Page 14 of Court of Lies and Deceit

By the wall, Isera scoffs. But when we all turn to look at her, she just looks back at us in silence instead of elaborating.

“Anyway,” Lyra picks up. “I’m assuming it’s to remind us of our bargain.”

And just like that, the warm and light feeling inside me evaporates in a heartbeat.

Right. The bargain. The bargain they made and the price we now have to pay. An assassination. A nameless Unseelie fae’s life in exchange for mine.

“As if we would forget,” Draven huffs and shakes his head in annoyance.

“Well then,” Lyra says, and slaps her thighs before jumping up from the bed. “Let’s go get ready to meet the Unseelie King.”

“We’ve already met him,” Alistair points out from where he is still leaning against the edge of the desk.

“Officially.”

“What’s the difference betweenofficiallymeeting someone and just meeting someone?”

“Paperwork,” she replies without hesitation. “There are lots of forms we have to fill out.”

Alistair draws back and blinks at her in surprise. “Seriously?”

“Yes.” Strolling over to him, she loops her arm through his and starts leading him to the door. “Come on, we have an entire stack of them to get through.”

Alistair glances back at us, looking bewildered, but just staggers along with her as they cross the threshold.

The moment they disappear out the door, both Draven and Galen burst out laughing. Light dances in their eyes as they exchange a look.

“I can’t believe he fell for that,” Draven says, still chuckling.

“Me neither.” Galen grins and shakes his head. “I’m telling you, she’s gonna eat that guy up and swallow him whole. Remember that time when—” He abruptly cuts himself off.

Regret and shame and hesitation pulse across his entire face for a second. Then he awkwardly clears his throat and glances down at the floor.

“I’ll, uhm…” He clears his throat again and starts drifting towards the door. “I’ll better go and get ready too.”

Draven opens his mouth to say something, but Galen has already slipped out. He heaves a deep sigh.

“Well,” Isera drawls from where she’s still leaning against the wall. “This is going to be an interesting dinner.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Warm evening winds sweep gently between the sandstone houses. I draw in a deep breath, relishing in the extraordinary pleasure of being able to breathe properly without coughing up blood, to be able to walk on my own, to once more feel the warmth of my own body, and to not be slowly but surely dying in a haze of freezing, burning pain. What an absolute luxury.

“The fuck are you scowling about?” Draven demands.

Opening my eyes again, I find Alistair stalking out of the small house we’ve been staying in with a deep scowl on his face. Behind him, Lyra practically skips across the threshold and pulls the door shut behind her. A glittering smile shines on her lips.

“I wrote half a fucking essay before I realized that she was just messing with me,” Alistair huffs, and shoots an annoyed look at Lyra.

Lyra just grins wider.

“An essay?” I ask, confused.

“To introduce himself for theofficialmeeting with the Unseelie King,” Lyra replies, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Draven snorts and gives Alistair a sideways glance. “You’re so fucking gullible.”

“Shut up,” Alistair mutters, but he sounds more embarrassed than angry. “How was I supposed to know?—”

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