“You will have round-the-clock guards. I would like to train with you to determine your strengths. Lucky for you, I’m in need of a water wielder. One wrong move from you, one whiff of treason, and our bargain is void and I will dispatch you myself.”
“Yes, you said that before.” She pointedly glared at me. My shadows swirled around in warning and she blanched.
I studied her, seeing past her bravado to the fear beneath. My power subtly relented. “Things will go easier for you if you’re open to ideas that might go against the stories they packaged foryou. You might be surprised to find that what you thought was true may not be. When you’re ready to learn more, come find me.”
She appeared to wilt before my eyes. “Like what? Tell me one thing you think I don’t know.”
Her words were tangible, deflating things. I wanted her to understand, but I didn’t want to completely demoralize her; I had worked with many orphans from Haluma who struggled intensely at the outset of learning their lives were a lie and they had been brainwashed. And Ruin was technically still in recovery from a parasite; I really did need her for her power. I would have to tread lightly.
“I already know that Glint is refined Berine. And Nolan uses it on his own people. My sister suspected his treachery. Xuri revealed the deepening veil and the effects of how he drained your previous oracle. There is nothing left for me in Maripol.” She shrank beneath the admission. Whether due to her physical recovery or the emotional output, I wasn’t sure.
Somehow she had pieced together the distortions despite Haluma’s consuming propaganda. Perhaps Delah was able to convince her after all. I offered a curt nod.
“We will start training tomorrow.” I didn’t wait for her response as I took my leave, the door slamming at my exit.
She unnerved me. She dared to make a bargain with me after leading drekis to our doorstep. Was it really Korin that made her defect?
I pinched the bridge of my nose. I had barely gotten any sleep in the last several days. Not with sorting through newly recruited spies, Ilayah’s passing, and making sure no other assassins portaled in. Then there was the issue of Queen Avery’s request to dine. I had yet to respond.
Multiple loose ends dangled in my periphery; it wasn’t the wisest time to go traipsing to the coast. But seeking an alliance with the Nereid Queen might shift the tide of this entire war.
I closed my eyes as the idea burrowed into my bones. I let that persistent weed of hope peek through the cracks. It had shriveled to near nothing. But with a water wielder on our side, we could take one more step in the right direction. Because I couldn’t meet the Nereid Queen without one.
Chapter Twenty
THE SPY
Iawakened from anxiety-riddled sleep. Glancing around the room, I noticed training leathers, my boots, and—oddly, but thankfully—the cherry candies I’d had stashed in my pockets and satchel when I’d gone to the fields with Korin.
Guilt coiled in my stomach at the thought of the young girl. I had to make recompense for putting her in such a dangerous situation.
The urgent desire to move had me getting out of bed. My neck remained stiff where the parasite once lived, but overt pain had dissipated leaving a wary, dull ache. I leaned my head back, my fingers gently grazing my neck wound. The worst of my recovery was now behind me.
I secured my braids—three behind my right ear and two behind my left—then tied back the rest, hoping that whatever awaited at the sparring fields would be painful enough to numb the effects of my choices.
As prepared as I could be, I followed a silent guard through the rebellion’s domain. We weaved through houses made of varying types of stone. The healing area consisted primarily of sun-bleached limestone; scrolling copper details suffused thefacade, creating ornate window borders as well as practical beams that gleamed in the twinkling pre-dawn.
Other areas housed tall stone buildings, some with chimneys where curling black smoke spilled into the sky. An area further off included a great hall and other larger facilities. We eventually came upon an open area of sectioned-off fields.
I took off in a sprint, running along the perimeter of the sparring area. My feet pounded against the ground, dew spraying off short blades of grass in twinkling explosions I felt rather than saw. A few tears streaked down my face. No one, save for my watchful guard, stood by to distract me with their auras, so I let them flow.
A gaping hollow spread within me. How could I have grown up in Haluma and believed in the lies so thoroughly? How did I miss the truth staring me in the face? I had trusted the king, the one who knew the worst about me, and everything he did and said had been a lie. TherewerePrimes still alive. And he hunted them all to harvest them for their magic. I wanted to puke. I could hardly trust myself.
I pushed my body well beyond what I should have exerted in my current state. The site of the Surveille extraction had slightly reopened, and a small trickle of blood dampened my collar. I slashed the back of my hand across my eyes smearing my tears. Whatever pain I experienced, was pain I deserved. For my blind trust. For my stupidity.
An old ache scraped against my ribs. One that whispered my lack, imprinting my isolation on my skin for all to observe. I had again lost everything, and I only had myself to blame. Just like with my parents. My breaths heaved and I slowed to a stop, dizzy, leaning over my knees to draw air into my lungs.
Again.
I resumed my frenetic pace, blood and sweat mingling with hatred—at both myself and the king. I followed my worntrail along the outskirts of the sparring fields over and over, welcoming the sharp burn of my muscles, the sting in my lungs.
The scent of leather and amber broke my concentration. When my path led me away from the base of the mountains, I caught the general watching me with keen and curious eyes. I slowed, breaths jagged in the cool air.
The morning had opened its indolent eyes revealing hues of cerulean and coral, clouds growing brighter with the reflection of the sun’s rays. I forced my anxious thoughts to dissipate, imagining the space left behind being filled with a golden strength. Like Judd’s eyes, damn him.
I proceeded over to where weapons lounged against a gray stone wall. I grabbed a simple, dull broadsword. This thing couldn’t cut through a soft piece of fruit, but it would make do for simple drills.
The general met me at the collection of swords and battle axes. He seemed as large and solid as the stone wall I had gathered my sword from. He blatantly assessed me, his face yielding nothing. “You started early. Let’s see how you fight, Ruin of the Scourge. But no magic.”
