“Don’t look so worried, Savero,” Fionn said without turning around.
Did the man have eyes in the back of his head? How did he know what Teddy’s face looked like?
Fionn pulled his arm in, drawing Stella slightly closer to his body. “I’ll take good care of your girl.”
That was exactly what Teddy was afraid of.
18
STELLA
“Liar!” Stella slammed her hand down over the cards, sending ale sloshing from several glasses around the table.
She hopped to her feet and twirled in a celebratory dance as the rest of the men at the table groaned and cursed. One by one, they tossed their cards onto the top of the pile.
Fionn, who had just been caught, gave her an indulgent smile. “It’sfrom the lips of a liar, princess, but we’ll let it slide.” He leaned back in his chair and applauded her celebration.
The other players looked less than thrilled. Around the table sat an older, retired fisherman named Merl, a sailor named Jackson, a Novumi merchant named Harcom who was in town to sell intricately beaded gowns during the Gauntlet Games, and Teddy’s partner from the first challenge, Reever.
Stella covered her mouth in mock embarrassment. She was trying to skirt the line between staying sober and drinking enough to be believably drunk.
Fionn’s gaze was hawk-like. The mercenary’s watchfulness rivaled her father’s. If she acted too over-the-top, he’d know she was pretending.
“She’s hustling us,” Jackson complained.
“Beginner’s luck,” Fionn assured him as he passed Stella another glass of bubble wine.
The glass was her fourth. She’d knocked one over with feigned clumsiness and dumped another in the plant on the windowsill behind her when Fionn left to get them another round from the bar, but she’d had to drink at least two glasses and she already felt the pleasant buzz in her system.
The more she had, the more the bond in her chest hummed along with the haze of alcohol. It was so strong now that her ability to block Teddy out was clouded by proximity and drink. All the more reason to get Fionn’s favor over with so she could go to the temple, have Goddess Desiree break the bond, and end her nightmare.
Teddy’s gaze burned into her. He really thought Stella was dumb enough to drink everything she was handed without checking for sedatives. Any witch worth her salt knew to check—any female witch, at least. She supposed men didn’t worry so much about someone dosing them with a sedative.
She reached her hand into her pocket and pulled out a handful of dried truth root. It was the same herb used in truth tea, but it also made a good herbal exchange for spellwork.
All magic required an exchange. Channeling her elemental magic used her body’s energy sources, which meant she felt hungry, tired, and depleted after using it and would downright collapse if she used too much. Witches who burned out that way spent days in bed recovering.
Spellwork was different. It only required setting your will, knowing the incantation, and an herb or other material for exchange. Since this spell tested if a drink was spiked with something dangerous, truth root would make the answer more obvious.
Stella subtly dipped a finger into the wine, her lips moving silently through the words of the incantation. A moment later, she released a small handful of ash onto the floor. She waited for the telltale prickle at her fingertip that would indicate something was off with the drink. Instead, her fingertip grew numb.
It was just alcohol.
She caught Teddy looking and leaned in. “You didn’t think I’d be so foolish as to not check my drink, did you? I’m not like you.”
Teddy stared down at his whiskey, realization dawning on his face. He’d been annoyed when she stole his whiskey under the guise of taking a sip, but she was checking that his drinks weren’t spiked either. He was clearly under the impression that he’d come along forherprotection. It was just like him to think he was being helpful when he was actually a liability.
His tagging along was patronizing. He’d been so focused on her and their surroundings that he’d forgotten all about his own drinks, not that he’d had many.
Stella took a long sip of delicious wine, swallowing as she held Fionn’s gaze. The mercenary really had excellent taste.
She placed her glass on the table slightly harder than she should have and leaned back into her seat. “Is this truly the only favor you wish from me? If so, it’s the easiest one I’ve ever traded away.”
Fionn grinned. “For now.”
She couldn’t press any harder. No matter how restless Teddy was, they would have time to go to the temple tomorrow. Surely this favor couldn’t last longer than one day and night. If they left by noon tomorrow, they’d make it to the temple by dark and they could stay the night and be back by midafternoon the following day. That would give them enough time before the second challenge started.
Stella was concerned about the gap between events. She wondered what fresh nightmare Endros was setting up for them that required so much preparation. The tournament could only last two weeks, but he seemed content to draw things out.
