Because the woman wore a look of pure, seething hatred on her face.
‘Zey,’ Izill introduced them. ‘This is?—’
‘The one who interrupted my Demonstration earlier this week. I never got the chance to thank you properly for it.’
It was said with a snarl. A shiver tiptoed up and down Ezer’s spine.
It nearly made her sick, how someone could be so beautiful on the outside when they were clearlycurdledwithin. Because she knew in an instant, Zey was rotten to her core.
‘Ezer,’ she said, introducing herself. Refusing to bend to the piercing glare Zey leveled at her. ‘We’ve met.’
Zey bared her teeth like a lioness. ‘Well, Ezer.Next time you find yourself in a space not permitted foryourkind,’ she looked pointedly at Izill, as if to rope them into the same category, ‘I’d suggest you swiftly find yourself backout.There’s only so many times a Sacred can resist the urge to defend what is theirs. A delicate balance we must hold.’ She looked at her fingernails, feigning boredom. ‘I’d hate to see that balance shift on Absolution. We wouldn’t want to get another mark on your face. Though I’m not sure there’s room for more.’
Ezer had dealt with plenty of lashing tongues in her life. The comments hurt when she was younger. Sometimes, she refused to leave the house until Ervos bribed her with books and sweets. But these days they rolled off her like morning dew on the feathers of a bird.
Nothing could hurt her the way the past had.
Not anymore.
‘I apologize for what happened with your demonstration,’ Ezer said. ‘An accident, if there ever was one, and believe me, I’d take it back if I could. Though, I’m not entirely certain it was my fault.’
‘No?’ Zey asked.
Ezer shrugged. ‘No. In my expertise, a bird’s behavior is a direct reflection of its master. Your eagle is unhinged. A danger to itself and others, practically feral. And given that a spilled bucket set it off in such a way … well.’ She clicked her tongue. ‘I’d hate to see what a wave of shadows would do in the middle of an all-out war.’
Zey looked like she might leap across the couch and strangle her. But she only flipped her lustrous hair over a shoulder and tipped up her nose. ‘And what sort of expertise would an Unconsecrated have?’
‘Enough to know a feral beast when I see one,’ Ezer said. ‘But that depends, of course, on whether you trust the opinion of a scarred little vermin like me.’
Others began to wake behind them, the movement enough for Zey to pause, glance over her shoulder, and settle her breathing.
‘I suggest you leave,’ Zey said softly. ‘Go back to whatever shit-stained tower you came from and—Your Highness.’
Her face paled as she suddenly glanced pastEzer’s shoulder, where another woman had quietly opened the door to a knock.
And standing in the doorway, an amused expression on his face, was Arawn.
12
The Crown Prince was dressed in his white Knight’s cloak, but the clothing beneath was different.
For the first time, he looked like her future king.
He wore elegant black trousers and a fine white silk tunic with golden runed stitching around the neck. A deep V at the top revealed not only his absurdly large pectorals, and the gold chain with Vivorr’s flame sigil upon it – but also the furious scar that stretched even deeper than she’d initially thought.
Like it had nearly reached his heart.
His pale hair was braided back in elegant knots, the sides freshly shaved to reveal the devastating lines of his face.
His blue eyes narrowed as he glanced from her to Zey and Izill, then back again.
As if he knew exactly what had transpired.
‘Your Highness!’ Zey’s voice had changed from storm clouds to a bright, airy breeze, and she bowed her head in respect. ‘You’re back.’
Everyone else bowed and came up wide-eyed, as if they, too, were surprised by his presence. She could have sworn one of the younger girls actuallysighedin admiration.
‘Bow,’Izill whispered to Ezer, as if she were throwing her alifeline. She felt Izill’s small hand on her shoulder and gave an awkward curtsy.
