With the large procession, it took upwards of an hour to reach the school, situated close to the water. A salty breeze fought valiantly against the dry air blowing from the desert, but the scent was a reminder of home. The bay before us—the Ilarian Bay, how ridiculous—was yet again filled with activity.
The schoolhouse was an older building that had been put to new use—the royal customs building, or so Ilara told us.
"I thought it fitting to use such a hated reminder from the Forcadelians as a place for learning," Ilara said to the crowd.
"Hated reminder?" I murmured, but clearly my words carried, at least to Alaqua.
"You may not remember this, Forcadelian," he said with a sneer. "But the tariffs that were levied inside that building meant our merchants had to go hungry."
I was sure they did, so I merely nodded.
"But now," Ilara said, catching my eye, "it is made new. Come. Let's see the future of New Severia."
We walked through a pair of large, open doors, still bearing the Forcadelian crest, and came into a room with a mural-covered dome overhead. Although most of the art was Forcadelian, the scaffolding and lines of white paint said this was yet another place Ilara would be planting her flag. To my eyes, there was as much Severian influence here as Forcadelian, but they were doing their best to stamp out anything from the latter.
"Good morning, Your Majesty." The headmistress was a short woman with kind eyes and a bright smile. "It is my honor to welcome you here to our school."
"The honor is mine," Ilara said. "You've certainly done much since the last time I was here." She looked around the room. "There seems to be no trace of the customs department."
"We were sure to erase any sign of them," she said, holding out her arm to beckon us forward. "We've repurposed the desks for the students, and have used up all the papers and ink we found in them." She cast a wary look at Ilara. "I do hope more will be arriving soon?"
"Very soon," she replied with a smile. "And the children? How are they enjoying their studies?"
"Enjoying may not be the word for some of them, but they're eager to prove themselves," she said with a kind look. She went into boring detail about the lesson plans, which unsurprisingly included a heavy emphasis on art and design. Ilara would be churning out students with an education that rivaled the richest children's in Forcadel. It was an admirable accomplishment, if it had extended beyond the Severian children.
"Before we visit the classrooms," the headmistress said, sounding almost giddy, "we'd like to share something with you."
She led us out into a courtyard in the middle of the complex, complete with a fountain and brightly tiled floor. In the center was a large object covered with a blanket. I craned my neck to look up into the windows where hundreds of tiny faces were looking down at us.
Two older children dressed in their finest tunics were waiting behind the blanketed object, their hands held behind their back. When the headmistress gave the signal, they walked forward in unison and gripped the edges of the blanket, pulling it off and revealing a bronze statue.
Of Ilara. It was all I could do not to roll my eyes.
"We have decided to name the school the Ilara Hipolita Särkkä School for Excellence."
"Oh… Oh my!" Ilara walked forward, her hand covering her mouth. "This is…wholly unexpected."
Was it? This from the girl who'd named an entire bay after herself.
"Your likeness will look after every student in these walls," she said. "We are honored that such a gifted queen lived in our time."
"I am…" Was she actually crying? "I'm speechless. This statue is more than I ever could have wanted, or even needed!" She pressed her hand over her heart. "I did not commission and design this school to be honored, but to offer for our people the sort of life that brings them joy. This was not for me, but for us. For New Severia and everyone born under her flag."
Her speech sounded awfully rehearsed and self-serving for someone who'd been taken by surprise.
"Education is the most valuable asset a person can have," she continued, and I fought hard against my desire to scoff as she repeated the same speech from this morning. "And the welfare of children has always been my top priority."
"Who would've thought that an army of children would have any chance against the might of Severia?"
I shook her words from my mind, but the anger lingered.
"You look displeased," Luisa said, catching my gaze. "Is everything all right?"
"I suppose I'm just tired," I said, forcing a smile onto my face that even I didn't believe. I did my best to bury my annoyance and follow the crowd.
The headmistress took us back inside, and I prayed to the Mother that the rest of the day would go quickly. Instead, we were led to one of the small classrooms. Inside, around twenty children sat at identical desks. They were no older than ten, sitting with their hands folded in their laps and nary a hair out of place.
"Children," the teacher began, "please welcome our queen."
Together, they pushed their chairs back and rose. Each one bowed from the hips, their noses almost touching the wood of their desks. Then back up again, and back to their seats.
A hair too fast. You were a hair too slow.
Jorad's voice floated through my mind and I did my best to bat it away, but the back of my neck warmed.
The students showed off their skills, from their pronunciation of the cities in Severia to a few reading off the chalkboard. They were endearingly innocent, but they did little to dispel my annoyance.
Once Her Majesty had had her fill of worship, we continued to the next classroom where we found much of the same. Three more classrooms of the same exercise later, and I was starting to get bored. I didn't dare ask to be excused to explore the city on my own. Ilara wanted me present for every second of this celebration of her, if the expression on her face was any indication.
But as we approached the last room, my pulse quickened. It looked like a training arena, albeit with wooden swords and weapons. Something about it reminded me of Celia's camp, and the faces of dead children flashed across my mind.
"You look pale, Brynna," Luisa said. "Are you all right?"
"Yes." There was no reason I should've been more affected by this room than the others. But perhaps the day was catching up with me.
"All our students are learning the fine art of hand-to-hand combat," the headmistress said. "Some of them may join your ranks as soldiers one day, and we want them to be as ready for battle as any."
Planning on going to battle any time soon? I bit my tongue.
The children gathered for a demonstration, pairing off with wooden swords. They were sloppy, undisciplined, and rather weak.
