I snatched it and eagerly turned it over three times. The mirror turned foggy and warm, but this time, Nadia’s face swam into view, perfectly in focus and clear as day.
“Alia!” she shrieked. “Where are you? I’ve been worried sick!”
I heaved an immense sigh of relief at seeing her. “It’s a long story. What about you? Are you safe?”
“For now. Tell me what’s been going on. There are reward posters up all over town with your face on them. Rahil’s offering a huge reward for anyone who can bring you to him, and everyone in town is looking?—”
Zafir’s head lifted, and after mouthing a heartfeltthank youto him, I retreated to the bedroom so I wouldn’t bother him with my conversation.
I caught Nadia up on everything, from when Rahil left to release her from prison to his attack and then me impersonating a duchess and trying to seduce Julian.
“So now I’m stuck on the other side of the world until I can convince Julian to spend a small fortune to take me on a romantic vacation to Brisden,” I finished. “But what about you? Did you get my message to stay away from old Bluebeard?”
“I did, and just in time too.” There was a loud clattering from behind Nadia, and she ducked down. When she resurfaced, she whispered, “I got your message right as I was setting out for the manor, so I hid in our old spot behind the butcher’s shop. Within the hour, Rahil had men putting up reward posters for you. There have been search parties, and guards are sweeping houses and interrogating everyone. Rahil’s determined to find you.”
“He’ll have a hard time; I’m all the way in Pyren. It would take two days on dragon back to get there or about a month by boat.”
Nadia heaved a sigh of relief. “I’ve been so worried, but as long as they kept looking, I knew they hadn’t found you. I worried you had died. There was so much blood when I talked to you before.”
“I’m fine now. You just keep your head down,” I told her. “I wouldn’t put it past him to try to get information out of you.”
I went to brush my hair out of my eyes, and as I did so, Nadia caught sight of the chain around my wrist. “Alia, what’s that? Are you chained up?”
“Oh, that.” In my haste, I hadn’t told her about the vow bond with Zafir. I explained, and her eyebrows contracted into one long line.
“He’s keeping you chained up? It seems like I got released from prison just as you were put in one.”
“More like I’m the one keeping him chained,” I said with a mischievous grin. “And he isn’t all bad. He’s the one who fixed the mirror for me, so I can’t hate him too much.”
Zafir poked his head into the room. “There’s a message for you,” he informed me. “Along with some flowers.”
“I need to go,” I told Nadia in a hurry. “I’ll talk to you later. Stay out of trouble, okay?” I turned the mirror over and went back into the study.
The messenger had already left, but there was a large bouquet of flowers and an envelope with my name written in beautiful calligraphy. After slitting open the envelope, a piece of parchment fell out.
“What does it say?” Zafir asked.
“He wants to take me to the Emberlight Revelry in two days.”
“I’ve heard that’s a good show,” Zafir said, sitting stiff-backed at his work station loaded with beakers and potions.
“You’ll get to see it too, remember?” I jingled the chain connecting our wrists. “You’re coming along.”
“Right.” Zafir cast an annoyed look at the flowers on the table, then his expression cleared. “How was the talk with your sister?”
“Good. She’s safe for now.”
“She said there are reward posters for you?”
My heart stuttered and my mouth went dry. What if Zafir was planning to turn me in and collect the reward money and the magic lamp as well? My fingers itched to pull out some of the potions hidden away.
“You needn’t look at me that way. I’m merely concerned,” Zafir said mildly. “We don’t need to discuss it if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“I’d rather not discuss it,” I told him. I cast around for something to say and finally sat in front of him. “Will you do my makeup again? Or you could teach me.”
“Your date isn’t for two more days.”
“I don’t have to have a date to want to look nice. Please?”
