I gulped down the rest of the tea and wiped my mouth on my sleeve. “When will I be able to sew again?”
Edan sat on the stool beside me. “You should be fine in a few days. Take it easy for now.”
“Can’t.” I flexed my fingers. My bones and muscles were in place, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. “I need to win.”
“And why do you need to win so badly?” Edan asked.
“For my family,” I said. “Times have been hard.”
“Ah, so it’s not for yourself?”
“A little for myself, too,” I admitted.
“If you’re worried about the pain, you do have magic scissors.”
I frowned. “I want to win without magic.”
“I don’t see why that’s so important to you,” said Edan.
“It isn’t fair to the others,” I replied. “Or to me. I didn’t spend years learning to be a tailor so I could have my work done for me by magic.”
“Don’t be foolish. If it makes you feel better, Norbu is working magic too.”
“What?” The muscles in my throat tightened. “How?”
“You’ll find everyone in high places uses a smidgeon of magic every now and then. Even Emperor Khanujin’s head chef. Most delectable duck you’ll ever taste.” Edan smacked his lips. “Don’t close your fist. It’ll leave scars.”
I opened up my hand again. I wished he would take a step back. He was too close. I set aside my cup. “That didn’t answer my question.”
“Didn’t it?” His playful eyes flickered blue—blue as the ocean in Port Kamalan. Deep and clear.
Edan watched me, expectantly awaiting my reply. I flushed and pretended to clutch my head. “What did you give me?”
“It’s mostly something to numb the pain.”
“Mostly?” I repeated.
With a grin, he leaned back, watching my face ease as the pain subsided, minute by minute. Then he picked up my cup, studying the leaves inside. “Is Maia your birth name?”
“It is.”
“I’m not sure it suits you.”
I twisted my lips tightly. “It meansobedient.”
He set down the cup. “Which is why I said I’m not sure it suits you,” he said. “You have a remarkable journey ahead of you, Maia. I can see it in your tea leaves.”
As usual, it was difficult for me to tell whether Edan was playing with me. “I need to get back,” I said thickly. “There’s only one more day for this challenge, and given the fire…”
The truth was, I didn’t want to stay in Edan’s chambers any longer. I was growing all too aware of the mysterious heat rising to my neck.
“Anxious about your jacket?” Edan said. “Your scissors would finish the job in an hour.”
I peeled myself off the bench, stretching my legs over an expensive-looking carpet. “Will you stop badgering me about the scissors? I don’t want to use them.”
Edan laughed and clapped at me. “I have to say, being a boy suits you.”
I opened my mouth, then closed it. He was right, I realized. As a girl, I would never have talked back to the Lord Enchanter. Would I? Or was it Edan who brought out this boldness in me? I suspected he provoked me on purpose. That he enjoyed it.
