Samra gave her a stony look, and I looked between them. How did they know each other?
“We’re not killing him,” I said.
“He could be useful in bargaining with Razel,” Auma suggested, to which Ericen snorted.
“Good luck with that,” he said. “In fact, she might leave Trendell alone if you agree to kill me.”
“Family squabbles?” Kiva asked, sounding delighted.
“What part oftraitorous princedo you not understand?”
“The part where it came out of your mouth.”
Estrel folded her arms, her expression considering. “He’s not lying. We just learned today there’s a price on his head. His own mother wants him dead. The prince truly is a traitor.”
Ericen flinched, and that simple slip of emotion tugged at my heart.
“Take him to a cell,” Auma ordered. “We’ll handle it later.”
Two of the Jin soldiers stepped forward, each taking one of Ericen’s arms as they led him away. He glanced back, holding my gaze until he disappeared into a columned building.
Fifteen
We sat down for dinner at a long, simple table of dark brown wood beneath a high arched pavilion at the front of the uppermost building. Religion was even scarcer here than Rhodaire, but some traditions still persisted. It was customary in Trendell to serve guests an arrival meal after a long journey to ease the body, accompanied by live music to ease the mind, and we’d each lit a candle before sitting, signifying our safe arrival and the completion of our journey.
A flutist played a gentle tune in the corner as servants brought us roasted duck in plum wine sauce, sliced parsnips and carrots with brown sugar and walnuts, and flat, grainy bread to mop up the juices with. Pitchers of ruby-red wine sat scattered on the table alongside different types of juice.
I tossed Res a piece of duck. He gobbled it down, despite having already finished an entire chicken. Though his appetite had returned, he still grew flustered whenever I suggested using his magic, which only made me more nervous about tomorrow’s meeting. What if they asked to see his powers?
Tentatively, I sent a questioning pulse down the line. Res eyed me with a tilt of his head. Then he was gone in a flash of feathers, slipping away to go beg from Caylus instead. My stomach sank, but I pushed the doubt away. He’d be back to his scone-loving, mischievous self in no time. He had to be.
Still, the food on my plate suddenly made my stomach turn.
Caylus had no such problem. He’d already gone through two plates and was on a third. He sat to my left, deep in conversation with one of the Jin soldiers who’d traveled with us, discussing something to do with Trendellan dinner ceremonies. Across from me, Kiva sat angled toward Auma, a smile lighting her face.
For so long, I’d been stuck in a strange world and surrounded by people who hated me. Being here, feeling the strength of Estrel beside me and surrounded by people I loved and trusted, I felt safe for the first time in a long time.
Until I felt a burning gaze at my side, where a girl glared at me from the end of the table. She was Jin, a twisting pattern of thin scars curling up the side of her face in place of tama. Her dark eyes burned with a familiar fire as they bore into me.
Hatred.
A thick jade ring, lined in amber and gold, glinted on her left hand. It tugged at a memory.
I leaned into Estrel, drawing her attention from a conversation with Samra. “Who’s that?” I asked, nodding discreetly toward the girl.
A wry smile curled Estrel’s lips. “That is Elkona Kura.”
I stiffened. I might not be as educated in world politics as Caliza, but I knew that name: she was the Jin princess. That explained the ring—everyone in the Jin royal family wore one. Or at least they had. Now there was just Elkona. She was the only survivor of Razel’s massacre, and she’d come to hear my proposal.
And for some reason, she looked like she wanted to skin me alive.
“She doesn’t look pleased to see me,” I muttered.
“I wasn’t,” Samra remarked. “And she has more reason to hate Rhodaire than I do.”
Estrel cast her a flat look, and to my surprise, Samra drew back as if she’d been chastised.
If Caliza were here, she’d know exactly what to say to quell Elkona’s fury. Or at least funnel it into something productive. My instinct was to return her glare until one of us had to blink.
