“I’m asking her.” He looked straight into Vera’s eyes as he took a single step forward. “What happened when the male cornered you? What exactly did he say?”
Every nerve in her body was begging her to look away, but she forced herself to maintain eye contact. This man could order her death with a snap of his fingers.
“He—He did not speak at all, your majesty.” Her voice stuttered and came out as barely more than a hoarse whisper.
“Not at all? You’re telling me that a Magyki male was able to infiltrate, unnoticed, this deep onto my land and spy on the sole heir to my throne, only to abandon it all when he found you. Yet he said nothing?”
More like he abandoned it when she knocked him unconscious, but she obviously shouldn’t say that. She cleared her throat, “Yes, your majesty. He honestly seemed too shocked to say anything. He didn’t—”
“Did he know what you are?” he interrupted.
She paused, and in her peripheral, she saw the prince look up at his father, “Y-yes, your majesty.”
Silence. She felt like she might pass out. Silence had never been so gods damn loud before.
“Tell me, Veralie,” he drew out the syllables of her name and trailed his eyes down her body with a smirk, “do you know what you are?” He hadn’t moved from the top of the dais, but he might as well have been standing before her with a sword at her throat.
“Yes.”
“Which is?”
Her hands began to shake, and she turned to Elric, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes. Refusing to look at the prince again and too scared to meet the emperor’s stare, she lowered her head and nodded. “Magyki.”
She didn’t even need to see the prince to sense his powerful reaction. She felt her cheeks burn under their scrutiny. It was clear the emperor hadn’t shared his knowledge of her with his son. She wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse.
Why would the emperor keep her around, knowing what she was? Was he the one who sent her to Elric? If so, why? Thoughts thundered through her head so fast, it made her dizzy.
She waited for his judgment, his disgust, maybe even anger or suspicion. But it never came. Finally daring to raise her head, she could only stand in another round of thick silence as the emperor continued staring at her with that same smirk.
“You look tired. Let’s continue this conversation tonight after you’ve rested. You will join Prince Eithan and myself for dinner.” He looked her over once more. “Try to wear something a little more appropriate, yes?”
He seemed to catch the way her eyes widened in alarm and added, “I suppose that might be difficult, given your living arrangements. I’ll send someone to help you ready.”
Dumbfounded, she lowered into a clumsy curtsy before noticing he’d already turned away, dismissing her. “Yes, your majesty.”
Sparing a nervous look toward the prince, she locked eyes with him. He no longer looked shocked. In fact, she thought he looked almost excited. It only served to strengthen her growing apprehension. If the Crown Prince was excited about her revelation, she highly doubted it meant anything good for her.
∞∞∞
As soon as they exited the large double doors and stepped far enough from the guards to not be overheard, she grabbed his arm and forced him to turn to her.
She’d never before been so demanding or ill-tempered with him. She was his ward, and she’d always treated him with respect, but at that moment, she was bombarded by so many emotions, she was barely holding it together and just didn’t give a shit.
“What on all Aleron was that?”
“Calm yourself, Vera.”
“Nope. Not a chance. The emperor. We’re having dinner with the emperor.” Gods, knowing her luck, she’d wind up as the dinner. She’d never felt so threatened as she had when he’d forced her to utter ‘Magyki’ to his face.
“What does he want with us?”
Elric’s gaze softened at the tremor in her voice. “Not us, Vera. You. He invited only you to dinner. I will, of course, escort you if you desire, but I cannot stay.”
“WHAT?!”
She was going to hyperventilate. She forced down the instinct to run from the palace, the capital, maybe even the entire continent. Her life was crumbling down around her all because she’d been stupid enough to confront a stranger. If she’d never approached him or never told Elric, none of this would be happening.
She needed air and maybe a stiff drink.
“It will be all right. Emperor Matheris has always known about you. I don’t know the specifics, but I do know he’s had fifteen years to imprison or harm you, and he’s chosen to do neither.”
They began walking again, leaving the grounds in tense silence. As they finally crossed the training yard toward the armory, Elric patted her shoulder.
“I have a matter I must see to, but I will return in time to escort you back to the palace. I suggest you use this time to clean up and settle your nerves best you can.” With that, he spun on his heel and strode away.
Closing the door behind her, she took several deep breaths and tried to slow her racing thoughts. Elric was right. The emperor had possessed every opportunity to call her out and hadn’t.
There was a reason she was here and as terrified as she was to return, her curiosity demanded answers. She plopped her traveling pack on the closest surface, freezing when she heard the loud thud it made against the table.
The dagger!
Drowning in anxiety the last few days, she’d completely forgotten about it. Snatching her pack back up, she sprinted through the workroom she hadn’t seen in days, eager to get to her room.
Chapter 11
JAREN
He’d been following her unique scent ever since leaving that alley. Tracking her had been easier than he’d anticipated, but he wasn’t sure if that fact pleased him or not. It was like once her star-fire essence had entered his senses, Jaren was both physically and mentally incapable of flushing it out.
He’d instantly picked up on it with the smallest breeze and followed it. There were scarcely any people meandering the streets at the cusp of dawn, so it had practically been child’s play to locate. The scent hadn’t diminished until he reached the main stables on the west side of the city.
Though faint, it was still there but intermixed with a fuck ton of pizlath ones. He tensed at the idea of her being with a large group of human men. The stable was empty, confirming what he’d already suspected. She’d departed Midpath.
It didn’t take him as long as he’d feared to find another stable. Quickly knocking out the stable hand, he prepared a horse and set out on the main western road. If the little star-burning zhu was indeed traveling in a group, they would move much slower than he’d be capable of. Jaren had no doubts he’d catch up with her.