One second passed. Then two and three.
My heart pounded in my chest so loudly she surely heard it.
I had to check her reaction. Had to look at her, knowing I’d asked her to give up access to unlimited magic—something I hadn’t been able to do—in exchange for nothing. For a fleeting hope at a relationship with a fae she’d only met this morning.
She’d leaned back in her chair. Her lips pursed, and her eyes narrowed. When I met her gaze, she spoke. “You want me to use my last request to free you?”
“I do not want it,” I quickly corrected. “I wish there were another option. But I am sure this is the only way for it to happen.”
She drummed her fingers against the armrest of her chair. “I intended to use that magic to help me get revenge on the humans who trapped me in a cavern for forty years.”
Forty years were nothing compared to the centuries I’d been imprisoned, but I doubted that information would help convince her. No, I knew the draw of revenge. I couldn’t expect her to give it up for—
But what if she didn’t have to give it up?
Words rushed to my mind. I rearranged them and substituted them, manipulating the ideas so they’dimply what I wanted. I unclenched a fist. This could work.
In a smooth motion, I shifted from my chair to the ground in front of hers, kneeling. “Your Majesty,” I said with as much sincerity as I could muster. “There is no reason for you to give up your revenge. Even without the lamp’s magic, my power is strong enough to achieve almost anything. I would support your quest for vengeance. I would bring the world to its knees, at your feet.”
I spread my arms to my side and bowed while still kneeling. “You should consider me your most loyal companion.” It was a cruel statement, suspecting how much she craved loyalty, but my silver tongue was my only tool in this quest for freedom.
She tapped her chair again. “I will think on it tonight. For now, I’m going to dig through those saddlebags to find something to eat. Perhaps you should take care of the horses?” Her expression was blank, a mask that gave me no hint at her reaction to my proposal.
I stood up. “Very well. Thank you for considering it.”
Chapter 8: Khiona
Andar claimed he didn’t need to eat because his bond with the lamp suspended his digestive system.
I narrowed my eyes. “So you haven’t eaten for decades?”
He shrugged. “Centuries.”
Centuries? How many masters had he had in that time? A question for another time. “Do you choose not to eat or are you incapable of it?”
His eyes skirted to the pile of dried meat, dried fruit, and crackers. “I am not capable of eating that.”
I folded my arms. “Spoken like a fae.”
He raised a brow. “I am fae.”
I’d eaten raw fish for decades to stay alive. He could certainly handle a little dried food. “If I have to eat this, you should too.”
He linked his hands behind his back and spread his feet to shoulder width, like a soldier bracing for a reprimand. “I have not missed thousands of meals over hundreds of years to break a fast with dried rations. You should eat to maintain your strength. I will be fine.”
“And how fine will you be if I break your bond with the lamp? Will you not need sustenance then?”
His emotionless eyes jerked to mine as his jaw fell. He snapped it up and dipped his head. “If you choose to break that bond, I suspect I will be obligated to eat something. But since that is not the case tonight, I willforbear.” His lips twitched into a smirk. “Also, should you break my bond with the lamp, I will have access to my own magic, which means I’ll be able to improve the flavor and state of any food we encounter.”
I stared at the trail rations. He could improve the flavor and state of them? Perhaps I should free him this instant.
But I refused to make such a big decision on an empty stomach at the end of a long day. Surely there would be unforeseen complications, and I would think through the decision better in the morning.
I sighed. “Suit yourself.” The dried peach slices were not as awful as they looked, and the flavor energized me. It awakened parts of me that had slept for decades, numb to the never-ending taste of fish. I waved it at Andar. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”
He shook his head. “I’ll wait.”
I snatched a handful of dried peaches and headed toward the icy railing that led upstairs to the second floor. If he wasn’t going to eat with me, I needed him to disappear so I could process the day and think about his request.
