Antonia shares the bed with me. She wakes from nightmares several times. She’s terrified of being touched but doesn’t want me to leave her side. I’m careful to give her space and offer soothing words when she wakes. I don’t sleep at all.
When morning arrives, she excuses herself to dress in her room, then returns shortly after with all my ladies. Bruises linger but she’s wearing a smile. When the others ask her about her injuries, she laughs and tells a story about falling off a horse.
I change the subject to the weather as I invite everyone to the dining chamber. Antonia catches my eye and mouths,thank you.
It’s snowing. The first snow of the season. The servants bring hot chocolate with our breakfast.
I keep watching Antonia, waiting for her to break, but she doesn’t.
She’s strong, but she shouldn’t have to be.
It’s not long after breakfast when a knock sounds. I’m already dressed for training and after a quick goodbye to my ladies, I leave the room. I’m grateful they’re all together so Antonia isn’t alone.
Brevan is silent on our walk to the training room. We’re nearly there when we hear someone running behind us.
“Enforcer!”
There’s an out-of-breath legionnaire behind us. We double back to meet him. “I have news.” He glances over at me nervously.
“You can speak in front of her,” Brevan says. “She is going to be our next empress.”
“Of course, it’s just…not really something a lady should hear,” he says.
“I’ll live,” I assure him.
He hesitates again, but Brevan gives him a look and he speaks, “We found a body this morning that was mauled by wolves. It took us a while to identify it, but we think it’s Lord Daley. Nobody’s seen him since last night.”
I gasp, then cover my mouth with my hand. The name registers a moment later and I glance over at Brevan.
“Why was he out alone at night?” His tone is cold.
“Nobody knows.”
“He was never the brightest,” Brevan says dismissively. “Probably took a snack with him when he went for a walk.”
I lift my brows. Really? A snack? Nobody is going to believe that.
“That would explain it,” the legionnaire says. “We haven’t seen any wolf attacks in years.”
“Send a unit to investigate the castle grounds. Find out if any new dens have been built close by. See if there were any cubs born. If he got too close to a pup, the mother wouldn’t have hesitated. Tell the others to be careful but not to harm the wolves. Those beasts in our woods have protected us from assassins and thieves too many times to harm.”
“Thank you, Enforcer. I’ll pass it along.” He runs off in the same direction he came from.
“What a strange situation. A lord eaten by wolves.” I watch Brevan out of the corner of my eye.
“Everyone knows if you go out at night with food in your pockets, you’re tempting the wolves. It’s his own fault, really. He should have been more careful.” He starts walking again.
“Yes, I’m sure he’ll be missed. Not by me, but by someone.” I brush my fingers against his, careful not to linger. “Thank you.”
Once we’re in the training room and the door is closed, Brevan pulls a bundle of fabric tied with a string from his waistband. “I got these for you.”
I accept the package and untie it. I can tell by the shape that it’s two knives before I open it, but when I remove the fabric, I gasp. The handles are blue and white with little shards of sea glass embedded in them. The iridescent blue blades shift to purple or teal depending on the way I move them in the light. I’ve heard the Pendralian steel workers could make magic with their wares, but I’d never seen it before.
“These are gorgeous.” I look up at him. “They have to be worth a fortune. I can’t possibly accept them.”
He’s smirking.
“What?”
