Page 56 (1/2)

When I don’t respond, he lets out a sigh "I have sos I must take care of today Will you be okay by yourself for a while? Itlike shit for what I’ else, stops and squeezes my hands instead Then he plants a kiss on the top of my head, turns, and walks away, back to his responsibilities as Atroth’s sword-o inside ood idea Instead, I findis risky--I could be betrayed or end up imprisoned or worse--but I have to take the risk

It doesn’t take long to find who I’ on a bench beside the statue of a cirikith, one not tethered to a , his stone scales intricately carved When my shadow falls over the fae, he looks up fro

"My lord," I say in his language "Do you still want to earn your daughter’s forgiveness?"

TWENTY-ONE

IF I DIDN’T have a prison break to distractinin some kind of despair Instead, I all but pace a rut in the stone floor because I’o wrong tonight

Truth is, I think our plan sucks It’s Lord Raen’s plan h the baseh noble I tried to tell him "fat chance" in Fae, but apparently that idio in confusion, I finally just shrugged my shoulders He took that as a staet us to Naito and the other huet them out He just tolda difficult ti people on faith these days, when the sun finally sets, I’ainst the wall and trying to look inconspicuous Unfortunately, I can’t control the edarratae on my hands and face, and even if I could, I’d still look hu, about my race when compared to the fae

Nervous, I take the imprinted necklace out ofto have it against ood-luck charoes off without a hitch

When the last rays of sunlight fade from theacross fro by without so , not until we descend a staircase Halfway down, he stops and draws a dagger

I freeze Despite the fact that I’ three steps taller than him, it takes an effort not to scurry backward as he twists his wrist slowly back and forth A esture if I’ve ever seen one

"Poison," he says, and I see soe of the steel "Draw blood and your opponent will fall"

"Dead?" I ask, heart thu in my chest I don’t want to kill anyone, especially so his job

"Unconscious" He slides the dagger back into the scabbard and holds it out "Don’t cut yourself"

Soer behindthe stairs is dangerous I sense it in his slow ascent, in the way his gaze slides from Lord Raen to me The hilts of tords rise up over his shoulders like de’s swords

Raen steps aside, but the fae doesn’t pass by He stops beside Raen and the corners of his mouth tilt up in a barely there smile Maybe he intends it to be pleasant, but to ar," Raen says "He’s ther’rothi"

I frown "Ther’rothi?"