Page 30 of A Tongue so Sweet and Deadly

But she’d hoped those dark moments in the king’s cellar were far behind her.

Her blood chilled as the sound of rattling chains filled her ears. She’d tried to hide in that inky black cell, crawling into a corner and making herself as small as possible whenever the creaking metal door opened.

It never worked.

Ardow winced as his eyes flitted between hers, and he motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen. Lessia tried to let the homely scents settle over her, but her hands still trembled as she walked over the threshold.

More steaming fresh bread lay on the counter, and she shared a look with Amalise as they sat down.

The meeting with Merrick must really have unsettled Ardow.

Ardow rested his elbows on the table, leaning forward as he eyed her. “I tried telling you it’s not a game, Lia. Why do you think they bring in so many soldiers? Whatever they’ll put you through will make you weak and vulnerable, so the soldiers are there to protect the soon-to-be regent. Loche looked near death when he accepted the position five years ago.”

Shit.

This wasn’t good.

Especially with the people of Ellow likely coming for her, she’d need to be very careful.

But she’d survived worse.

She’d figure it out.

“All right.” Lessia nodded, trying to keep the apprehension out of her voice. “So I’ll be weak. What else can I expect?”

Ardow sighed. “There will be debates, of course, so you’ll need to prepare for those. Based on how the people reacted, it won’t be pretty, Lia. And then there are events. Even the Fae came last time to meet with the nominees, and you’ll be evaluated based on those interactions as well.”

Terror opened a black pit inside her, and she shakily asked, “Who came from the Fae?”

She realized her entire body trembled when Amalise wrapped her arm around her shoulders and squeezed softly.

“It wasn’t the king. A few of his emissaries. I don’t know their names, but they were highborn Fae.”

Lessia closed her eyes.

She knew who they were—the same men her king always sent. But perhaps she’d be able to leave the election before that. She was only there for information, after all. If she was able to gather whatever he needed before they arrived, she could be free, could be far, far away from the castle when their boat docked in Asker.

“Lia—” Amalise started, but a soft voice interrupted her.

“Amalise, I need your help.” Kalia made her way into the kitchen, and when her brown eyes fell onto Lessia, her shoulders loosened.

“Lessia! I didn’t think you’d be back for a while.”

She offered the white-haired girl a small smile. “Me neither. I won’t be able to be here as much as I’d like, but I’ll try to come as often as I can. Can I help?”

Kalia nodded. “Ledger and one of the other boys got into a fight. I was able to break it up, but I think it would be helpful if you could speak to them.”

Lessia immediately got to her feet.

It wasn’t uncommon for the children to brawl, especially when they’d just arrived. They often had little trust in others the first few months, and usually, someone misplacing—or in rare cases, someone stealing—something caused trouble.

Ardow and Amalise followed her as she descended the stairs two steps at a time to keep up with Kalia. Casting a glance over her shoulder as they walked through the hidden door, she jerked her head for Amalise to follow her intoLedger’s room. Ardow glanced at her before he slipped into the sitting room opposite the bedrooms, where a few children were studying.

Lessia paused by the threshold. The two boys sat on their beds on either side of the room, one of them holding a red-stained cloth to his face. He looked up as Kalia bent down to check on his nose, meeting Lessia’s eyes over her shoulder.

“He started it!” Harver pointed at Ledger, who refused to look her way and only stared blankly ahead.

Lessia raised her brows. “Look at how the tables have turned, Harver. I remember someone who fought every day for weeks when he first arrived. Do you?”

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