“It just strikes me as odd that a prince would be here, rather than home.”
“You’re here, rather than home.”
“Because my brother showed me there was a world beyond the walls, and I want to see it.”
Ferris’ mouth slowly stretched into a grin. “You’re surprisingly eloquent sometimes, for being so simple.”
I stared at him, waiting for him to give his answer.
His grin fell away. “My father has always treated me differently from Laiserian. The queen hates me—she pretends I don’t exist most of the time. I assume I was born from an affair.”
“So you punch people in taverns?”
“Not at first. When your own family detests you so much, you start wanting to be anywhere else. Besides, I have a talent for music, and bards belong in taverns.”
Ferris had most certainly not been playing music the night we met. He looked like he’d been drinking and carousing.
Choosing not to bring that up, I turned back to my line. “How does joining a rebellion fit into your story?”
“It's not exactly easy to join. We’re quite secretive, if you’ve noticed.”
“Good point. I could torture the information from you.”
“Would you believe I don’t know much?” He blew a curl out of his eye. “I’m an informant. The information flows one way—from me to them.”
“Do they have a goal besides slaughtering the people of Muirashi?" I asked, fingers tightening around the pole.
A cold breeze tore across the beach, sharpening the silence. Ferris stared at me for a long while before answering.
“I don’t know.”
He looked sincere enough. But I’d never been good at seeing through lies.
I had no choice but to believe him—after all, his story made sense.
Here he was, blabbing to me. No wonder they’d kept him in the dark.
My line tugged, and I bolted from the rock, reeling in my catch. Ferris sprang to his feet, watching intently.
Fishing was not unlike swordplay. I’d told Akemi that often, and he’d stared at me like crabs were crawling up my face.
Either way, I was good at both—and little else. Pulling the rod up, I yanked a bright blue fish from the silver waters and caught it in my hand.
He was two handbreadths across, nicely plump.
Dinner.
Lowering my catch, I caught Ferris looking at me with an odd expression. Not quite a smile, not quite a frown.
“What?” I asked.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen you look genuinely happy.”
His words shot an arrow through my heart. I didn’t know why. But I nearly doubled over, suddenly swept up in intense emotions.
Swallowing them back, I looked away. “Ladies of Tsuyan aren’t often allowed to leave the house. Fishing trips were special to me.”
Fishing trips and fae pipes. Akemi rambling on about the girl he was trying to court, unable to understand women’s emotions.
