“Anything out of the ordinary?” I asked, already skimming over the citizen’s file I’d requested.
“No,” Maudoric replied. “It’s what I know about her, what Syndras told me when she requested I hire her on.”
“She came to work here on a referral?” I asked, half-distracted. “From Syndras of…House Terasyn?”
A strong, noble bloodline, though they had fallen on financial hardship in the last couple decades after Axia’s death. I’d heard they’d needed to cut their staff.
“Yes. She’s an old friend of mine,” Maudoric said. “I trusted her recommendation. And she was right to recommend Erina. She’s been a good, reliable keeper.”
On the file, I read her full name.
Erina Denoren.
Shewastwenty-five. I’d guessed correctly, then. Location of birth unknown, though the first reported record of her was at three years old in Vyaan.
An orphan,I realized, frowning, seeing the name of a familiar orphanage that had once been situated on the outskirts of myterritory. One that had been shut down years prior due to neglect.
I grunted. I hadn’t guessed she would be an orphan. But according to her file, she’d been there nearly her entire life, until she’d aged out and gotten work at a noble’s House. Her work history was normal enough, and she had worked at House Terasyn for two years before coming to work in my keep.
A small relief threaded through me, even though the section for her past known associates was blank. I wondered about the lover who’d gifted her that awful perfume, feeling something wiggle in my chest, something that felt awfully likepossession.
“Will that be all,Kyzaire?” Maudoric asked me, even though she knew I didn’t like it when she called me by my proper title.
“Do you think I’m making a mistake?” I couldn’t help but ask, the words clipped but clear. But Maudoric was the closest thing to family I had near me at that moment. She knew Erina. I trusted her judgment, even though it wasn’t her place to give it me. Right then, I didn’t care.
Maudoric studied me. Then she sighed.
“I trust that you have your reasons for this,” she told me. I hadn’t told her that Erina was my blood mate, but Maudoric was shrewd and intelligent. She would realize it sooner or later, if she hadn’t already. “You wouldn’t do this if you didn’t think it was necessary. I know that.”
She turned. But at the door, she paused.
I cocked my head and watched her. The expression on her face was reluctant.
“Erina is a sweet girl, Kaldur,” she said quietly. “Be careful with her. I don’t think she’s had an easy life…but I also think she’s too naive for someone like you. For this life. Foryourlife.”
My jaw tightened. I knew what she meant. The life of aKyzaire, the life of a son of House Kaalium was not an easy thing. It wasn’t for the weak. I’d been born into this, and so I’d been well prepared all my life. But to an outsider, especially one whowasn’t a noble…well, there was a reason noble Houses tended to marry into other noble Houses. The transition and high expectations weren’t as jarring.
“And she doesn’t deserve to be broken,” Maudoric finished. “You wouldn’t mean to do it. But she’s not hardened enough to withstand it.”
“She might not have a choice,” I admitted quietly.
Because this had already been set into motion. Fate was a fickle thing. And more times than not, it demanded to be obeyed.
If she hadn’t guessed Erina was my blood mate yet, I had a suspicion she just did, judging by the look of pity that flashed over my Head Keeper’s expression.
“Neither do you, it seems,” Maudoric said.
With that, she left. And my mood soured even more.
CHAPTER 9
ERINA
The arched stone entrance to Kaldur’s gardens was like a doorway into another realm.
I’d seen the top of the garden from the upper windows of the keep, but beyond the slight admiration I’d felt, I hadn’t given much thought to it. But now? This was like something out of a dream.
The contract was still clasped in my hand, but I nearly dropped it in my haste to reach for my notebook. I forced myself to still my movement, however.Enjoy this moment,I thought. If Kaldur insisted I stop my work at the keep, I would have all the time in the world to enjoy this place. To sketch every hidden nook and cranny. And conjure up more adventures for Kavelyn, inspired by this exciting beauty.
