“Mother ordered them away.”
Antony’s stillness, the way he holds his shoulders, and the brief clench of his right fist convey his sudden fury. “She left you without protection.”
Cassia shrugs. “Better than locking me in.”
“You know it isn’t.”
Cassia presses her lips together, but it seems she’s determined to hide her worry because she throws her head back with a determined, “I can fight off any fool stupid enough to come after me.”
Clearing her throat, she positions herself directly in front of me. Her assessment of me takes place in a matter of seconds, her focus sliding from my tangled hair to my dirty boots before settling on the bruises on my neck, at which her cheeks flush.
She snaps at her brother, “Really?”
His response is hard. “I’m insulted, Cassia. Thyra’s voice is important. I may be a fucking monster, but I wouldn’t mess with her throat.”
The anger drains from Cassia’s face. “Then… what happened?”
“An assassin happened,” Antony replies. “He was in the crowd at the markets yesterday. I didn’t think much of him at the time. I suspect Mother sent him, but I can’t be sure.”
I’m surprised at how easily Antony converses with Cassia. Even during his interactions with Victor yesterday, he seemed to guard his tongue.
Cassia purses her lips. “Mother wants to control the Oracle, hurther, and force her to do Goddess-knows-what. She doesn’t want her dead.”
“Are you sure?”
His sister takes a quick breath. “Actually, no. When it comes to Mother, I’m not sure of anything anymore.”
Cassia returns her focus to me, narrowing her eyes at my neck. I’m certain she must be asking herself how anyone got close enough to me to inflict the bruises, but she doesn’t ask.
“We need to cover these marks,” she says. “Thyra has to appear invincible.”
“Agreed,” Antony replies.
Cassia tilts her head before casting another glance at her brother. “How will we dress her? Princess or warrior?”
He makes a humming sound in the back of his throat, but before he can answer, I speak up. “Do I have a say?”
He and Cassia speak at the same time.
“No.”
“Yes.”
Theyeswas from him, and it draws Cassia’s ire. “She can’t possibly know what Mother’s capable of.Weneed to make this decision for her.”
“Thyra is the Oracle,” Antony replies firmly. “She has the capacity to know more than you or I ever could.”
I’m once again surprised at how certain Antony sounds. If he hadn’t warned me to treat everything he says with suspicion, I’d think he had every confidence in me.
“Fine.” Cassia exhales a patient-sounding breath before arching her eyebrows at me. “Well, then, Thyra, which will it be: princess or warrior?”
Even if I’m desperate to exert some control, I consider her question carefully. I’d like nothing more than to wear my lowborn clothing, maybe even find some fish to rub on my clothes so I can offend some delicate noses, but I have to play a game now, and it’s clear to me that my life isn’t the only one at stake.
“Neither,” I say, squaring my shoulders. “I will be the Oracle.”
Cassia blinks at me, and then a slow smile breaks across her face. “Of course.” She gestures me toward her bedroom. “Come with me. Let’s see what we can put together.”
Chapter Forty-One
