I nodded, then turned and exited, leaving Delah, and the general, behind.
My vision blurred as I walked back toward the Rivellan Wood, the chaos of the festival receding behind me. My senses distorted. Stumbling, I leaned against a building. A tremor wracked through my body. Something was very wrong. I stareddown at my hands, and there it was. Golden shimmer dusted my fingertips. My stomach dropped.
Dizziness crested. Shadows and light curled in threatening shapes around me. Crouching, I shoved my finger down my throat. My movements were sloppy. It was too late to throw it up anyway. Golden poison coursed through my system. I would have to let it run its course.
Fear crawled up my throat. I slumped, helpless to the intoxication of Glint. I could feel my magic separating from my blood, like I was being unmade with acid and fire.
My skin prickled as my body registered the presence of someone. I tried to speak, but my lips wouldn’t move. Warm arms scooped me up, cradling me. My mind screamed. My body was no longer my own. A whimper escaped me.
“Shh. It’s okay. You’re safe now. The water cup. When you sat it down, I saw traces of Glint on the rim.” Damn. Perhaps King Nolan’s weird obsession with the soldier’s water supplies was warranted. “I’ll take you home.”
Wind rustled across my face as I faintly registered our movement. My magic leaked out of me. Was I hallucinating? His lush smell surrounded me. It blunted the sharpness of my alarm. I dully wondered if he would try to kill me. Why would he help the king’s spy?
I blacked out.
A door creaked.Familiar smells greeted me. My head lolled. Gentle hands laid me on something soft.
“You must drink this. It will help flush it from your system.” Gods, that voice could tame a wolvin. Something cold and hardmet my lips. A strong hand splayed at the base of my skull, tilting my head back.
“Try to swallow. Please.” I wished I could open my eyes. I sputtered as liquid filled my mouth. I involuntarily swallowed. A trickle of it ran down my chin. A warm thumb wiped away the remnants. It lingered on my bottom lip. This must be a dream.
Silence blanketed the room. My tremors lessened. Lethargy and fatigue overwhelmed me. On the brink of unconsciousness, a whisper penetrated the fog. “I’ll be in touch, Ruin of the Scourge.”
Chapter Eleven
THE SPY
Araging case of dry mouth interrupted my slumber. Afternoon light slashed across my bed, where I lay haphazardly in the tiny dress from the night prior. My head throbbed, but I was lucid. Confusion laced through the holes in my memory. I sat up, expecting a wave of dizziness that never came.
My canteen lay on my nightstand. I didn’t recall leaving it there. I gulped down the water inside it. Who brought me home? Could it have really been the general? I was lucky to have made it back safely. My hand shook as I set the canteen back down. Last night could have been so bad. I knew deep down that it was Judd who saved me. I didn’t trust him, but I sat confounded, my foot tapping erratically on the floorboards.
The general had shadow magic, just like the king. It was a magic the king claimed only he possessed. Yet, in a secret part of me, lined with the fumes of betrayal toward King Nolan, I knew this was untrue.
The memory of Dom came easily. The last time I saw him, he’d promised me he’d return. After all this time, it was still an unhealed wound reeking of abandonment and the hollowness ofhurt. I shoved it aside. There had to be a connection between Judd and Dom. I would figure it out.
My fingers still shimmered with Glint’s residue. I ripped moisture out of the air and coated my hands, then wiped them thoroughly on my dress. The threat and effects of it ignited my rage. A singular purpose crystallized in my mind. I wanted to destroy every last person who spread the vile poison. I wanted to avenge my mother—the victim of a Glint addict. I wanted to protect the unprotected. And if I allowed myself to pause and truly look inward, perhaps I just wanted to protect myself, the little girl the world tried to break.
I hopped up, pacing my room. I would accompany Delah on her mission to the Glint house this evening. I walked over to my bedside, dug into the glass bowl full of hard candies, and popped a cherry candy in my mouth, focusing on its sweetness. A soul-deep sigh escaped. My exhaustion reached well beyond the physical.
As the candy dissolved in my mouth, my decision honed into a blade. King Nolan would not deny me the option to make the trade when the evidence of my loyalty and commitment to the innocents lay bare before him. I would do it with the blood and information of our enemies. I would carve my own way. And it would start tonight.
I threwa quick dinner together before I shared my plan with Delah.
“You want to come with me to a Glint house?” Delah gaped at me, her fork hovering halfway to her mouth.
I grinned smugly in response.
“Don’t be surprised if things are different from what you’ve heard. I think you accompanying me is long overdue. But, Rue, I’m supposed to be in and out, simply obtaining some of the Glint being passed around so we can examine it and figure out how they are changing it. The plan doesn’t include daggers.”
“But you’re bringing knives!” I gesticulated with my empty fork. I knew I was riling her, and I suppressed my amusement.
“I’ll have them as backup, which I’ve never needed before.” She set her own fork down, daring me to push back.
“I will lead with words first, okay? I won’t bring them out unless there’s a threat.” I quirked my eyebrow and smiled. I feigned an innocence not even a child could be fooled into believing was real.
Delah groaned, and I knew I’d won.
“This’ll be fun,” I cajoled. “Besides, we haven’t done a hit in the city since before the military officials caught two thieving orphans. It’ll be like old times.”
