A solid wall pushed me out. Whatever swam beneath the surface, I would never know.
Percy’s head whipped around. “Whoa . . . what’s that?”
Following his gaze, I noticed something sticking out above the throng of people. A banner waved in the breeze, painted with anelaborate white eye. The barest glimpse of an arm, covered in golden armor, held the banner aloft.
“Shit,” Seth hissed, grabbing Percy and dragging him through the crowd. He pushed the bard behind a pair of pillars holding up a shop’s balcony.
Standing on my toes, I tried to see what approached. Spears strapped to armored backs glinted in the sun around the strange eye.
Soldiers. Just the thing we wanted to avoid in a country where foreigners were slaughtered.
Pulling my scarf around my face, I hurried after them, pressing my back to a pillar beside Seth.
Shoving himself between us, Percy inspected his fingernails idly, one eye glued to the road.
A wave of motion swept over the crowds as the people fell prostrate. Catching Percy’s eye, I motioned for him to do the same, noticing how many pressed their heads to the ground—a gesture not even the Merchant Isles’kingwould receive.
We knelt as the stream of knights marched past. Gleaming gold breastplates shielded their chests, and broad helms shaped like a cobra’s hood covered their heads. Flowing capes of delicate silver streamed behind them.
An enormous float followed. Eight men bore it on their backs, carrying a platform fit for a queen. The white-eye banner rose from the seat atop it, shading the woman for whom people bowed.
White hair streamed down her back, pleated in braids ornamented with silver and gold. A voluminous gown of white and deepest blue pooled at her feet, embroidered with golden stars and celestial signs. She glanced in our direction, gray eyes sweeping the crowd.
Atainted? Staring into her eyes, I tried to pierce her mind.
No walls guarded her thoughts. They rushed to me freely. A tangle of emotions swelled within, chaotic, messy, and tense. A deep worry clawed at her chest, but also anxiety—something equal parts significant and perilous approached.
Her face held still, confident. But her lip trembled, ever so slightly.
Steel walls slammed around her mind, throwing me out.Hastily looking down, I prayed she hadn’t spotted me.
Seth kicked Percy in the shin with a painfulthud. Startled, I glanced back at my companions.
Maiden’s grace. Percy was gawping like he’d never seen a woman before. One of her guards had taken notice. The man’s head twisted in our direction, and I could feel the withering ire billowing off him.
Scowling, Seth kicked again, aiming a little higher—toward the delicate region between the legs.
Thatcaught Percy’s attention. He started, eyes swiveling to Seth with fury before he noticed the enraged knight staring daggers at him, and he hastily bowed his head.
The procession marched on, the crowd remaining prostrate long after the last soldier escorting the woman had turned down the next street. Rising, Seth flipped off his hood and spat a curse.
“We need to go,” he said, turning on his heel.
“Who wasthat?” Percy asked dreamily.
“The Oracle.”
“An Oracle? Like a fortune teller?” Percy remained behind with me, though Seth had started walking away. “She seemed more like a queen to me.”
Seth threw up his hands. “I don’t know the details. That’s just what Seraphim told me.”
“What about Aethra? Shouldn’t we keep looking?”
“We’ll be no help to her if we get captured.” Seth paused, noticing we didn’t follow. “And if the nobility sees us, wewillbe captured.”
Nodding, Percy glanced over his shoulder. “I’ve never seen another tainted before,” he murmured.
Curiosity got the better of me. I probed into Percy’s mind, wondering if he felt more than his typical lust. Wonder blanketed his thoughts, growing into an insatiable need.
