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"Because I don’t want to live in darkness," she said "Because you’re our best chance"

I shook ?"

Would she? I found I didn’t mind the idea "You’re vain You’re a’s attention What changed?"

"What changed?" she choked out Her lips thinned, and her fists clenched at her sides "I had an aunt who lived in Novokribirsk A niece The Darkling could have told me what he meant to do If I could have warned them--" Her voice broke, and I was instantly ashahra’s voice echoed in rows, it will hunger for more And yet, did I believe Zoya? Was the sheen in her eyes real or pretense? She blinked her tears back and glared at me "I still don’t like you, Starkov I never will You’re common and clumsy, and I don’t knohy you were born with such power But you’re the Sun Suht for you"

I watched her, considering, noting the two bright spots of color that fla of her lip

"Well?" she said, and I could see hower "You can stay," I said "For now"

"Is everything all right?" Mal asked We hadn’t even noticed that he’d left off sparring

In an instant, Zoya’s uncertainty was gone She gave hi smile "I hear you’re quite the ht offer lanced from Zoya back to me "Maybe later"

"I look forward to it," she said, and swept away in a soft rustle of silk

"What was that about?" he asked as we began the walk up the hill to the Little Palace

"I don’t trust her"

For a long an uneasily, "what happened in Kribirsk--"

I cut hiht have done with Zoya back at the Grisha camp And that was hardly the point "She was one of the Darkling’s favorites, and she’s always hated me"

"She was probably jealous of you"

"She broke two of my ribs"

"She what?"

"It was an accident Sort of" I’d never told Mal exactly how bad it had been for me before I’d learned to use my power, the endless, lonely days of failure "I just can’t be sure where her real allegiance lies" I rubbed the back of my neck where the muscles had started to bunch "I can’t be sure of anyone Not the Grisha Not the servants Any of the"

Mal looked around For once, nobody see I a fortune-telling party in the upper too days from now Come with me"

"Gritzki?"

"His father is Stepan Gritzki, the pickle king Newnoble "But his family has a palace down by the canal"

"I can’t," I said, thinking of the s, David’s mirrored dishes, the evacuation of the school It just felt wrong to go to a party e could be at war in a matter of days or weeks

"You can," said Mal "Just for an hour or two"

It was so te--to steal a few moments with Mal away from the pressures of the Little Palace

He"We’ll dress you up as one of the performers," he said "No one will even know the Sun Su, after the day’s as done I’d h the library What was the haro"

His face broke into a grin that left et used to the idea that a sht actually be for me

"Tolya and Tauards They follow my orders"

Mal snapped to attention and swept me an elaborate bow "Da, moi soverenyi," he pronounced in somber tones "We live to serve"