“I’m sure you’ve never had a case quite like mine.”
Saydren crossed his arms on the table. “Go on, then. What is it you’re so eager to spend all your silver on?”
Lora took a deep breath. This was what she had come for, her last hope. “There’s a virus in the human world and I want to find a cure for it.”
Saydren let out an amused laugh. “Why in Caelo’s name would you want to do that?”
Channelling Eyden’s cool attitude, Lora remained composed. “Profit. We all got to make our living, don’t we?” She could clearly imagine Eyden saying these exact words, his voice whispering through her mind.
“Interesting.” Saydren leaned back in his chair. His gaze darted around the room.
“You haven’t heard the king talk about providing a cure, have you? I’m sure the humans would pay good money for it,” Lora said, drawing his attention back to her.
“The king has more important issues to entertain than some human virus.”
“Of course,” she answered. Underneath the table, she squeezed her hand into a fist. “But you seem like an opportunist. Are you not intrigued by the chance of being theonefae to come up with a cure?”
She caught a spark of intrigue in his eyes. “Indeed, it does seem worth my time. But alas, not even I can create something out of nothing. Unless you managed to get an infected human over the impenetrable border, I’m afraid you have wasted my time.”
Lora scanned the room, making sure no one was paying them any attention before she pulled the vial of blood out of her pocket.
Saydren leaned forward as he regarded the glass vial in her hand. “Blood?”
“Not just any. It’s the blood of an infected human.”
A half-smile lightened his serious face. “Your case is getting more interesting by the minute.”
A spark of hope made Lora’s heart beat faster. “You can help me, then?”
His eyes drifted from hers. She was so close, she could feel it.
Saydren met her gaze once more, still faintly smiling. “Oh, I’m sure I can.” Relief flooded through her in a way she hadn’t dared dream of. “But not here. I’ll need my healing station. How about you and your blood sample come with me to the palace?”
Lora’s heart sank and a shock zapped through her. She tightened her grip on the vial. “How about I wait here while you get your supplies?” Nerves electrified her system. Going to the palace sounded like a one-way ticket to hell. It wasn’t part of the plan, nor would it ever be. Lora could feel the fire inside her waking up, flowing through her. It did nothing to calm her mind.
Saydren moved his head and this time Lora followed his line of sight. Right to a guard. Sword sheathed at his side, he was watching them from the entrance. Two more walked in as Saydren said, “I’m afraid that’s not possible.” His cold eyes sought out hers. He looked more ancient, more powerful than she had first given him credit for. “You see, your case is so intriguing that I know the king would like nothing more than to have you in his grasp.”
Lora’s breath caught. She thought she’d mapped out all the paths this conversation could go, but she was once again proven wrong. Had he been stalling for time until the guards arrived?
“You just said the king has no interest in a cure for humans,” she said as her gaze flicked around the room, trying to find an exit strategy. The guards were blocking the only visible door. What if she ran to the kitchen? No, another guard had already taken up post. Was there another way out she couldn’t see now? Eyden would know. He would have already let one of his almandine knives fly as he disappeared.
“He couldn’t care less. But you,youhe’d be interested in,” Saydren said, his tone suggesting he was about to get exactly what he wanted.
His words drew her eyes back to him. “Why me? I’m no one.” Without breaking eye contact, Lora carefully slipped the vial back in her pocket.
“You clearly don’t give yourself enough credit. A half-fae crossing the border? Incredible.”
Lora forced her face to remain unchanged even as her heart threatened to jump out of her chest. How in the hell did he know? A panicked feeling took over her body. Her palms started sweating even as goosebumps settled over her skin. It made it harder for her to feel the slumbering fire inside her.
A fake laugh bubbled up her throat. “By Caelo, you’re insane. I’m just a fae trying to make some silver.”
“You can deny it all you want. Your friend already assured me you are not who you say you are, and after seeing you in person, I am sure he’s not mistaken.”
“My friend?” There was an unsettling buzzing in her ears.
Saydren smiled as if he knew her every secret. “Everyone can be bought.”
“Nothing you’re saying makes any sense.”
