“Isla.” My throat is dry.
“Isla,” he repeats. “No family name?”
“No,” I lie. He will recognize my family name instantly, so I keep it to myself.
“Interesting.” He leans back in his chair. “Tell me about yourself, Isla. Where are you from?”
“A small village near the Grass Plains of Babel,” I tell him, sticking to the truth as much as possible. “Or what used to be the Grass Plains.”
“And your family?”
“My father raised me. It was just the two of us.”
His eyebrows lift slightly. “And your mother?”
“She died when I was young.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.” Though I can tell he doesn’t care. He’s just going through the motions.
“How long have you been with the troupe?” he asks, lifting his brows and leaning on his hands, elbows on the table.
“Just over two sun-cycles.”
“And before that?”
“I traveled alone. Did odd jobs.” I shrug. “Sang in taverns for coin. By then, I had started practicing aerial silks at every chance I could get,” I tell him. “Master Roland found me performing in a market square and offered me a position.”
“How generous of him.” Corvius’s lips curve into a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Tell me about your performance. What exactly do you do?”
“I’m an aerial silk performer. I climb silks suspended from the ceiling and perform acrobatic routines while singing.”
“It sounds extremely dangerous.”
“It can be.”
“You must be very talented to execute such feats without injury.”
There’s something in the way he says it. A slight emphasis on the word “talented.”
“I've trained for many years. That is especially true since joining the troupe. Master Roland expects nothing but the best.”
He steeples his fingers, tapping them together thoughtfully. “The performance tonight was quite spectacular, or so I’m told.I wasn’t there myself, unfortunately, but I’ve spoken with many who were.” He pauses. “They were…in awe of you.”
I say nothing.
“Some called it impossible,” he continues. “The way you moved. The heights you reached. It was like the air itself was holding you aloft.” His eyes lock on mine. “And your voice was like nothing anyone has ever heard before.”
My stomach clenches. “I’m very skilled at what I do. I got some of my talent from my mother.”
“How interesting. Talented, you say?” His smile widens. “Or is there something more? Something you’re not telling me?”
I frown. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t you?” He leans forward now, his elbows still on the desk. “Let me ask you plainly, Isla. Can you perform magic?”
My heart goes wild inside me. “No. That’s absurd. Of course not.”
