Safe enough, I suppose,I told her,but Lord Heron might be just as dangerous as that creature.
I caught her up on everything that had happened since we were separated, and she tossed her head in dismay.
How can Talon not be sure if there are walking corpses shambling around the palace?
I inwardly laughed at her skeptical tone.I can believe it. This place is a labyrinth, cut into the mountain.
Maybe you should come stay out here with me.
With a glance at Commander Talon and Lieutenant Zamir, who were both still standing like silent sentinels, I lowered myself to the grassy hill and tucked my legs under me. The wind made the grass dance like waves, and I watched its hypnotic movement in the pale light of the moon.I’m tempted to. I didn’t like the palacebeforeI learned about the soul-sucking sorcerer and potential walking corpses.
She snorted.You will need to be constantly on guard. I know you’re not going to like hearing this, but I think you should practice summoning the wind.
I jerked my head toward her.And risk our bond here? Away from everyone who cares about us?
You’ve always been drawn to the wind, but maybe it’s time you tried speaking to it. What if there’s a way to control it better?
I wouldn’t even know where to begin,I argued, but already I felt myself wavering. Shazeera could be annoyingly persuasive when she wanted to.
That creature was pure malevolence,she said with a shudder.Whatever you can do to protect yourself—and possibly others—you need to do it.
They won’t like me practicing that here.
How would they even know? You can start by just opening yourself to the wind. Listening to it.
“We should get back,” Talon said, his deep voice startling after my silent conversation with Shazeera.
I would have argued for more time, but my stomach chose that instant to growl loudly.
You haven’t eaten yet?Shazeera said in an utterly horrified tone. Missing a meal was unthinkable to a horse.
I wanted to check on you first.
She tossed her head in irritation at me but allowed me to hug her neck.
I’ll come back as soon as I can. Don’t eat so much of this grass that you founder,I warned her.This isn’t like the grass on the plains. It’s thick and rich.
She mentally rolled her eyes at me.I’ve been a horse longer than you. I can keep myself from getting sick.
I smiled to myself as I followed Talon out of the pasture. I thought of what Shazeera had said about communicating with the wind. It was true that I had only called upon that power during desperate times, and this last instance, I had managed not to release too much power. When Ama first signed the treaty, I had thought I would never have to call upon the wind again. And I still hoped I wouldn’t have to. After all, Talon admitted he didn’t have proof of the shadowy creature doing anything but scrying. Hardly life-threatening, especially now that my people had no reason to hide. But I also wasn’t foolish enough to shrug my shoulders and just hope for the best.
I stole a glance at Talon. What would he think of my future attempts to control the wind? Would he consider that a breach of the treaty? I thought of the way he defended my actions in thethrone room, and how he thought I could ask the wind to give us a calm flight. He would certainly be more understanding about it than Lord Heron, but for now, I would play it safe. Talon wasn’t actively hostile toward me like others I had met, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be friends. He still served the emperor and couldn’t be trusted.
When we arrived in front of the double doors of my room, I tensed, half expecting to be shoved inside and locked in again. But instead, he opened the door and went in by himself, striding around purposefully and disappearing into all the connected rooms before coming back out. “It’s safe,” he said, holding the door open for me. “I’ll get your maidservant to bring you something to eat and anything else you require.”
“Thank you,” I said, grateful that he had checked my room already so I wouldn’t have to worry that the dark corners hid assassins. At least for tonight.
“Bolt the door behind me and only open it when I return,” he said, turning to leave.
“I’m in that much danger? Why is the palace security so lax?”
He surprised me when a grin touched the corners of his mouth. “As I’ve been assigned by the emperor to guard you, I will try not to slack off in my duties.”
“You’ll be my guard?” I asked incredulously. “Isn’t that beneath your station as an Eagle Rider, Commander?”
“There’s nothing more important than your safety,” he said, holding my gaze.
I hated the sense of peace that settled over me at the thought of Talon being on guard. I didn’t want to trust him—it was dangerous to let myself without proof of his trustworthiness. Most likely, the emperor had asked him to do it in order to spy on me.And if I followed Shazeera’s advice and tried to get a better handle on my wind power, that could be problematic. Still, in spite of what I told myself, I felt better knowing that he would be watching my back.
