Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 123190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
“That’s why we’re sending Shae and not you,” Skylar says. “He isn’t suspicious.”
“You found your friend?” I ask, and their eyes turn to me.
Skylar’s face splits into a grin as she looks me over with an arched brow. “Sick scar. How are you feeling, Slayer?”
I pull back, surprised. She’s never used that nickname before. “Better. Where’s Natan?”
“He’s doing some research,” Remme says. “He’ll be back soon.”
I frown. “About the ring?”
Remme nods. “We don’t make a habit of engaging with magic we don’t understand. And after what happened yesterday . . .” He shrugs.
I frown. Yesterday. “How long was I sleeping?”
“A day and a half,” Kendrick says, and there’s a tenderness in his eyes that makes me want to prove I’m not helpless or weak.
But is that even true without the ring?
“Do you always get that sick after using it?” Remme asks.
I shake my head. “No. It’s using it during the daylight that comes with complications.”
“What kind of complications?” Kendrick asks.
“Nausea, lethargy, a little weakness.”
“You collapsed and slept for thirty-four hours,” Skylar says. “That’s more than a little weakness.”
“Death’s kiss and now this?” Remme asks.
I look to Kendrick, who shrugs. “They needed to know,” he says.
“Any other details you’d like to share with the class, Princess?” Remme asks.
“Just that one. It’s a tool meant for the dark.” I glance around the small kitchen, desperate to change the subject. “Is there coffee?”
“On the counter,” Skylar says, but Kendrick is already heading that way.
He fills a mug and hands it to me. “You need food too.” He nods to a chair—the only available one at the table. “Sit and I’ll get it for you.”
“Aren’t you going to eat?” I ask, lowering myself into it.
“Already did,” he says.
“Never once has he brought me my dinner,” Remme says.
“He doesn’t look at you like that either,” Skylar mutters.
I squirm and reach for a change of subject. “Where’s Shae going, then?”
“To the Wild Fae Lands,” Remme says. “To check in with Felicity.”
“Have you heard anything?” I ask. “About how Felicity’s faring at Castle Craige?”
Remme shrugs. “Seems like it’s going great.”
“Misha isn’t suspicious at all? Or is she just keeping to herself like I told her?”
Kendrick slides a fresh bowl of stew in front of me, and I flash him a grateful smile.
“Relax,” Skylar says, poking at her dinner. “She’s fine. She’s been winning the king over just like we need her to.”
I straighten. “Excuse me—what? I told her to stay in her chambers. If she spends too much time with him, he’ll figure it out, and if Misha figures it out, he will tell my sister.”
Remme and Skylar exchange a look, and he sighs. “Listen, I appreciate where you’re coming from,” he says, “but Felicity is good at what she does. You saw her yourself.”
“And Misha is really good at what he does. He reads minds. Don’t you get that?”
Skylar folds her arms. “He doesn’t read yours.”
“Well, yeah, because he trained me how to block against him.”
“Then he can’t be all that skilled with it,” she says.
My fist tightens around my spoon. “Brie says she’s watched him break people.”
Remme sighs. “But he hasn’t broken you because he respects you. He trained you how to shield your mind, and he respects that shield—and he’ll respect Felicity’s shield because he believes she is you. You have nothing to worry about.”
I stir my stew, shaking my head. “Why does she need to get close to him? That seems like an unnecessary risk. No one told me this was part of the plan.”
“We need to get into the Eloran Palace,” Kendrick says, leaning against the wall behind Skylar. “There are only two ways to do that: with the Sword of Fire, which we may or may not be able to acquire, and through a Hall of Doors, which holds portals to many places in many realms. The location in each court is a closely held secret.”
I shake my head. “If each court has a Hall, why not use the one in the shadow court?”
“Because the Halls are hidden,” Skylar says, “and the location passed along from one ruler to the next. But Mordeus didn’t exactly leave notes for your sister.”
Remme nods and scrapes the last of his stew from his bowl. “If we can’t find the sword, we’ll need a portal.”
“If there’s another way to get to Erith,” I ask, “why have you been looking for the sword for so long?”
“The sword doesn’t just open portals,” Remme says, putting down his bowl and leaning back in his chair. “It’s the almighty weapon. Having the sword would guarantee Erith’s defeat. He has no defense against it.”
My gaze flicks to Kendrick, who’s watching me. “So if you find the sword, you don’t need me.” I don’t know why that revelation makes me feel so sad. I didn’t come along because I wanted to kill some Eloran supermage. I came to find Mordeus. But now I want to be part of their mission.