I gave her a close-lipped smile and nodded. Before I could respond, Katrine let out a groan from the room next to us. Devora and I rounded the corner to find the maid with her sleeve stuck to the back of my mother’s dress.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace. I think I’ve gotten myself stuck,” Katrine said to Mother.
I chuckled. “It’s alright; we just need to unhook?—”
“I’ve got it,” Devora said, striding past me. In a flash, she lifted her skirt, pulled a small blade from a sheath at her thigh, and cut through the strand of fabric tethering Katrine to the dress.
I blinked in surprise.
Devora shrugged. “Always be prepared. Now, let’s get you both to breakfast.”
We atea quick breakfast of oatmeal and berries while Vespera ran us through our day. The Silenuses were going to accompany Galen and me through a couple of the nearby farms while we met the citizens and learned about their work. Thorne and my mother chose to come, but Azura stayed back. I couldn’t say I was disappointed. After my conversation with the older woman yesterday evening and her stiff, cold smiles, something about her set me on edge.
As Mother and I made our way to the carriages, Galen appeared with a grim look on his face.
“Clarissa, I won’t be joining you,” he said. “Dion and I need to discuss the attack yesterday. There are a couple of leads he wants to follow, and I want to make sure we have safety measures in place for you going forward.”
“Then should I stay back too? If you don’t think it’ll be safe?”
“No, no, you go ahead. This tour was for you. I’ve doubled the number of guards with you, and Thorne will be there to keep an eye out.” Without waiting for me to respond, he tipped his head to someone behind me.
I twisted my neck to find Thorne’s gaze on me. I quickly turned back to Galen and forced my features to stay impassive.
“Fine. I’ll see you this evening, then,” I responded smoothly. He lifted two fingers in a brief wave before following Dion back into the manor. Vespera replaced him seconds later, looping her arm through mine and steering me toward the carriage.
“It’s for the best,” she leaned in and whispered. “The men make it so unbearably dull.”
“I heard that,” Thorne said.
The driver stepped down from the box. I instinctively narrowed my eyes at him, trying to see if I could spot any concealed weapons. Perhaps a sharp chip on his shoulder. Or the words “assassin” written on his forehead.
He held out his hand to assist my mother and Vespera into the carriage, and Thorne stopped at my side. “Don’t worry, Empress. He’s been investigated. He’s clear.”
“Oh—thank you,” I said, surprised he’d noticed my fixation. “Good to know.”
We all settled into the small space. The wheels of the carriage rolled over gravel, jostling us as we crossed onto the main road. Thorne’s knee grazed mine when he adjusted his position, his leg brushing against the thin fabric of my pants. Warmth seeped through the material. My eyes briefly locked onto his, and I shifted my leg out of the way.
Vespera spent the short ride asking questions about the provinces in the Veridian Empire, and Mother and I took turns answering. We talked about the forests of Feywood, the cliffs of Drakorum, the haunted Shadowmere Wastelands of Tenebra. She was especially interested in the magic. It seemed Mysthelm didn’t have a very thorough knowledge of how the magic the Fates had given our empire worked, and she was wide-eyed throughout our entire description of the six types.
“What about you, Rissa?” she asked me. I’d finally gotten her to stop referring to me by my title. “What magic do you have?”
“My mother and I are both Shifters.”
She exhaled, a look of awe on her dark features. “What kind of animal? No—wait, let me guess. Something graceful. And regal. A deer, maybe?”
“She’s some sort of predator,” Thorne said. It was the first time he’d spoken. His eyes scanned me. “Something proud but quiet. An animal you wouldn’t see coming.”
My smile faltered. He was…alarmingly perceptive. “What makes you say that, Lord Reaux?”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “Just a hunch.”
“Like a hawk? Or a large cat of some kind?” Vespera offered.
Thorne leaned back against the thin cushion. I fought the urge to wiggle in my seat under his scrutiny. I simply held his gaze, wishing for the thousandth time that I could still feel my fox half. The missing magic weighed on me every minute of the day.
“Close.” I broke our staring contest and looked back at Vespera. “My Shifter half is a fox. And my mother’s is a wolf.”
Intrigue flared in Thorne’s eyes. Vespera sighed and said, “It must be wonderful, having all of that power. Seeing magic everywhere you go. Like something out of a fairytale.”
