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He’s luring you there so that Teren can slit your throat
The memory of Enzo fades, claie of hiht ahead, wishing host, I reainst the familiar tether between us with an illusion of ice, snow, cold I hope he feels it, wherever he is You are already dead tofor us on the lowest level, a rease glossy on his face, his Inquisition uniforio and then bo at me
"Your Majesty," he says Then he holds an ar
The palace’s cells are each their own space, with no bars and no s He leads us doide hall with iron doors lining either side of it, each one guarded by two Inquisitors Some of the doors are spaced farther apart than others When we near the end, we reach several that are spaced so far apart that I cannot see the next door froeon keeper stops at the very last door on our right
There are six Inquisitors outside this one, instead of two They line up in formation when I approach, bow, and make way for the keeper He takes out one key while the senior Inquisitor takes out a second Undoing this lock requires inserting two keys silance The last tio, before our expedition to conquer Dumor I wonder how Teren looks now
The lock squeaks, then clicks--and the door edges open I enter behind the Inquisitors
The chaht torches along the walls There is a moat in here, with dirty water fed down from the pipes of the bathhouse Soldiers line the walls The moat surrounds an island of stone, and upon this island lies a figure, chained by a dozen heavy links anchored at the very edges and guarded by two soldiers who rotate out once an hour, assigned to raise and lower a rope bridge between the island and the rest of the chaather at the far side of the old, and when he lifts his face in our direction, his eyes glint a fa, colorless Even noith our roles reversed, his stare sends a surge of energy through me, a mix of fear and hate and excitement
Teren smiles at me His voice echoes in the chamber, low and san
A letter from Raffaele should have arrived by dove today, but it didn’t Maeve wonders whether the bird has been killed in flight or delayed by store lately Whatever the reason, she didn’t receive an answer yet on Lucent’s current condition--so she stays in the training yard long afterher wooden practice sword
A few of her guards are scattered around the yard’s peri her practice He gives her a sys her sword and stuh now to sleep," Augustine says as he gently nudges Maeve back a step and waits for her to switch her stance He uses his sword to gesture at the apartood to anyone out here like this"
Maeve shakes her head and scowls She hefts her sword again "I’ll stay," she replies
Augustine lunges at her She blocks his attack, sidesteps, and swings her weapon high over her head She brings it down at hirits her teeth, Augustine leans closer to her and frowns "You need to go to Lucent," he says "I’ you like this"
Maeve’s eyes flash in irritation "I’ to leavecoods’ sakes, Little Jac," he snaps "We know Lucent wasn’t just your riding cohs "You are good atyour love interests a secret"
Maeve’s tes her sword at hiain The wooden blade hits hirunts at the hit and doubles over Maeve seizes the opportunity, knocks hiainst his chest She presses the sword roughly against his neck and Augustine holds his hands up in defeat "I’ritted teeth, "to visit an old riding companion Not after our last battle Adelina is on the ustine pushes her sword away "So are you just going to wait for her to arrive on our shores?" he argues back "Word is that she has taken Duhts on Tamoura for now, but soon she will turn her attention to the Skylands"
Maeve sighs, lowering her sword She hops back up and watches as Augustine struggles to his feet "I can’t leave," she repeats, quieter this tiest brother’s naustine’s mood softens "I know"
"Did you see hie"
Maeve forces herself to lift her sword and concentrate on Augustine again She needs the distraction Tristan has not said a word for weeks now--the longest he has ever gone--and his gaze these days is always fixed toward the sea, pointed in soht that was left in his eyes has disappeared entirely, leaving behind flat pools and a vacant, lifeless stare Once, when she’d brought him out to the winter carnivals with her, he’d attacked her in a state of confusion He’d done it halfheartedly, like some part of hiustine and another man to subdue him Since then, he has not slept He has instead stayed by his , eyes turned to the sea