“May I?” she asked.
My mind flashed to another time, another momentin timewhere a female I had cared about did the same thing with water, for the same purpose—to cleanse.
Slowly, I held my hands out toward her, though they shook ever so slightly.
Using her own water-covered hands, she rinsed off the gunk from my skin. As my hands became cleaner, it appeared as though hers were becoming filthier.
Like she was taking my sins upon herself.
“You can trust me, you know,” she offered gently without looking up from her task.
“That’s still being proven,” I said quietly—but there was no venom in my voice. No malice, no defensiveness.
If Iwas beinghonest, I wanted nothing more than to trust somebody again.
Yet each time I did, it seemed to come back to bite me.
And I refused to be the mouse.
With that thought alone, the walls I hadn’t realized I’d been lowering went right back up.
I tugged my hands from hers, ignoring the small parts thathadn’tcome off, and cleared my throat, ignoring how startled she looked.
“We should go.” I took a step backwards, toward the exit.
Valenia’s expression, which had seemed open just a moment before, was carefully blank again. I watched as she funneled the now dirty water back into the bucket, her own hands just as clean as before.
As we headed up the stairs that lead outside, I couldn’t help but think that maybe sins couldn’t be transferred so easily.
It seemed my sins would be remaining my own, after all.
***
“Step aside.”
Valenia had taken up her position in front of me, as though her smaller frame could hide mine from the gazes of the four guards that stood in front of the tower door.
The moon was to be setting soon, but after leaving the dungeons,we’dwasted no time flying up to the towers within the camp and figuring out which of them was the one we weresearchingfor.Sothere we stood, so close to solving one of Father’s big mysteries—yet we were being held up bycrids.
“Who are you, that we should listen to your orders?” one of them spat—the one with light brown wings.
It appeared that Valeniahad been appointed as my Right Hand so recently that the newshadn’tspread to every corner of the North just yet.Sountil they understood who she was,I’dmake sure they made no mistake in disrespecting her.
“She’smyRight Hand,” I said, placing my hand on Valenia’s shoulder as I stepped up to stand to the left of her. “And she will have your respect, soldier.”
All four of the males looked momentarily stunned, but they were well trained. They quickly moved out of the way, allowing us to approach the door.
When Valenia tried the door, though, she found it was locked.
I looked toward the male with the soft brown wings and raised an eyebrow in question.
“The… The late kingdidn’tallow anybody inside. He said whoever was in there was too dangerous to ever see the full light of the moon again,” he said, avoiding my gaze while he fidgeted anxiously with the keys.
“Are you trying to say that I, as thecurrentKing of the North, am notpermittedinside? And that if Iwas, thatIwould be in danger?”
“No, Your Majesty, I just—”
“Hand me the keys.” I held out my hand.
