The Storm Crow (The Storm Crow, #1)(38)

Great.

“Making friends already, I see,” Ericen mused. His gaze had followed the blond boy back to his seat, and it rested there as if he might freeze him in ice with sheer willpower.

I fell back into my chair. “Are all your noblemen so pleasant?”

“Only the ones who don’t know their place.” The bite in his tone hinted at a larger history, but he smoothed it over with another smile. The ease with which he melded one expression into another made my stomach turn.

Barely a day in, and I already wanted to leave. It took several deep breaths and a reminder of what I’d come for, of the alliances I intended to build, to help me through the rest of dinner.

*

By the time Kiva and I returned to the room, I was exhausted. Not only from the long trip and night of talking, but from keeping every thought that crossed my mind sealed inside. More than once, I’d been forced to lie through my teeth to different lords and ladies about how gracious Razel was for having me, how lucky I was to be marrying into such a prestigious family, and what a great alliance this was for our kingdoms. I wanted to scrub my mouth out.

The quiet voice of the coiled snake whispered for me to go to bed, to hide, to wait for someone else to act from under the safety of my bed sheets. Fear I might give in swirled in the pit of my stomach, but I ignored them both. I could handle this.

“I have to say, I’m impressed.” Kiva threw herself onto one of the couches before the fire.

“With what?” I flopped onto the one farthest from the flames. Thankfully, the fire had already started to die.

“I’ve never seen you curb your tongue like that. Your face was so impassive, you almost looked like Caliza.”

I snorted, but she was right. Normally, I would have told Razel exactly what I thought of her pretend show of playing nice. I’d even managed to smile at a few members of her court. “I guess spending time with Ericen had at least one benefit.”

There was a knock at the door, and I called for them to enter. Auma stepped inside, and Kiva bolted upright, smiling. Auma blinked at her, head tilting a fraction in the first show of emotion I’d seen from her. During dinner, she’d kept a neutral mask, no matter how harried she’d been.

Even now, her face had already returned to an impassive wall. She stood a little straighter than she had at dinner and held my eyes in a way she never looked at Razel. “Prince Ericen has requested you join him tomorrow morning. I’ll escort you after breakfast.”

“Thank you, Auma,” I said. “If I have a letter to send, could you help me with that?”

She nodded once, and I dashed into my bedroom to compose a quick letter to Caliza. Pulling out the invisible ink Lady Kerova had given me, I wrote a visible message saying I’d arrived safely and missed her and an invisible portion indicating the egg was safe.

When I returned, the silence in the room had the delicate tension of unspoken words. I looked from Kiva to Auma as I handed the latter the letter. “Thank you.”

She nodded once, eyes flashing momentarily to Kiva, before she stepped from the room.

I eyed Kiva as I retook my seat. “That was smooth.”

She dropped back onto the couch. “Let’s talk about the fact that you and Ericen are spending time together instead. Snakes don’t make good pets, Thia.”

I chucked a pillow at her.





Twelve


The next morning, Auma woke us for breakfast. I’d slept horribly, waking constantly from dreams of fire and blood. Utter blackness greeted me each time, and I swore the darkness twisted and moved, mocking my fear.

For several moments, I lay in bed, dreading the day to come. Though I’d chipped away at the weight inside me, I’d only begun to work my way through this.

After dragging myself out from beneath the covers, I checked on the egg. Each time I saw it felt like reuniting with a lost friend, and deep below the excitement and anticipation, that scared me. Because what if it never hatched?

What if it did?

I would be dragging the crow inside into a war. If I was this attached to the egg already, how would I be able to put the creature inside in danger? The idea of losing it cut through me like a cold knife. I closed the trunk, banishing the thought with an expelled breath.

I couldn’t think about things like that. Not when I didn’t have a choice.

Auma had lit the fire by the time I emerged, filling the room with the earthy scent of peat. I stayed away from it, near the table in the sitting room, which had been laden with plates of eggs, fresh fruit, scones with cream and lemon curd, and pots filled with hot chamomile tea. I’d sampled tea once before in the Ambriels, but no one drank it in Rhodaire.

Kiva tried to get Auma to eat with us, but she excused herself and was gone in a wisp of air. Kiva eyed the spot she’d been standing. “She has a hunter’s step.”

“More than that. It’s like her feet don’t touch the ground.” The Jin were known for being masterful trackers. The prestige of the hunter’s guild came third only to the artist and gem guilds.

I sipped my tea and sighed. “This is so good.”

Kiva smirked. “The way to your heart really is through your stomach. But I’m glad to see you eating again.”

“Let’s talk about the way to your heart instead.” I glanced at the door Auma had left through, and Kiva’s eyes widened the slightest bit.