Her eyes bulged, and she pinned me with her stare.
I chuckled. “It’s going to be a long night. Can I get you some coffee?”
“UGH! Why couldn’t that old woman have given me something more to go off of?!” Alaina tossed another paper into the air, then rubbed her temples.
So far, we’d found old trade agreements, import and export manifests, and proposals of acreages for sale for the embassies of other kingdoms.
Ghost remnants of a once thriving government, but nothing regarding the old curse.
I withdrew a handwritten correspondence addressed toEviein faded pencil with a tiny number twelve barely visible in the corner. The envelope had a curious bulk. No official seal decorated it, meaning it was probably personal in nature and not helpful to our search. Using my gold letter opener, I cut through the twine binding it together.
A folded piece of torn paper and a necklace fell into my palm. I snickered. “Argora Vale fashion accessories. Necessary to preserve, I’m sure,” I said with a flair of sarcasm.
Alaina sat straighter, blue eyes fixed on the tiny collection of multicolored crystals.
I chuckled, offering her the out-of-date antique by dangling the chain off my two fingers. “This your style, gorgeous?”
“That’s it.”
With an inquisitive look, I assessed the piece again. “Not something I would have pegged you for, but—”
“No, shut up.” Alaina rose from her chair and came over to my desk. She leaned over my shoulder, plucking the necklace. The scent of rose oil clouded my thoughts, and I let myself breathe deeply.
Alaina made a sound somewhere between a scoff and a laugh. “She told me the jewels in Duski would be life changing. I thought she just meant at your markets.” She balled her fists. “Why does she have to be so goddamn cryptic?!Oh Alaina, look for a necklace in an envelope. Is that so hard to say?!”
I bit down on my amusement. Laughing at this woman in her frustrated state wouldn’t earn me the type of touch I wanted from her. Magic history noted that trained seers were often taught not to be blunt about the futures they saw, rather to use language that guided those on the correct path.
Instead, I flipped open the piece of paper to see that it held a poem.
46
Dae
Afist of dread struck my gut at the sight before me. Several of The Eleven, those that had been accepted by the Black Pool, stood in their routinely uniform line, a formidable wall. The air around them felt suffocating. They were walking threats to whomever crossed their paths. And they were here for Ro.
I froze, my body rigid and tense. Ro kneeled beside me, something I hadn’t expected, but gods above was it clever. A tingle grew beneath my skin, my baser animal instincts challenging to be released.
Marvoe chuckled, and my blood instantly ran cold at the sound. “Well, isn’t this a sight.” The inky lines that’d infected his body…writhed. I’d never seen them move before. They wriggled in a way that revealed more of his skin, like he needed to clear them to see her better.
I barely breathed, and Ro remained kneeling, head bowed as if before a great predator—which she was. Gods I wanted to get her out of here. Wanted to wipe all of their memories so they could never know of her existence.
“Rise, child,” he said.
Ro did just that, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground.
“So, Dae reports that you’re a hunter.” Marvoe lifted his chin.
“Yes, sir.”
“Dae is not usually in the habit of bringing us strays. Tell me how you found her.” His voice dropped lethally low, diverting his attention to me.
I drew my hands behind my back even though I couldn’t clasp them since they still held dishes, but I took a soldier’s stance regardless. “We had to travel down to the quarry during our hunt. With a single shot, she took down a boar, the only game that’d been spotted in weeks.”
“Judging by the looks of your bandage, you were injured?” The question held the cadence of concern, but I knew better. A snake does not suddenly sprout legs and begin walking. It slithers, poised to attack at all times.
“I had been tracking the animal, about to strike, when her arrow speared it, and then me. I found her skills worthy to benefit our camp.” I refrained from casting my gaze to any onlookers. If Val or Dalin heard me, they wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice me to gain favor. I waited, but no opposing voices rang out.
“My child, what brings you so far north?”
