Zafir’s eyes flicked to mine before he looked away again. “My apprentice is simply a responsibility I’m entrusted with.”
A cold stone lodged itself in my ribs. A responsibility, that’s all I was to him. I was a reminder of his duties, not a woman he had kissed earlier that very day. My cheeks burned.
“Well, for tonight she’smyresponsibility,” Julian said with a grin, linking our fingers and lifting my hand so he could press a kiss against my knuckles. “And I promise, I take very good care of what’s entrusted to me.”
I forced a laugh and tossed my hair back the way I’d seen the fire dancers flip their hair. “Then I’m in excellent hands. Where’s Jax?”
“I left him back in my quarters. He wouldn’t like the revelry, and trust me, a terrified lemur is difficult to contain.”
Zafir walked in silence ahead of us, his strides so long and impatient that the chain kept pulling me along faster than was comfortable. Just as it had done before, the crowd parted the moment they saw him coming, nervously darting out of the way before he got too close.
Once Zafir was as far as possible ahead of us, Julian leaned over to whisper, “What’s eating Zafir? It looks like he has a storm cloud over his head.”
“Doesn’t he always look that way?” I asked in a stage whisper.
Julian laughed and glanced at Zafir, who had looked back at us with a murderous expression darkening his face. “I suppose he usually does. But enough talk about him. Have you ever seen phoenix fire up close?”
“Not yet,” I said, bright and eager. “I’m looking forward to the show. I’ve heard it’s spectacular.”
His chest puffed out. As he led me through the streets, his spongey palms became overly warm and moist, nothing like how Zafir’s hard, cool hands had felt against mine. I wrenched my thoughts away from that dangerous territory. I was here to charm Julian, not obsess over a kiss that never should have happened.
Julian had launched into some tale of his last time watching the Emberlight Revelry, words tumbling over each other. I nodded, smiled, and leaned closer as expected. But the whole time, Zafir’s silence and broodiness weighed on my mind.
I risked a glance at him, just once, when Julian was distracted by the ticket master. His expression looked like it had been carved from stone and his eyes were dark and unreadable. His gaze flicked briefly to where Julian’s hand still held mine, then he immediately looked away.
I swallowed and allowed Julian to sweep me into the glow of the Emberlight gates. If Zafir regretted the kiss, then fine. I would regret it too. I had another man to laugh and flirt with who had a much better attitude and knew how to treat a woman well.
We joined the long line of patrons crowding the entrance and slowly moving into the massive canopied enclosure.
“Do you travel often?” I asked Julian. “You seem highly cultured.”
“Occasionally. Once the war ended, I visited Termarth. You clearly are much more well-traveled. You came all the way from Brisden.”
“It actually didn’t feel like it was a long journey at all.”
“I’m surprised to hear that. I’ve heard that it’s a two-day flight if you take a dragon, and my father told me you came by ship. I was sorry to hear that you were taken against your will. How are you doing?”
“Surprisingly well, but eager to get home. I’d never heard of a dragon transporting people before.”
As we reached the main tent’s entry, Julian let go of my hand to hold the tent flap open for me. All around us, the other attendees were slowly making their way to their seats, climbing the wooden benches to find spots where their views of the glowing arena would be unimpeded.
“I’m so glad I get to do this. Zafir’s fun to irritate,” Julian said with a chuckle.
“He is.” I gave a few seconds pause, then went on, “So have you ever flown on a dragon?”
“Oh no, that’s much too expensive. I can’t think of anywhere I would want to go for that price.”
My heart sank a little. Perhaps he wasn’t as extravagant a spender as Zafir had assumed.
“You could come to Brisden with me,” I offered coyly. “I’d very much enjoy your company.”
“Ah, but I don’t believe Brisden has shows like this. Watch.” He pointed at the center of the arena.
The arena floor glowed as though it were alive. Instead of sand or sawdust, the ground shimmered with a carpet ofburning coals, each live ember pulsing red and orange. Heat rose in shimmering waves, warping and twisting in the air, carrying the sharp scent of smoke.
My eyes widened in shock as the ringmaster entered to immense applause, and bursts of fire shot up in pillars around the ring similar to the dancing water fountains they had back home. Concerned, I looked athis feet, then saw that the man was barefoot. Every step upon the live coals crackled and hissed, sparks leaping upward. And yet he walked as if it were no more uncomfortable than the cobblestone street outside. His bare feet pressed down on the glowing embers, each step leaving behind a brief impression before the coals flared bright again.
“How’s he doing that?” I breathed. “Doesn’t it hurt?”
