Page 131 of Sonnets and Serpents
“Follow Aria’s example,” he said gruffly. “Not mine.”
The condemnation that had followed Eliza for months evaporated, and she wondered why she’d put so much weight on her father’s words to begin with. If only she’d thought of herwhimsas paths to change. Paths thatshecould choose.
Suddenly, she realized where she’d gone wrong since being home.
Eliza wrapped her father in a hug, the poor book crushed between them. Silas would have suffered a rage transformation to see the literary mistreatment.
Her father patted her back and stepped away. He left the room immediately, without even a goodbye, but she saw tears in his eyes. Apparently she wasn’t the only one who’d shed a skin in the past months.
Using meetings and frantic planning, Eliza had tried to distract herself from her time in Pravusat, tried to forget. She’d never considered what todoas a result of it.
She remembered Yvette’s voice.I’m asking you to sail with your eyes open.
Her mistake was trying to fit back into her old life without any accommodations for who she’d become.
And, truthfully, therewassomething she wanted to do.
Clutching the book, she made her way to her mother in the music room. The dowager queen looked right at home surrounded by instruments, a tea tray, and servants taking her directions for wedding plans.
Which made it awkward for everyone when Eliza blurted out, “Mother, I want to attend university.”
After a moment of clear alarm, her mother finished giving instructions on feast details and then dismissed the servants. Once they were alone, she spoke with obvious care. “Eliza, we were lucky the first time that no one took advantage of a princess far from home. If you tried to return—”
“Not in Izili.” Eliza blushed. “We have our own university. I know you teach there sometimes.”
“As an amusement, darling. A way to keep busy. If it’s musical learning you’d like, I am willing to teach you anything I haven’t already, and if it’s anything else, we can bring the tutors here, just as we always do.”
“That’s all learning was for me before.” Eliza huffed. “A way tokeep busywhile I waited for marriage. I don’t want that anymore. I wantreallearning, and I want new experiences too. I want to interact not just with tutors but with other students.”
“What happened to my romantic little girl who cared only that she’d come of courting age?” Her mother didn’t sound chiding, only baffled.
Eliza gave a breathy laugh. “Ironically, she fell in love.”
It was more complicated than she’d expected, more bittersweet, and she was going todosomething with her life because of it.
“I’m going,” she said stubbornly. “I’ve already decided.”
Silas climbed the stairs in the Yamakaz, but he didn’t make it to Afshin’s office.
Instead, he froze on the third-floor landing, his eyes fixed down the walkway on Iyal Kerem’s office. The door still carried his name.
When he finally tore his gaze away and resumed walking, it was not up the next flight of stairs. It was down the hallway in the opposite direction, to Yvette’s office.
She was at her desk, bent over a piece of stonework,and she smiled when she saw him. “Iyal Silas, I presume. Congratulations on the teaching position.”
“I was afraid you were the professor who’d resigned.” It was a more abrupt greeting than he’d meant to give.
Yvette huffed as if offended by the thought. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, the beads clacking. “Why should I surrender doing what I love just because others tried to force me from it? I’ll be at this university until I die. Even if it burns to the ground, I’ll raise it back up.”
With a wry smile, Silas thought Afshin had better watch his back. There was clearly someone else interested in the position of dean.
He meant to say academic things—specifically about how his magic had changed since his death scare, how, in reclaiming it from the Artifact, he’d somehow pulled other abilities with it. How he could Fluid Castnow, an ability he’d tested that morning by heating the water in his washbasin. He meant to ask Yvette’s help with experiments.
Instead, he said, “Eliza’s gone.”
“I’m aware. Unlike you, she knows how to say goodbye to friends before leaving the country.”
She’d said goodbye to Yvette but not to him. Even knowing he’d been asleep, his irritation refused to bow to logic.
