Page 124 of Daughter of the Drowned Empire
A wide, feline-like smile spread across Mercurial’s face. “Then you’ll know that I am only here with great interest. And great purpose.”
“Or you think her grace is desperate enough to fall for this.” Rhyan stepped forward, angling his body in front of mine.
“Been to the library lately?” Mercurial drawled. “I brought some of their lights here for you. In case you’ve missed them.”
“Seems like you already know the answer to your own question. I found their selection not to my satisfaction on my previous visit.” He had the scroll I wanted, Sianna’s second scroll of writings, the only known recounting of a Lumerian without power. He had plantedThe Fall of Asherah and Her Loss of Powerwith Ramia just to toy with me, just to make me desperate enough to ask him a question, to strike a deal.
“Thank you for coming to see me,” I said. “But I really must rest now. Please, let me know in advance before your next visit, so I can…unlock the front door.”
“You’ve always had a quick wit. But I’d expect no less from you, from who you are, who you were, and who you might turn out to be.”
I bit my lip, squeezing my hands into fists at my side.
“Oh, you want to know what I mean?” he asked, his voice dripping with sugary sweetness.
“She hasn’t asked you a single question,” Rhyan said.
Mercurial rolled his eyes, tapping his shoulders as he sauntered toward me. “But she wants to. I can smell it.” The Afeyan’s eyes sparkled. “Taste it. Luckily, I’m in a generous mood. This is for free.” He waved his hand at me. The pinch in my ankle vanished.
I shook my head, my pulse spiking. He couldn’t do magic on his own free will. And Afeya didn’t offer freebies. They couldn’t. Their magic only worked when commanded. Who was he working for? How had healing my ankle served them?
“Better?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
Mercurial shrugged. “We can’t have you limping like that. Not when you are, who you are. And I know you won’t ask…rules of conduct and all that, so I’ll ask for you. What do I mean? What is Mercurial trying to say? Well, what if I told you, your grace, that you were the most powerful soturion in history?”
I shifted my weight uneasily between my feet. He really had healed me. But I wasn’t going to play his game. “I have no interest in being the most powerful soturion in history.”
A chuckle escaped his lips. “I didn’t say I’d make you one. I said you were one.”
“We’re done here,” Rhyan said. He still wore his armor from last night and had strapped his sword to his belt before carrying me out. Now his hand rested on its hilt, his reddened fingers closing around it.
Mercurial’s eyes narrowed. “So, it’s like that. Good morning, then, my not-lord. Your grace.”
My door flung open, but Mercurial vanished into thin air. With him went the amethyst lights and the candles, each one burning out and disappearing until my apartment darkened, barely lit by the rising sun. A second later, the door slammed shut.
I clutched my chest, breathing heavily, then stumbled into my bedroom for the bed, falling face-first into it.
“Lyr,” Rhyan was right beside me, smoothing back my hair, resting his palm on my forehead. “Myself to Moriel. I’m going right to Aemon about this. How could he get in here?”
I shook my head. “You got rid of him fast when he suggested I was the strongest soturion.”
Rhyan smirked. “If you’re the strongest soturion in history, what does that make me?” he asked.
“Second,” I groaned. “Obviously.”
He smiled. “Just remember, he’s dangerous. Don’t let him get in your head.” He released his hold on my forehead, smoothing his palm back over my hair. “Not hot anymore,” he said. “But you still need to rest.”
“I’m supposed to be in the arena in two hours. Pavi didn’t miss any training after she was lashed. The Imperator will probably cut my remaining time in half again if I miss or I’m late.”
Rhyan sighed. “Just rest now as long as possible. You’ll go to the run and do the best you can, sit through your classes, and then when you get to training…we’ll take a break.”
I didn’t know if Mercurial had done more than heal the pinch in my ankle, but two hours later, I was back on the field, staring at the pole in the morning sun, alive and awake. I was still severely injured, and my back was still on fire, but merely hours before I hadn’t been able to stand, so I was taking this as a major victory.
Nameless soturi passing by me called out, yelling to me about the lashings, the sounds I’d made…I ignored them all.
I shuffled my way around the track. I was slower than I had been the first day, but I was still here, and if I had three months left, I was going to make them count. I wouldn’t let the Imperator find one more excuse to use against me.
