“Verywicked, but wickednice. Unless someone tries to hurt you. Then you can bet your royal ass I will be wicked mean.”
Bet my royal ass?My ass is royal? But more importantly…or rather, as importantly, people gamble their backsides? At what? Those card and pawn games so many play?
I graze the back of her hand. “Thank you, Asha, for being friend to me.”
Her lower lip overtakes her upper lip and then she’s blinking a little hurriedly.
“Whyshileh?”
“I’m getting tearful because I’m touched.”
Tearful.Huh. So Serpents do have a word for wet eyes since my mind translated the word.
I roll the word around my tongue.Tearful. Fearful meansfull of fear. Meaningful meansfull of meaning. Does tearful meanfull of tears? Couldshil’s translation be tears?
“Daya,” she says as I pass the door one of the guards has propped open for me, “if you feel like going for a swim, can you please come get me or Abrax? We’d prefer to avoid another lecture from Cathal.”
“He no harm you, right?”
“Sticks and stones, Rajka.”
“He hit you!” Gone is my good humor.
She blinks, then shakes her head, sending her thick black braid swinging like a chain. “No. It’s an expression.Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
The breath I blow out the corner of my mouth sounds like a small growl. I really hate expressions. Why must people replace adequate words with inadequate ones?
She must think I’m not reassured, because she adds, “Big Bird didn’t hurt me. Promise.”
“All right.”
“But I appreciate that you’d care. Now off to bed. Your undereye circles have undereye circles.”
I trace my lash line as I finally enter my bedchamber, which flickers with candlelight, then raise my gaze to the silver squares tiling the ceiling to check my appearance. All I see is starlight, the intended effect of the domed mirrors—or so explained Asha. It had been Queen Mara’s idea. After gluing them to the ceiling over her bed, she’d had them added everywhere in the Vahti.
Since I’m looking up, and the mirrors reflect only flames, I fail to spot that there’s a person in my path and bump right into them.
Cathal’s arm snaps up and out, snaring my waist to keep me from stumbling backwards. “Had a pleasant conversation, Príona?”
Chapter 13
Zendaya
My palms remain flush with the leather gloving Cathal’s chest. I wonder if he’ll go back to wearing armor now that obsidian can still harm him. Then again, he’s already harmed. “Why here, Cathal?”
“I was waiting for you.”
“Why?”
“To check how you were faring.”
My gaze locks on his thigh. “How you faring?”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“I not hurt.”
“I was talking emotionally, not physically, Daya. How do you feel after having met another serpent?”
