In time,Slaide did in fact find himself excruciatingly bored. He wondered if the healers kept anything truly interesting on their shelves and crossed the room to investigate. Upon first glance, the dusty tomes appeared to be mostly compendiums of medical knowledge and herbal tinctures and remedies, but nothing of genuine interest.
His tired eyes danced across the titles one after the next, begging to find something unusual. And then, just when he was about to return to his chair to pick at his nails some more, he spotted a peculiar book. It was a history book, and it did not belong there. The world’s written histories existed only in the sacred libraries at the Citadel… except this one. Slaide pulled it from the shelf, surprised to find it free of dust. It hadn’t been there long. Its title readThe Rise and Fall of Magic: The Untold History of The Thousand Years War.Slaide ran his fingers over the embossed leather.Interesting to find this in the infirmary of all places.
A cough sounded from behind him, followed by a groan. Slaide stiffened, the tiny hairs along his neck rising in alarm. He chided himself for his reaction.
It was just the girl, after all. For a reason he couldn’t pinpoint, he wasn’t ready for her to wake up. Sure, the sooner this interrogation got on with, the better, but this whole situation was messing with his head. There was so much more at play here than just finding out if she had access to magic. More, still, than just her success in the tournament.
Of course, he knew more than he was letting on andof coursehe wasn’t letting anyone—not a soul—in on his little secret.
He’d seen things. If it was, in fact, this girl who’d used magic, then he’d witnessed it before. As soon as he took in her pale skin and auburn hair, he was sure of it. They were past the realm of coincidence.
He peered over his shoulder, expecting her to be awake, but found her very much still asleep. Snoring, mouth hanging open, hair in her face kind of sleep. He laughed to himself, shaking his head.You need to get it together, letting one simple woman get into your head so much.
But was she so simple? He noticed her cat friend had taken his leave and shrugged, not making much of it.
Slaide returned to his chair with his history book and began thumbing through the pages. Most of what he’d been taught was gained from the tutors he had growing up as part of his royal education—the same as all castle youths received.
They were expected to know the basics: the major wars, the allies, enemies, major battles… and as Slaide had taken an early interest in court politics and policies, he knew about the more minor wars and skirmishes throughout their history.
He’d memorized the patterns of the Sea Wolf raids and knew the relationship with Axios was tenuous at best. The Thousand Years War, well, it was simply a war from an age gone by. It was never discussed in detail, though admittedly Slaide hadn’t given that a second thought. But now that he held this book in his hands, an entire written history of a war no one talked about?
Now he suspected it was more important than ever.
NO CHOICE
As the last bits of drug-induced exhaustion faded away, Hazel finally opened her eyes, only to find her worst nightmare staring down at her.
“No! Get away from me!” she screamed through a painfully hoarse throat. She tried to thrash at him, but was quickly reminded her hands and feet were still bound. She snarled wildly, the very image of a feral, trapped animal, fully prepared to shred him with her teeth if it came down to it.
“Whoa, whoa. Calm down there, helcat.” He put his hands up innocently. “I am not here to hurt you.”Yet.He didn’t need to say it.
If what Zeke told her about this one was true, he was more monster than man. And she was in no position to fend him off.
“Get. Away. From. Me.”
The cat—having returned from his stroll—hissed at him as well, earning a glare from Slaide.
“Is that how you’re going to treat the person who saved your ass? No, you wouldn’t have a clue because you’ve been unconscious for days. Well, let me fill you in, sweets. You’re in Ravenhold, currently a prisoner of the crown.”
“I’m aware, thanks.”Prick.
He raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “Good. That saves me time. Did you also know I’m the one who saved you? You should be thanking me, but I digress. You’ll be happy to know it gets even better. How? I’m glad you asked. You’re in my charge now.” A sardonic smile graced his face, white teeth gleaming.
She wanted to throw up. Her already-pale skin blanched, and her nostrils flared. A noticeable absence of warmth against her chest had her heart racing.No, no, no. Not my locket.
He stepped toward her, reaching out a hand, and Hazel thrashed. Slaide retracted his hand. “Would you relax for two seconds? I was going to untie you. Or would you rather I just leave you here, tied and unable to defend yourself from the creeps in this castle who would do you actual harm?”
He says that as though he wouldn’t harm me. As though he’s to be trusted—and bymeof all people?A laughable thought, considering his reputation. But she did as he asked and relaxed, allowing him to approach and untie her bonds. After all, what choice did she have?
“I know you know who I am, and I gather you’ve heard what I do.To be frank, I’m all you’ve got at the moment. So, with that said, I am going to make you an offer you quite literally cannot refuse. Here’s the deal. The mages want something with you. Don’t know what, and while I would love to know what they’re up to, I don’t really want to find out—catch my meaning?”
Hazel blinked. She’d heard rumors about the Magistry, and they weren’t pretty.
“Good. So, unless you want to become one of the Archmages’ new lab rats, I would suggest lending me your cooperation. First, King Magnus is hosting a Tournament of Champions in less than six days, and you’ve been granted thehonorof participating. Ah-ah, don’t interrupt.” He held up a finger to her lips, and she considered biting him.
“While you’ve made it clear you would rather see my head on a pike outside the city gates than so much as be in my presence, I think we might have something in common. Intuition tells me you aren’t exactly a fan of His Majesty. As it turns out, I’m not either.” He whispered the last part, lest the castle rats be listening in.
Her face brightened, though she said nothing. Something fluttered in her chest, the smallest spark of hope. But she stifled it. She could not allow herself to fall for pretty words so easily.
