“Thank you for the sandwich.” I climb off the stool. “We should probably get back.”
“Of course.” He clears the plates and I wait for him near the door.
We take our time, strolling slowly down the dark and abandoned halls. When we pass the temple, I glance inside. Two candles still flicker in the darkness.
“Caiden is hoping I’ll help him fulfill the prophecy,” I blurt.
"I know. Is that why you’re at the empress’s temple so often? To ask the gods for?—”
“—For them to not give me magic, yes,” I say.
His brow furrows. “I’ve never met anyone who didn’t want magic. Man or woman.”
“I’ve seen the destruction and pain it can cause.” The memory of my village flashes in my mind. I’ve always wondered if our fighters would have had a chance if not for the magic of the legion. “It doesn’t seem worth it. And it doesn’t seem fair.”
“Because the emperor limits who gets it?”
I nod.
“Can you imagine more people with my power? If everyone had magic, we’d kill each other off.” He stops in front of my door.
“Or maybe we’d find ways to use it for good,” I say as I reach for the handle. “Ways to harness it for other things besides harm.”
“I forgot people could be like you.” He leans against the wall, facing my room.
“What do you mean?”
“You have hope. I forget that is even possible.”
I smile. Maybe I will figure out a way to finish what I started here. I step into my room, then glance over my shoulder. “Good night. Thank you again.”
Only one dim lamp burns on the small desk, but it’s enough light to get back in bed. As soon as I’m under the covers, I catch movement near my window.
I’m not alone.
Thirty-Three
Antonia emergesfrom behind my curtains.
I swallow the scream I was about to release and scramble from my bed. “What are you doing here?”
When she steps out more, I can see the black eye and swollen lip. Blood is smeared across her face.
“What happened?” I lead her to the bathing chamber and turn the water on so it can warm up.
“I told him to stop,” she says. “But he didn’t like that.”
I wet a cloth and begin gently cleaning the blood from her face. “I’m so sorry.”
My door bursts open, and Brevan charges in, sword drawn. Antonia and I both scream.
He lowers his sword, then returns it to the sheath at his side. “I’m sorry. I heard…I thought…” He moves closer. “What happened?”
“It’s nothing,” she says.
“Someone didn’t like her saying no,” I say.
“Sabina, no, it’s fine. It’ll heal.”
