Page 114 of Unrivaled
“I don’t want protecting,” Amber told me, lifting her chin.“I want tocreate.”
Tears burned my throat as I looked at her, not much older than me, but so much freer.Could that have been me?
“I want you to create, too,” I said, and I hated that there was a catch in my voice.“Whether you want protecting or not, it’s hard to make anything from the grave.”
From the corner of my eye I saw Isolde nod once, the movement firm.
“Two years?”she asked me.
“Two years,” I agreed, feeling sick.“But…mayhap not from La’Angi.I’ll need to look at what’s best.”
“The resources you have?—”
“Will be yours,” I promised.“No reports for two years, no interruptions.But trust me, please, Stitcher.”
She hesitated, glancing toward Matilda.
“I want to work on fashion,” Matilda said, tentatively.
“Then take on an apprentice and teach them how to take measurements,” Isolde suggested.“And mayhap go and speak to some of the locals about the Duke while you consider the offer.”
I closed my eyes, giving them the privacy I could.
Treason didn’t scare me.
My father having access to these mages did.
“If anything happens to you,” I said, “none of the research goes to La’Angi.”
“He can’t be that bad,” Amber said.“I’ve dealt with a lot of nobles.I made armor for the Black Boroughgeneral.”
The idea of my father getting his hands on magically reinforced armor made me feel unwell, while I couldn’t help but wonder…couldIhave such a thing?
“It’s never just the serpent’s venom,” Isolde told her.“It’s their coils, too.Their speed and reach.”
“He’s returning,” I said, the words creaking like the doors to the great hall at the start of the season.“Come winter, he’ll be back.You need to be gone when he is.I’ll see to your accommodation.”
She made a noise of annoyance.“After the tourney, but before the snows,” Amber said, clearly grudging.“It’ll take us time to train someone up, and we need the boost we’ll get from patrons during the season.”
I nodded my agreement, knowing this need wasn’t financial but creative.This was part of Matilda’s dream.I couldn’t slap her back from it, even if I knew it could very well kill her.
CHAPTERFORTY-TWO
AUDREY
In position.MiM is detail focused and hypervigilant.Appears to underestimate women.Limited interest in intimacy.Will report minimally until closer to target or important information arises.Confirming: Bloodmoon arrived and did not recognize me.No specifics yet on topics of discussion.Safety: cider.—in coded message from Spiced Eggnog to Nightingale.
12thDay of Summer’s Son Moon,
Age of the Locways, Year 272
La’Angi Keep
My room still smelled like magic when the stars lit up the sky and the trio finally left.I fell into a chair before the fire, staring at the pile of parchment before me.The new shirt they’d left me wearing was folded up around my forearms, the buttons undone to allow what little breeze crept in to kiss my collarbone.The fabric was soft.So was my mind.
Isolde stacked the empty platter and jugs to the side.“Did you want company?”she asked.
I shook my head, then shrugged.She’d carried the conversation for the last hour, at least.My head felt like the inside of a threatened beehive.I closed my eyes, but my bones felt like they were vibrating.Deep breaths didn’t settle me.I wanted to shove Isolde away, to run, to scream.
