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Raffaele and the Golden Triad agree to all of these terms So, a day later, Tamouran soldiers move me from my cell to the bathhouse, where two maids wash me and bind my hair in silks Then I am taken to a real bedchamber in the palace, where I curl up in the bed and don’tafternoon My hands stay chained, clutched near ap there Enzo had been tethered to th of that connection was so persistent that its absence now h the air

Inalongside us, an illusion that disappears the instant I try to focus on his When will Violetta join hiiano? When will you?

Finally, days later, Raffaele arrives surrounded by soldiers They releasetheh the palace corridors without saying a word Soy between us nowwhether it’s a barrier lifted or a tension eased, I’m not sure Make no mistake--we don’t trust each other, not by any stretch of the i with my emotions, as he often has I certainly wouldn’t put it past hi

Of course he is, the whispers snap at me Don’t be a fool He ait until your back is turned

But, for once, I have an easy tirief that sih the discord Even if Raffaele enuine I remember what he had once told me

Adelina, I loved him too

And so had I

I keep a fair distance between Raffaele and myself as alk He seems to do the same, and we don’t look at each other as westeps of the Ta for us From there, we ride underneath a cloudy sky that threatens more rain

Several of my Kenettran ships have docked at the western bay of Alamour There is a wide expanse of plains here, dotted with desert shrubs and low grasses, the sharp cut of rocks lining the horizon where the city begins The rising sun paints a red haze across the landscape, e By the shore, the banners of my ships flutter in the wind I feel the burden in ht, and the whispers stir happily I’ain

The procession slows as we draw close Now I can seefor us The white robes of the Inquisitors look orange and creaio, still adorned in the dark red arhten

Not many paces away from my own troops are Tas and flanked by Michel and Lucent Then, I see Violetta She is far from me, surrounded by a patrol of Tamouran soldiers One of them, an enormous bearded , and more alert than when I first saw her Her eyes are trained onwhen she looks at e of relief rises in er I’d spent the better part of a year leadingwhat it would be like to find Violetta hiding aers Now I’ve found her, and she stares warily at ers’ powers, but she chooses not to Darkunder her robes The sight of the to her, of e are all standing here It makes me shiver

Violetta studiesto reach out to my powers and yank them away, as she once did I feel a sudden wave of panic--but then she looks away She doesn’t say a word

I let out a small breath She’s afraid of you, the whispers say, but I look away too

Then I notice Magiano He had been shrouded under a heavy robe, waiting with the Tas down fro on A smile breaks unbidden onto my face, and I turn my own horse instinctively in his direction Besideiano is here Even from a distance, I can see the upturn of his lips, the familiar joy on his face

Our processions finally iano to step forward right as I swing down from my own saddle I keep my hands folded in front of iano looks tired, like all of us, but otherell His long braids are loose today and blowing in the breeze

"Well, Your Majesty," he says, the teasing lilt back in his voice "It looks like they caught you"

"And you," I reply, unable to restrain my own smile

Raffaele walks forward first, coio "Hello, Rainives hier"

Raffaele glances at us, then back at him "The Tas to discuss"

That night, as our fleet reiano, Lucent, andto need to take this journey together," Raffaele tells us His expression is dark, but his voice stays serene and calm "But we cannot do that if we don’t trust each other" His face hardens again "Trust will coive some"