At my unresponsiveness, Blake spun on his heel and prowled away. I followed him, seeing as he was still—albeit reluctantly—escorting me to my rooms.
“Wait—I need to—”
“Quiet,” he hissed, his hand wrapping around that now-familiar part of my bicep. “Until we have more privacy.”
My cheeks flamed in indignation and something else, hot beneath the heavy metal of my dress.
We walked in silence for a few more steps, passing another series of towering pillars etched with glowing calligraphy. Shadows danced in the corners, the lanterns above dimming slightly where two guards were standing in front of my door.
“Leave,” Blake ordered them. “Return in fifteen minutes.”
They didn’t hesitate, not questioning the command of the king’s Twin Blade.
The only remaining one.
I didn’t want to feel sympathy for the Ambush Master. But I couldn’t forget the look on his face in the throne room as the Diviner showed us the Annihilation.
Grief.
He’d loved his brother. He’d lost his twin. Was that like losing a limb? Did he feel out of step, like something was always slightly wrong, even now? Did he feel as lost as I did?
The hallway was bathed in the soft, golden glow of the lanterns that floated above us. Their warm light cast shadows that danced along the smooth stone walls. The bustle of the palace faded into the distance, leaving just the two of us standing in the flickering light.
“Why did you help me?” I asked again. “Why did you lie about allowing Flame to escape?”
“How did you know that curtsy?”
A standoff then, neither one of us willing to concede.
I turned on my heel, planning to open the doors to my chamber, but he spun me back and pressed my back into the wall.
My cheeks flamed at the highly improper behavior, but I only glared at him.
“Tell me about your singing.” He loomed over me, less than a foot of distance between us.
“I did,” I said, looking up at him, my face growing warmer. “You all laughed.”
“I didn’t.”
I hadn’t been watching him then to know if he was telling the truth now. Still, there wasn’t much I could say.
“It’s not something I control well. I don’t know much. It just happens.”
My answer clearly displeased him, but he didn’t say anything.
I looked him over more closely then. Exhaustion plagued his features, barely hidden by the light of the lanterns, tightness pulling at the creases by his eyes. He ran a hand through his too-long bronze hair, tugging on it before pushing it back.
“Preparations for the Culling will begin tomorrow. The king will waste no time. You must be prepared,” Blake said, his voice low and serious.
I didn’t say anything for a moment. It was difficult to approach him for answers instead of with anger. A strange sort of twisted trust lay between us now.
“In the throne room,” I asked, hands fidgeting as I avoided his eye, “with Kingsolver and Flame—how did you know she felt that way?”
Blake’s eyebrows settled.
“Do you hear Flame?” he asked. “In your head?”
I nodded.
