But sleep had been hard to come by, because for some reason, the second she closed her eyes …
She saw the way he’d looked with sweat beading on his brow.
She remembered every line of his body, all the hard angles and wiry muscles beneath his skin. And how it had felt when his hands had lingered on her hips, ever so gently showing her how to perfect her stance.
How she’d found it hard to breathe … and it had nothing to do with how exhausted she was.
She needed to get herselfawayfrom the Crown Prince, before it caused her another bout of trouble she didn’t want.
She was nothing to him.
And he was nothing to her.
‘Why would anyonechooseto put themselves through that hell?’ Ezer asked now.
Izill frowned and helped her towards the fireside. ‘To survive. Which Arawn is going to have a hard time doing, prince or not, when I’m done with him.’
Despite the pain in her ribs, Ezer laughed.
The Aviary was almost empty when she arrived, drenched in sweat despite the cold.
It had taken her three times as long as it normally did to make the ascent, every step like a knife to her thighs.
I hope you’re true to your word, Izill,Ezer thought darkly as she ripped open the Aviary doors and entered.I hope you make Arawn pay.
She groaned when she stepped inside … because Zey was already there.
Today, the Eagleminder looked tired as she gathered a saddle from one of the racks on the walls. Her blonde hair was falling out of its braid, the strands greasy as they hung over her face. She reached up to tuck them behind her ears.
And Ezer’s stomach sank as she noticed the mark on Zey’s hand.
Herotherhand. Like she’d paid penance yet again.
She had a small youngling with her and was busy piling the heavy things into the child’s scrawny arms. Ezer waited until the boy was gone before she approached.
‘Zey.’
‘Ah, if it isn’t Wolf Bait,’ said the Eagleminder. ‘Still standing? I’m surprised the raphon hasn’t killed you yet.’
Even herdevilish smirk was off kilter.
She smelled like liquor again as she tried to step past Ezer.
‘I could say the same about you,’ Ezer said. She looked at Zey’s hand. ‘You were punished again. Why?’
Zey glared at her. ‘Get out of my way.’
‘No,’ Ezer said. She glanced over her shoulder, but nobody else was around. ‘This isn’t right.’
‘And what would you know aboutright?’ Zey asked. ‘There are laws. Sometimes we break them.’
‘And so they break you in return?’ Ezer asked.
The Sacred were supposed to be pious, pure, but if they broke a law …
Physical penance was not something she’d ever seen in the writings of the gods, nor whispered about in the south. Nobody knew the truth about this.
It waswrong.
