Page 45 of Daughter of No Worlds

My cheeks burned. Embarrassed, I dragged myself up, dusted myself off, and went back inside. I resumed my studies until, finally — mercifully — sleep took me over my books.

* * *

“Let’s try something different today.”

Max sipped his tea, his back to me as he stared out the window.

It had taken me a few minutes to scrape up the courage to even look at him the next morning, embarrassed that I had unwittingly let him see me in such a state. But once I did, I was careful to be a perfect picture of my typical everyday self.

I paused, my fork halfway to my mouth. “Different?” I echoed.

“I have some errands to run in the city. You’ve never been there, have you?”

“The city?”

“The Capital.”

I shook my head, even though his back still faced me. “No.” I had seen it from a distance, during my brief stay in the Tower of Midnight. But that hardly counted. I had read about Ara’s capital city, and my books had made it sound so alive, so grand. A small part of me — fine, a large part of me -- was eager to find out whether it was everything I pictured it would be.

But…

“When will we do today’s training?”

Finally, Max turned. He took another sip of tea, giving me a long look that I returned with equal steadiness. “I think,” he said at last, “that you’ve been doing plenty of training.”

Self-consciousness prickled at the back of my neck.

“I only have five months,” I said. “I cannot waste time.”

He let out an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. We will go to the Capital for a few hours this morning. And then we will continue with a lesson this afternoon. Does that satisfy your compulsive productivity standards?”

I paused.

Just one morning. One morning to think about something other than my upcoming evaluations. One morning to see the city — and not just any city, but theCapital of Ara. A place I only dreamed I’d witness with my own eyes.

A few hours will be alright. Just this once.

A smile yanked at the corners of my mouth, without my permission. “I think maybe that will be fine.”

Max gave me a little, reluctant smirk, raising his teacup. “And thus, our Threllian princess has spoken.”

Chapter Fifteen

After we finished breakfast, Max led me outside and I took his arm as he unfolded a little piece of parchment.

“A Stratagram?” I asked.

“Yes. It would take all day to travel there otherwise.”

“When will I learn this?”

He arched an eyebrow at me. “I’m starting to think that you have a terribly one-track mind.”

“My mind has many tracks,” I retorted, as if I knew what his insult meant.

“Clearly.”

I watched his hands as he drew a circle. Then one line, and another—

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