Perhaps my disdain was on my face, because Ilara called my name. "What do you think of them? Are they ready for battle?"
"They look fine."
"Would they have stood a chance against the children in Celia's camp?" she asked, her eyes glittering with malice.
Go to hell. It was hard to keep the fury off my face, and I struggled against the rising tide. The children in camp would've wiped the floor with the Severians. They didn't need to win to eat; they didn't need to win to survive. If an army of soldiers came into this city, these children would cry and run, not walk headfirst into danger with Jorad. But that had gotten my soldiers slaughtered. Perhaps if they'd been a little less eager to win the day, and a little more selfish, more of them might be alive today.
Take the babies and run.
Thank the Mother for Nicolasa's firm words. Beata might never have been able to make it to safety.
And perhaps if I'd been a little more—
"Brynna?" Ilara said, amusement clear on her face. "I asked you a question. Do you think my students here would've been able to fight those children in Celia's camp?"
"Brynna?" Luisa said, concern in her eyes.
The heat in the room was now unbearable and I had to get out before I grabbed one of these weapons and jammed it through Ilara's heart. "Excuse me."
I stepped just outside into the empty hall and took a long breath to calm myself. It had been quite a while since I'd let my mask slip so far, but Ilara had clearly decided to hit harder now that she thought her victory secure.
I covered my eyes, but then all I saw were dead children in a forest. Forcing my lids open, I stared into the open hallway and banished the image from my mind. Now was not the time for grief to rear its ugly head, but perhaps that was what Ilara was after. It wasn't enough to humiliate me here—I had to be reminded what a monster she was.
More than that, I was the only one who saw her that way. The Severians didn't care what had happened to their conquered enemies.
Footsteps drew my attention, and a woman dressed plainly—perhaps a servant or maid—came shuffling into view.
She was Forcadelian.
With my gasp, she looked up, fearful, then ducked her head again. "Pardon me, missus."
"Wait!" I took two steps toward her. "Wait, what's your name?"
"I shouldn't be talking with the people," she murmured, playing with her white apron. "I'll get in trouble."
"Nonsense," I said, shaking my head. "I'm Forcadelian, like you."
She finally looked up and some of the fear left her eyes. "Are you not a servant?"
"No, I'm here… Never mind why I'm here." I waved her off. "Where are all the Forcadelians?"
"Don't know." She rubbed her hands on her apron.
"Then how did you get here?"
"Few weeks ago, a man came to my door and asked me if I had a job. I told him I didn't, 'cause the dressmaker I worked for left town once…once Her Majesty arrived." She cleared her throat. "Next thing I knew, they'd stuck me on a boat and put me here."
"And you aren't allowed to talk to anyone?" I asked.
"Not the young misters and misses, no." She chewed her lip. "They told me I'd only have to work a year to pay off the debt for my travel, but just the other day, they told me that I was also being charged for my room and board, so now—"
"Now it's a perpetual servitude," I said with a knowing sigh. "Did a man named Johann Beswick bring you here?"
"I don't know who it was, really," she said. "He told me to show up on the docks on a certain day then…" She played with the hem of her dress. "You been to Forcadel recently?"
"More or less," I said.
"How are things back there?" She asked, her eyes filling with hope. "I left my folks there. Thought I could send them some money, but I…well, I haven't been paid, so."
My gut twisted. "I promise that things will improve. Just keep your head up."
"You look sorta familiar," she said, turning her head.
"Perhaps you saw me around the city," I replied, as a Severian turned the corner. I raised my voice so she could hear. "Thank you for the directions, maid. I think I have it from here."
The girl bowed and scurried away as Ilara and the rest of the group exited the room. I waited for Ilara to say something, but she didn't, merely wearing a satisfied smile as they continued the tour.
As the sun tilted into the west, the children's classes came to a close, as did our day spent with them. They bade their queen farewell as some of them ventured out into the streets, and yet others bounded upstairs. Orphans who had nowhere else to go, I supposed. Ilara had been told they housed some of them here.
The gaggle of artisans and merchants who'd been with us since breakfast remained steadfastly attached to Ilara's side, and I couldn't hide my annoyance on my face when Ilara invited them all to dine with her for dinner. I was now keenly interested in the Forcadelian woman I'd met in the hall. The fear in her eyes was so familiar, as was the story of her arrival here. This had Beswick written all over it. I wanted out of this crowd so I could investigate.
"You don't look pleased, dear friend," Ilara said, coming to walk next to me. "I hope my comment earlier didn't upset you."
"No, just tired from the trip, I'm sure. Perhaps I'll return to my room and rest for the afternoon."
"I don't think I've ever seen you fatigued," she said. "I do hope you'll be in a good humor for dinner."
I exhaled. "And if I'm not, may I be excused to my room for the evening?"
"Of course not," she said. "What fun is it if my favorite person doesn't join me?"
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself not to respond, but thankfully Luisa stepped up. "It has been a long day for all of us, Your Majesty. Perhaps you could allow her a small reprieve?"
Luisa's charm worked, and Ilara waved her hand. "I suppose. But rest up, dear friend, because tomorrow is a brand new day."
The gaggle left me standing in the center of the hall, and I remained there for a few minutes. In the absence of the sycophantic cloud surrounding Ilara, I breathed a little easier, the fog of anger that had followed me around all day clearing. I was completely alone in this hall, too—not a guard in sight.
You are free to go wherever you wish.
I cracked a smile. I hoped that included rooftops.