As Rhay and Karwyn were busy training together, she figured it was the perfect time to snoop around. She had heard that Karwyn’s bedroom was on the second floor, not that far away from hers. It was easy to find, given the two guards patrolling in the hallway.
Amira wasn’t sure of the best way to divert their attention. She knew they wouldn’t believe her if she said that Karwyn had asked her to retrieve something from his bedroom. Observing the door from the nook of the hallway, she jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder.
“Are you having a secret romance with one of those guards?” Varsha whispered in her ear.
“What? No,” Amira furiously replied.
“Oh, so both of them, then?” Amira could hear the repressed laughter in Varsha’s voice.
“Who do you think I am?”
“Someone who has spent the last five minutes suspiciously staring at two handsome guards,” Varsha said. “I’m not judging you, by the way. I understand that things with Karwyn are not running smoothly. I wouldn’t blame you if you were looking for some distraction on the side.”
Amira’s cheeks were now bright red and she couldn’t help but be disturbed by Varsha’s closeness. She tried to clear her mind by moving away from the painter. “That’s not what I’m doing. I don’t care about the lack of romance between Karwyn and I.”
Varsha looked at her pensively. “It’s funny, I would have put you as the hopeless romantic type. It would contrast nicely with Karwyn’s attitude towards love. But I guess you’re as practical as he is.”
Amira felt offended by Varsha’s comparison, yet she didn’t want to waste time explaining her vision of love to someone who was basically a stranger.
“Tell me then, whatareyou trying to do, staring at Karwyn’s bedroom door like that?” Varsha asked.
Should she tell her? She barely knew Varsha and her allegiance was hard to pinpoint. She was the official painter, so her livelihood depended on Karwyn’s will. Yet she didn’t really seem concerned about Karwyn’s approval.
As if she was reading her mind, Varsha said, “Whatever you’re planning on doing, I won’t tell Karwyn. I find it much more enjoyable to be in the know when he’s not.”
“I want to search his room.” The words burst out of her like an overflowing river.
Varsha smirked. “I knew you’d be interesting. But I can already tell you, there’s nothing interesting in there.”
Amira furrowed her brows. How could Varsha know what was inside Karwyn’s room? “Are you sure?”
“If you had secrets, would you hide them in the first place people would think to search?”
Amira discreetly pointed at the guards. “What about them?”
Varsha let out a little laugh. “Everyone can be bought. What’s your price, princess?”
“I’m not worth anything.” The words sounded bleaker than she intended. It was true though, wasn’t it?
The painter took her hand and pressed it gently. “I disagree. Would you do something for me, Amira?”
Questions and confusion swirled in Amira’s mind. Her eyes wandered over Varsha’s friendly face. “Sure,” she said without thinking of the consequences.
Chapter37
Lora
The cold water felt heavenly on her skin. When Lora had woken up, Elyssa’s room had been empty. Lora had eyed the pitcher of water next to the makeshift sink and hadn’t wasted a moment to finally rub the blood and grime off her face and hands. Now that her wounds felt healed, her current state of sweat and dirt was hard to ignore.
When she finished cleaning up as much as she could, Lora tentatively opened the flap of the tent and peeked outside. She saw tents everywhere. They were not simple like the ones Lora knew from the camping trips with her family. No, these were real homes, almost like tiny houses with walls made out of thick fabric in various shades of white or brown. In the distance, she could make out the woods.
But what really drew her attention were the intrigued human faces that glanced her way. This really was a base for humans. Lora wondered how they were able to stay hidden when the fae were literally hunting them.
“Hi. It’s Lora, right?” a young woman to her right said as she walked up to Lora.
Lora shifted uneasily. Was she scared of humans now too?
She fully stepped out of the tent and turned to the blonde girl. “Yes. Uhm…” She wanted to ask about Eyden, but Lora wasn’t sure if everyone here knew who he was or that he was even here.
