LOGINThe very last shred of privacy, of control I had in this Goddess-forsaken palace, stripped away from me when I wasn’t even looking. Someone else moved my lute. Hell, if I’m reading her emphasis correctly, they may have broken it. It’s the one thing that was truly mine.“Thank you,” Cirocco says dull
Ingrid“Thank you,” I mutter through gritted teeth to what must be the thousandth dignitary to reach our table.“Yes, thank you,” Cirocco says in a voice so even I can barely hear it. Like it’s so dull, it slides right out of my ears.“It is so wonderful you found love after such a tragedy.” The wom
Kaloni should be letting her rest after a fall like that. Frankly, Tazi shouldn’t have let her out.And yet, she’s here, in a seafoam green gown like she’s trying to match that green stain. My mark aches in sympathy.On her left, at the head of the table, Kaloni eats without hesitation. “The conscri
“Yes. I spent the Festival of First Wind with you.”“I know that.” She waves my explanation aside frustratedly, and I realize she’s not dressed for dinner yet. “Ingrid sent me.”And my stomach drops again, fear and relief commingling in dizzying portions. “Why?”Joli looks around. “I…I don’t know if
AmvalI stay at the racetrack until every single joust—each of them less and less well-attended after Ingrid and Kaloni leave—are done. Mostly, I stare blindly at the dirt, replaying the moment of Ingrid’s impact in my mind.Everyone in the crowd knew that was a hard fall. She clearly didn’t know ho
The hug she gave me when I told her she never had to ask made me feel a little like an actual big sister.So I’ve earned at least this much. I let my eyes flutter shut as she reads.***Someone is shaking me. I lurch up, and my head screams—but slightly quieter than before. Joli pulls her hand back,







