“Excluding Barto and Chessah, I hope. It’s obvious she trusts them the most. They were the only guards allowed in the council room with us.”
“Perceptive.”
“There’s more to me than what you see,” she said briskly. “Somepeople are too obstinate to care.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “I see what people show me.”
“And what have I shown you?” Rahzlyn challenged, her voice low. Her toes peeked above the water, toying with the bubbles, while her long legs traced slow, deliberate patterns beneath the surface. Every movement was measured, knowing.
My throat tightened. “That you’re afraid. Of what, I have yet to figure out.”
I couldn’t stop my gaze from lingering on her long, dancer’s legs. The taut glide of her muscles made my pulse thud hard. I remembered the way the jewels dangled down those legs.
I still had those jewels in my chamber.
Why did I still have those jewels in my chamber?
“Isn’t everyone afraid of something?” she pondered.
“Not me.”
“It’s human nature. How can you not be afraid of anything?”
“Because I’m a guardian,” I deflected, meeting her eyes. “What are you afraid of? Considering how easily you stood up to her, I doubt it’s Maryn.”
“Dying,” she admitted. “I’m afraid for my family, and I don’t want to die.”
“It’s more than that.”
Rahzlyn bit her lip. “Do you think Maryn would try something while you’re gone?”
It seemed I wasn’t the only one deflecting tonight. “She doesn’t feel as in control after what you did,” I reminded her. “Killing you would be extreme, even for her.”
“Is that actually allowed? Killing a Chosen.”
“If necessary, depending on the cause. It usually requires two rounds of votes. First, all barons must vote unanimously to escalate it to the courts. From there, all Chosens from every court must vote the same.” I observed her fastidiously. “Without cause, there are other ways to torment or make such a thing appear an accident, though.”
“Was she always like this?”
“Only Gregorios knows her full story, and he’s never said a word.” Having seen my own past through Blood Sight, he was gracious enough never to comment on it either. “I do know she was the daughter of a baron long ago. And that it came as a surprise to many when Queen Auden selected her to be an advisor.”
“Why?”
“They didn’t get along. Their exchanges were always tense, though it was quickly determined that was how Maryn was with everyone. No one else has pushed back against her tightening leash since the current barons selected her to be queen regent.”
“Except me,” she said carefully. “And you.”
Our eyes held for a beat before I tore mine away. The longer I stared into them, the more I forgot what my true purpose for coming here was.
“Your back,” she prompted, her tone gentler. “Is it healed?”
I nodded. “Your glyphs?”
“Coming along, I think.”
My gaze coasted along her golden skin. The glyphs up her neck and surrounding her face appeared to have sealed but were still inflamed. “Ignoring them won’t make them disappear.”
She opened her mouth to speak, then quickly closed it. Apparently, she was in more denial than I was about her Chosen status. And for some reason, that made me feel… regretful. I fixated on the door.
