“I’ll be here,” I insist again as I follow her out into the chill.
“I know.” She lets me slip my arm through hers as we set off, and we walk in perfect rhythm all the way up to the palace.
“See? Still here,” I tease as we reach the gates, earning a reluctant smile.
But as soon as I’ve seen her safely inside, I slip my hands into gloves and wrap a thick blue scarf around the lower half of my face before taking off again, bounding down the great hill toward the Ashes in search of Jax.
XVIII
Shouts greet me as I draw near the edge of the palace grounds, coming within view of the seaside market on the lower cliffs that’s mostly frequented by nobles and servants. Instinctively, I reach for my blade, ready to put a stop to whatever destruction of Valoria’s brilliance and hard work Devran and his companions have under way now—when I realize one of the sounds I’m hearing is the distinct clap of wooden swords banging against one another.
The market itself seems deserted, but across from it, amidst tall golden grass and the husks of late-season flowers in an ill-used palace field, a small group of people practice their sword work.
Slinking through the grass toward them, I instantly recognize Freckles and Sunshine, Valoria’s favorite ladies-in-waiting.
“Shouldn’t you be with our queen, putting your new training to use by watching her back?” I call, announcing my approach, though the words are somewhat muffled by my scarf. There’s no real anger behind the question. Valoria was with me all morning, and besides,she has plenty of guards at the palace, ones who actually know how to wield a blade.
Freckles frowns at me, which I guess I deserve. I haven’t been very friendly to her or Sunshine, though it’s not their fault that Valoria likes them well enough to call them friends. I can’t even remember their real names.
“There wasn’t much to do by way of hair dressing, gown fastening, or guard duty this morning,” Freckles says coolly. “I expect you know more about that than we do.” Pointing her wooden sword toward the ground, she adds, “We decided to take advantage of the quiet to practice.”
Gazing around, I see thatwemeans most of the volunteer army we’ve been assembling. They’ve come here to keep sharpening their skills, choosing not to leave the city, to keep fighting for their queen as long as they’re healthy.
“Don’t worry,” Freckles adds as I scan the faces of those practicing for any signs of the fever. I don’t like the lack of scarves over their mouths, though most are wearing gloves, at least. “No one here is sick. We’re not letting anyone onto the palace grounds who doesn’t belong, and neither are they.” She motions to a swell of land on the horizon where several archers stand at attention.
“Good,” I mutter. I turn to go. I shouldn’t be here. I need to find Jax. Besides, there’s probably no need for the volunteers to practice anymore now that we have metal soldiers with ten times their strength and Karston’s magic to guide them if the need ever arises.
Yet something stops me in my tracks as I walk past people sparring on either side of me, sweat flying off their foreheads, their breathing labored. There’s something here I didn’t see among the volunteers before, perhaps because I wasn’t looking hard enough:potential. If they’re this determined to learn to fight, I’ll do my best to teach them.
Turning around, I hold out my hand to Freckles.
“Let me help you,” I say over the wind rustling the grass around us. “I can meet you here every other morning, if you’d like. I’ll teach you anything you want to know—but from now on, everyone needs to cover their mouthandbring gloves, all right? And don’t tell Valoria,” I add with a pang of guilt. Knowing how worried she is about the fever’s spread and preventing more uprisings, she wouldn’t consider this a good use of our time. She hasn’t seen the determination here. “These meetings will have to be our secret.”
“Agreed. And your guidance would be... appreciated.” Freckles gives me a long, thoughtful look. Finally, she offers me her practice sword and inclines her head toward the rest of the group. “No time like the present.”
I shake my head, my heart sinking as Freckles turns away. Even Sunshine’s smile disappears as she follows her friend back toward the group. “We can start tomorrow!” I call after them. “It’s just that I have to find my friend right now. It’s urgent. I’m afraid he—”
“Looking for me?” Jax’s voice, so close to my ear, startles me into whirling around.
Bracing myself for the stench of whiskey beneath the black scarf tied tightly over his nose and mouth, I lean in close to him and inhale. There’s no scent but his own, clean and sweet with a musky hint of sweat underneath.
“Smell something you like?” Jax crooks a brow, his gaze skimming between me and the volunteers practicing.
My face warms as I step back. “I just thought you were...”
“Drinking away my problems? Getting my ass kicked by Hadrien in the Deadlands? Kicking asses? Breaking a promise to you?” Jaxticks off the possibilities on his fingers, and although I can’t see his lips, I know he’s grinning wolfishly as he watches me squirm.
All that and more is exactly what I thought and feared, and he knows it.
He has a leather bag slung over his shoulder, and from inside, he produces an empty soup crock and the cloth wrappings of a flaky pastry. “I was bringing a meal to Kasmira and the crew. That’s all I’ve been doing lately,” he sighs. “Kasmira still won’t let me on board, but she allows me to toss her this bag.” Sensing the unspoken question in my gaze, he adds, “She’s better. Not cured, but I think she’d agree that she’s on the mend.”
The news makes me grab Jax’s hands and spin around with him on the spot.
“So what are you doing out here? Giving dancing lessons?” he grumbles, letting go of my hands. Before I can answer, he says, “I want in.”
***
Even though I’m exhausted from our secret practice, I have a surprise planned for Meredy, who promised to meet me in our room before sundown. Usually, we eat in the dining hall with Valoria and the others, but tonight I got permission to use the main palace kitchen to make a bunch of her favorite foods. I’m hoping the meal will take her mind off of her sister suffering with the black fever, at least for a little while—and if that fails, she’ll surely be distracted from her worries when I tell her about the metal soldiers and Karston’s magic.
