Tiernon doesn’t move. Lucius’s gaze flicks between Rorrik and Tiernon. “It’s not your—”
In a movement so fast his arm is a blur, Rorrik rips out Lucius’s heart.
I stare, uncomprehending, as Lucius slumps to the ground.
Dead. He’s really dead.
Just hours ago he was sitting in front of me, his brow lowered as he examined his cards.
I open my mouth in a silent scream. Rorrik drops Lucius’s heart on the ground and stalks away.
I shriek soundlessly again and again and again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Two hours later, I sit with Neris in the common room. The others have left to mourn Lucius in private. I still don’t have my voice back, but there’s little to say.
“Rorrik silenced you,” she murmurs.
I nod, and she heaves a sigh. “You went a little crazy, Arvelle. If you’d let those screams loose in front of the emperor, you would have died immediately after Lucius.”
I just look at her.
“We’re used to the emperor’s brutality. You’re not. It’s understandable, and if I were you, I would have reacted the exact same fucking way. But if you’re going to stay alive in this place, you need to learn to not let it touch you. At least not where people can see. Here.” Leaning over, she touches my throat, her sigil glowing.
The invisible weight around my throat loosens. “Thanks.”
She just nods. “You saved a lot of lives with that shield today. We were taken by surprise. None of us expected the vampire to be so willing to die.”
“What do you mean? You and Micah both had your shields raised.”
“The aether in the grenade tore through my shield immediately. What you could see were the remnants of it. Micah’s shield was almost gone when yours appeared, bolstering it and keeping us all alive.”
A griffon shield. Something else Antigrus somehow gave me. I need to learnhowand why he gave it to me, but most importantly, I need to learn how to control it.
“I don’t understand these vampires. They truly believe sigilmarked could give them back the sun?”
Neris lowers her voice. “I’ve heard of a few of the sigilkeepers providing members of the Vampire Council with temporary access to the sun.One dayto enjoy its warmth before the effects fade. Of course, the members of the Vampire Council are forced to pay for that day of freedom by voting in alignment with the sigilmarked. And of course, they always go back, asking for just one more day.”
I can imagine just how much the vampires loathe that. To be sofavored by the emperor, with so much power at their fingertips, but forced to hand over that power to their enemies in exchange for the sun’s warmth.
“The Vampire Council has been very careful to keep those kinds of activities private, but a few months ago, someone leaked the information to some of the more powerful vampires in this city. The vampires learned that the leaders who represent them are not only enjoying occasional access to the sun but are also voting against vampires’ best interests in order to do so.”
I wince. “No wonder the vampires are angry. I just … I don’t understand. The Vampire Council could fully publicize the information. They could find a way to work with the sigilmarked so all the vampires could walk beneath the sun.”
Neris shrugs. “The Vampire Council may represent vampires, but expecting them to truly work for their best interests is naive. Do you think the sigilkeepers are truly fighting forus?”
My stomach sinks. Tiberius Cotta was. He was the only one I truly knew was making a difference. And I killed him.
When I don’t reply, Neris’s shoulders hunch. “One of my worst realizations was how many people will—without a second thought—trade other people’s freedoms for their own minor comforts. I hate that vampire who escaped today. I hate that we lost Lucius because of him. And yet … I don’t blame the vampires for being angry. It’s … it’s hard to believe things are ever going to get better here. For anyone.” She pulls her legs up, wrapping her arms around them. In this moment she looks strangely fragile, almost vulnerable. It’s something I never could have imagined seeing from her.
We sit in silence for a long time, until tears begin to roll down her cheeks.
I know Neris well enough to know she’d prefer I don’t draw attention to it. I let her keep her pride, grimly focusing my attention on my favorite knife—the one Kassia gave me—which suddenly desperately needs a clean.
By the time I’ve moved on to my last throwing knife, Neris is wiping her cheeks.
“You probably think I’m weak.”
