Fae are so vain.
I blink. “Does this belief have any truth to it…?”
Vera purses her lips. “Historically, it tracks. Kitajo…had gathered the most influential and biggest group of supporters when he participated in the trials himself. And he was the most powerful Ezkai General in our history.”
Vera falls silent, staring at her plate for a few long moments. Her fingers run through the black diamond choker on her neck and that snaps her out of it.
Her steely eyes bore into me. “You need me, Phoenix, to win you the crowd. You may be trained, skilled, and capable. With a little help from a mentor, you can become unstoppable. But you’re a human in the land of traditional fae. That alone means you’ll face resistance other participants don’t.”
Suddenly, my appetite is gone. That’s my biggest fear.
“Get some rest tonight,” Vera says, a little gentler once she notices the shift in my mood. “Tomorrow, we’ll prepare you for the Black Night and start charming the crowd so by the end ofVal’taz Ezkairinyour name is the only one they chant as a prayer.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
PHOENIX
Despite my sour mood after dinner, with a belly full of warm food and a soft mattress under me, I sleep like a baby during the night. If my nightmares haunt me, I don’t remember any in the morning.
I sleep in until noon. When Hojo wakes me, I’m disoriented. I wash my face and head down to get some food. While I eat my breakfast, I watch Vera and her apprentices roam around the studio in preparation for the Black Night.
Right after breakfast, Vera rushes me into her private washroom, where Hojo and Tanaka pamper me like a queen.
I can’t stop admiring Vera, even if I don’t admit it out loud. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met.
Despite her sharp edges, it’s hard not to fall for her when she’s so self-assured, soothing, and powerful. She likes to be in control, and I have a sense there are things she’s hiding. There’s a sense of mystery about her I can’t crack.
Vera is an enigma.
It could be my inability to read her emotions despite her being a regular fae that fuels my suspicion.
I sit in a large copper bathtub filled with warm water. Hojo is brushing my tangled hair, getting ready to wash it. I am absolutely capable of doing it myself, but Vera insists they do it for me.
“What’s with the glare?” Vera inspects her nails. She sits on a chair, next to the bath. I’m trying not to show how uncomfortable I am being naked in front of her. Especially when she’s so perfect. Today, she wears a navy three-piece suit. “Don’t tell me you’re unhappy about being pampered. I’ve seen Ezkai Academy barracks. They’re vile. And your studio is humble. This should feel like a treat.”
“I’m not complaining,” I say. Hojo lathers her palms with soap and starts massaging my scalp. Chills go down my back. It feels so good. “I’m just not used to someone else doing for me what I can do myself.”
“I’m surprised to hear that. You’re from a noble family. Did a year at sea with pirates kick the spoiled brat out of you?”
Anger rises inside me, and my cheeks heat up. I have to bite my tongue to not lash out at Vera. She has no idea what she’s talking about.
“Temper issues.” Vera cocks her head. “That’s unexpected. I thought you learn how to master your emotions during your training.”
She’s watching me closely, so I try my best not to react. But inside, my heart thrashes. Yes, I should have learned to master all of my emotions during my training. But some things are harder to master than others.
“You don’t know anything about me,” I say through clenched teeth. “Just because you have a spy network that you sent after me to gather some basic information, it doesn’t mean you understand anything about who I am.”
“You’re right,” Vera says after a thoughtful pause. “I don’t know you, or much about you apart from your vaguebackground. But I have dealt with many young women who have been hurt more times than they can count, so they put up a wall of arrogance and anger to protect themselves and deal with the pain they’ve endured.”
I’m physically naked. But after her words, my soul is stripped bare, too. When her silver eyes settle on me, they reach into the depths of my soul.
It’s too uncomfortable.
“I’m not one of your poor girls from the streets who have been used and abused and need saving,” I spit. “I don’t need your pity, nor you making assumptions about me.”
Vera smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Oh, you definitely have the attitude to be an Ezkai General.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
