Fireblood (Frostblood Saga #2)(57)
Rising from bed made the scorpion bites throb angrily. My fingers and wrist were puffy and pink. Some sort of smelly unguent had been rubbed over the swollen skin, which must be the source of the strong herbal scents.
I pulled on calfskin boots and stood. A wave of dizziness hit. I was leaning awkwardly against the bed, wiping at a growing layer of sweat that beaded on my forehead and ran down my cheek, when the door opened.
A familiar mocking voice drawled, “What a relief. I was worried you might not recover your usual stupidity.”
I tried to lift my head to glare at him, but if I didn’t focus on balance, I might fall. I settled for making a shooing motion with one hand.
“Thank Sud you’re just as foolish as ever,” Kai said, coming closer. “I would hate the poison to have stolen that adorable quality of always choosing the option that guarantees the most risk and pain.”
“I don’t do that.”
“No? Then how do you explain the fact that you’re dressed in your training gear when you should be resting?”
“The third trial?” I said. “Or were you so busy with your wardrobe that you forgot?”
“The scorpions’ poison made its way to your tongue, I see. As if it weren’t acerbic enough already. Never fear, acerbity pleases the taste buds if it’s cut by sweetness. Fortunately, your rosy lips are sweet enough to balance the bitterness of your words.”
“Will you stop talking nonsense and help me back into bed?”
He raised his brows in mock surprise. “I hardly know which statement to address, the accusation that my compliments are nonsense, or the invitation into your bed.” He slid his arm behind my back and took one elbow, maneuvering me toward the spot where I’d thrown back the covers. “The first one wounds, while the second entices. Such contradictions seem common for you. I wouldn’t be surprised if you like to bite when you kiss.”
His rambling set me on edge. I made sure to accidentally shove a hand against his face as I tumbled onto the mattress. He was almost too jovial, too teasing. As if he was trying to distract me by keeping up a steady patter.
“What are you trying to hide?” I squeezed my eyes shut against the room, which was moving like a ship in choppy waters.
It took him forever to answer. When he did, his voice was as somber as if someone had died. “I’m sorry, Ruby. They’re conferring now, but it doesn’t look good.”
The breath left me in a rush. “No.” I couldn’t have failed the second trial. I couldn’t have. If I didn’t pass, I’d never gain access to the library, never learn the truth about the throne. I cringed thinking of all the ways I had failed.
I pushed back to my feet and stumbled from bed. “Where are they?”
“The throne room. But there’s no sense—Ruby!”
I flung myself into the hallway and hurried to the throne room, leaning on the wall for support. I batted away Kai’s hand when he tried to stop me. Finally, he gave up and followed.
Once I reached the room I saw that three masters faced Queen Nalani, who sat on her throne, grim and solemn. Master Dallr spoke in his confident baritone, and I caught the words “rules that must be upheld, no matter the student.”
I blundered in, uncaring that all eyes swung to me, and stopped an inch from Master Dallr.
“I would like to speak in my defense,” I said forcefully, trying not to weave as the room leaned a little to the left.
“This isn’t a trial, Ruby,” Master Dallr said impatiently, “this is a decision for the masters alone, which will be finalized in due course after we have a private discussion with the queen.”
I balled my hands into fists and braced for the queen to berate me and tell me to leave, but when I looked up, Prince Eiko leaned over and whispered something in her ear. The queen’s eyes met mine and held as she said, “You may stay.”
I closed my eyes in relief. If there was any chance of stating my case, I wanted to be here to do it.
“This is highly irregular, Your Majesty,” another master said. “If we let students interfere—”
Queen Nalani raised a palm to halt the master’s argument and said pointedly to me, “But if you stay, you must be silent.”
I bit my lip to keep from arguing and focused on staying upright while Master Dallr sighed in frustration. A second later, I felt Kai’s warmth, one hand hovering at my back, one at my shoulder, presumably in case I decided to pitch forward onto my face. I wanted to tell him to stop rescuing me, especially while that was the very sticking point that was being argued, but the queen had ordered my silence. I settled for turning my head to glare, which earned me a raised eyebrow.
“As I was saying,” Master Dallr continued, “if Prince Kai hadn’t grabbed her arm at the last moment, she would have fallen. The nature of the trials forbids interference. It is in our codes, our sacred rules, which we have observed for generations. To have helped her means a breach of tradition.”
“A breach of tradition,” said Prince Eiko. “So this is the first time something like this has happened?”
“To my knowledge, yes.”
“So, in fact, your codes and rules cannot tell you how to judge this unusual circumstance.”
A vein beat a rapid tempo in Master Dallr’s neck. “The code clearly prohibits the masters from interfering in the trials they judge.”