“I wasn’t spying. I was here first. I didn’t know it was you. And then I didn’t want to interrupt your little tantrum.”
Tiernon sighs. “Arvelle. Must you?”
Rorrik’s eyes glitter with wrath, even as he pastes a half smile on his face. “She feelssafewith you here. Unfortunately, she fails to realize just how breakable she is.”
Tiernon stares back at him, eyes dark with restrained fury. “You won’t touch her.”
Uh-oh.
“I’ll just, uh …” Go anywhere else.
“Not so fast,” Rorrik says.
“Leave her out of this.” Tiernon takes a single, threatening step forward.
“But I can’t. After all, your little novice has been up to no good.”
My heart trips. “What are you talking about?”
Flames roar across the room. I duck, the heat searing my face.
My suddenly wet face.
Opening my eyes, I take in the water, which splashed up to counter Rorrik’s fire.
Tiernon just stares at me. “Since when can you use water?”
“I-Ican’t.”
It … it doesn’t make sense. Antigrus couldn’t have gifted me with this power. I’ve only seen a couple of people using water since I arrived—
Horror slashes through me, sharp and sickening.
One of them was the woman who used her power to make two gladians slip on my first day of training—but she died during her first challenge …
And the other was Tiberius Cotta, who drained water from a pitcher the day the sponsors watched the gladians fight before my first challenge.
I only interacted personally with one of them.
Rorrik gives Tiernon a slow smile. “Each time she kills someone, she becomes a power-snatching imp. It’s why she can suddenly mindpath and shield like a maginari, while also wielding water like a gold-crowned. It’s endearing, really.”
I take a step back, shaking my head. “But … I’ve killed … others.”
Rorrik’s eyes gleam. “No, you haven’t. In fact, you’ve beenverycareful to keep people alive. You should really work on that.”
My head whirls, waves of nausea sweeping through me. I’d thought Antigrus had given me a gift. But Rorrik’s right. I took what was his when I killed him. And there’s no question—I stole Tiberius’s water from him too.
Like a murderous leech.
“Wait.” Tiernon is staring at me like he’s never seen me before. “Youkilled Tiberius Cotta?”
My stomach sinks. “I—”
“That’s why you were so upset. I thought it was just because you liked him …” His mouth hardens. “You told me you didn’t know why your shield was griffon blue.”
“Because Ididn’tknow. I was in here researching tonight because I thought Antigrus gave me his shield.”
“A griffon shield.” With a low laugh, Rorrik leans against the bookshelf at his back. “Have you succeeded in mindpathing with anyone else yet? Or is that little gift reserved for me alone?”
