“Get in the bath,” Melaena said briskly, turning on the tap. “We can talk while we work.”
While I bathed, I caught her up on everything since I’d last seen her. She mentioned Aiden had told her I’d betrayed them, but she didn’t know how, only that he looked like a man whose heart had been destroyed.
She grew much happier when I told her of how things were between us now. How Ruru and Maz were doing. And what we’d accomplished at Calimber.
After my bath, she brushed out my knotted hair and braided it into an elaborate crown, much like Yarina had done for the fire dance. Tears pricked my eyes, but I blinked them away.
“Hold still,” she commanded as she dusted powder over my cheeks. “You have terrible red marks on your face. What did Renwell make you do?”
“I slammed my mask against a man’s face,” I admitted. “Only because he tried to hit me.”
“You don’t have to justify yourself to me, Kiera,” she said gently, applying makeup around my eyes. “Just tell me what you need before that murderer comes back here.”
I relayed our battle plans. “Henry also gave me two guards’ names: Dredger and Mankmen. I need one of them to get me a disguise and a cover story that will allow me to disable the cliff gate.”
“Dredger and Mankmen,” she murmured. “I’ll find them. When do you need to do this?”
“The fifth night from now. I don’t want to risk anyone checking the gate before Aiden arrives.”
She frowned, scrubbing at a spot on my face. “And how will you get away from Renwell?”
“Any way I have to. But I’ll be here.” Perhaps he’d be willing to make another wager. If I lost again, I wouldn’t have to suffer the consequences too long.
“Be careful, Kiera,” she whispered, cleaning her hands on a towel. “The way he looks at you... He means to keep you. One way or another.”
Unease trickled down my spine. “I can handle him. Now, what am I wearing this time?”
A few minutes later, I was waiting backstage with the other dancers. They whispered and giggled while I stood alone, peering around the gold curtain.
I wore a dress of black silk edged in gold. It clung to my arms, neck, and torso and flared around my legs. This dress was more opaque than the one I wore for Asher. I wasn’t sure if that was because Melaena wanted to cover more of my scars and wounds. Or if she knew I wasn’t here to seduce Renwell, no matter how much I played to his ego.
Gold necklaces laced with artificial black feathers cascaded over my chest. My feet were bare and adorned with gold ankle bracelets. They helped cover the marks left behind by the shackles.
I was the crow of death, the scavenger of war. A fitting role.
Renwell was easy to spot in the crowd. He sat at his own table in the front, lounging with one dirty boot propped up on the pristine velvet bench. His mask and sword rested on the table, glaring symbols of his power. The other guests were crammed around tables the farthest they could sit from him. The conversation was minimal and carried on with forced smiles and shaky hands.
Renwell smirked at the pale boy who placed a glass of wine in front of him. The boy fumbled a bow and ran back down the aisle.
Renwell stared directly at me and lifted his glass, as if toasting me. Then drained it.
I let the curtain fall back, hiding from him again. Gods, I felt as though I were back in the mine, the walls thundering around me, ready to crumble.
How far would he go to win back my trust? How far would I have to go to convince him he was succeeding?
The musicians played the opening notes as we hurried into our positions. I was perfectly happy in the back.
Melaena had told me to perform a few of the leaps and twirls I’d learned for Asher’s dance. Nothing too grand. Just be a beautiful crow.
And I was. I danced on stage, waving my arms, flying, leaping, twirling in the winds of war that carried me. I pretended I was free, flying to my love with his crow-wing hair and brilliant green eyes.
Home, at last.
Melaena insistedI wear the costume back to the palace.
Renwell’s eyes swept me from head to toe, his nostrils flaring, but he didn’t argue. I carried my Wolf uniform, apart from the boots that I wore under my dress. Once again, a group of soldiers escorted us across the bridge.
Was Renwell worried I would jump? Or did he remember I feared the bridge and wanted me to feel safe? Neither felt right.
