“A while,” was the non-helpful answer.
He cursed under his breath.
Elowen soon looped her elbow with Amryn’s, dragging her forward so she could point out her favorite shops as they walked down the teeming street. Carver shifted to walk behind them, Ford echoing the protective movement while Ivan positioned himself in front of them, helping to clear a path through the hoard of people.
The sounds of shouting, laughter, and a hundred conversations rolled over Carver. He was used to the crowded city, the sights and smells familiar and comfortable. He worried briefly about Amryn and how she was handling the crowds. He knew the bloodstone could help mute the emotions that might have otherwise overwhelmed her, but the entire atmosphere might be more than she was used to. She seemed happy enough as she chatted with Elowen, though. He noticed her eyewas drawn to a bookshop, her eyes lingering on the large front window. He made a mental note to bring her back there, either later today or during another visit.
They were nearly to High Market Street when Elowen called out, “Carina!”
The young woman had just emerged from a shop, a wrapped package under her arm. She looked a little startled, but her smile was warm as she made her way to them.
Carver hadn’t seen Carina since the emperor’s feast, when she and Berron had argued. She looked just as pretty as she had that night, her dark hair woven into a braid that encircled her head like a crown.
Elowen handled introductions. Carina knew Carver and Ford, of course, but she was excited to meet Amryn and Ivan.
“I didn’t know you were coming into the city,” Elowen said to her friend. “We could have ridden together.”
“Where are you headed?” Carina asked.
“Piera’s.”
“Ah.” Carina’s eyes sparked. “A new dress for the emperor’s ball?”
“Any excuse for a new dress,” Elowen said with a wink.
Ford snorted. “When have you ever needed an excuse?”
Elowen elbowed him, then asked Carina, “Will you be at the ball?”
“Of course. Father and I wouldn’t miss it.” A shadow entered her eyes, her voice too casual as she asked, “Will Berron be there?”
Elowen’s expression gentled. “He’s supposed to be.”
Carina nodded once, fiddling with the corner of her package. “Well. I’d better get back to the palace. I promised my father I’d spend the day with him.”
“Oh, it’s his birthday, isn’t it? Give him my best, will you?”
“I will,” she told Elowen. She gave them all a last smile before walking back up the street.
Elowen watched her go, sadness etched on her face. “He’s such an idiot,” she muttered.
Carver moved to wrap an arm around her shoulders. “It was his choice.”
“No,” she whispered. “It wasn’t justhischoice.”
And yet, Berron had made the decision for himselfandCarina.
Elowen made a clear effort to shrug off the melancholy as they continued down the street. Ford chatted with her, with Ivan mostly listening in.
Amryn drifted to walk beside Carver. “Who was she to Berron?” she asked, her voice low.
Carver could only imagine what she’d felt between them all just now. “Carina grew up with us,” he explained. “We were all friends, but she and Berron always had a special bond. They were inseparable, and they only became closer as they got older. My mother was especially thrilled. We all expected she’d become a Vincetti one day.”
Amryn listened intently, her focus entirely on him. Perhaps it was strange to have this conversation in the middle of a crowded street, but there was a certain anonymity in being surrounded by strangers.
He exhaled a slow breath. “When her father became an ambassador, he had to move to Zagrev. Carina went with him, of course. She wasn’t able to visit often.”
“That’s when Berron started takingsonne,” Amryn guessed.
