.

/> Moving quietly, Ilse padded over to the washstand. I’m not running away, she told herself as she scrubbed her face and combed out her hair. I’m going on to the next challenge.

And yet it was too much like her escape from home, or from Brandt’s caravan, both undertaken in stealth. The practical side of her said that the girls wouldn’t thank her for waking them just to say good-bye. Besides, she wasn’t actually leaving the household.

Bedclothes rustled. Hanne sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Ilse? Where are you going? What happened?”

Ilse came to her bedside and whispered, “Nothing happened. Go to sleep, Hanne. It’s early.”

“But you never came back from the spider room. Then a runner came from Lord Kosenmark, and we heard you were never coming back. Lys said Lord Kosenmark dismissed you, but then Lord Kosenmark came and Mistress Raendl and Mistress Denk went off and didn’t come back for hours and …”

“I’m to work for Maester Hax now,” Ilse said.

Hanne stared. “Maester Hax?”

“Writing letters,” Ilse said, though she wasn’t certain what duties Maester Hax might give her, nor how much Hanne would understand of a secretary’s duties. She smiled and brushed the hair from Hanne’s forehead. The girl’s color was much better and she no longer felt fevered. “You know how much I like reading and writing and books. Did you ask about seeing Mistress Hedda?”

“Kathe gave me something. She said I was silly for not asking, and she was stupid for not seeing. But Ilse, it doesn’t make sense. How—”

“She found a better bed, Hanne. That’s what happened.”