Good.
“I don’t even know why you are here. If you failed your boss when he ordered you tocollect methis past summer”—Cedric let out a low growl, and Elyria suppressed a grin—“I don’t know why he would allow you to come after me again.”
Raefe scoffed. “Allow me? You think I’m here by choice?”
“Then it makes even less sense,” she said, eyes narrowing. “Why would he trust you to carry out his plans for him?”
Raefe’s eyes flicked to the knight at her side, then back to Elyria. “I was told I had to make things right.”
Elyria wanted to laugh. Wanted to rip the fabric of her breeches offand show Raefe the proof of what he had yet to answer for. Instead, she flexed her jaw before saying, “I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me what those plans of his are? That’d certainly be one way to try and make amends.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“Pity.” She turned to walk away.
“What I can tell you,” Raefe called after her, “is that your conquering of the Crucible changed many plans for many people. Includinghim.”
Elyria stopped mid-step.
“What does that mean?” Cedric asked.
She ignored the knight’s interjection. Kept her back to them both. “When did you learn who I was to him?”
“After he did this to me,” Raefe said, his own voice so low she wasn’t sure Cedric would have been able to hear him. She didn’t have to turn around to know he was referencing his ear. Eventually, she turned anyway, squaring her shoulders as she faced him.
“You are not just the Revenant anymore, you know that,” Raefe continued. “You are a victor. You have just as much sway with the king as he does now.”
Elyria scoffed. “With the king’s niece, sure. His sister, maybe. Not King Lachlandris himself. I can guarantee yourmaster”—she spat the word—“has far more influence than me. The fact that you’re not wasting away in a Coralithian jail cell for what you did to me is proof of that.”
“And I already said I was sorry about that!” Raefe’s voice cracked on the last word, along with the last shred of his apparent composure. He pulled his hands from his pocket, throwing them in the air. “Noctis fucking take me.” He closed the distance between them, stalking straight through the center of the burning firepit to thrust a finger in Elyria’s face. “You want to know what made it so easy for you to goad me that night? So easy for me to go overboard? Towantto teach you a lesson? It was this fucking attitude of yours.”
Crack.
Cedric’s fist was midair, already flying toward Raefe, when Elyria’s shadows snapped out. Ribbons of night swept Raefe’s feet out from under him, launching him into the air. Rust-colored wings flared, but they weren’t fast enough to keep the fae from careening directly intoCedric’s extended fist—gut-first.
Raefe dropped to the ground, wheezing as he clutched his stomach.
Cedric surveyed him, the fire burning in his gold-brown eyes at distinct odds with his demeanor—cold, detached. It felt so unlike him that Elyria probably should have found it frightening.
She didn’t.
“Speak to her like that again, and they will be the last words you ever say.”
Elyria looked down on Raefe with a curl of her lip. “You were right to say that was your last ‘apology,’Sir Gilding. We’ll continue following your partner’s lead to Dawnspire, should she wish to remain, but you can fuck right back off to Coralith. Let your precious Master Tartanis decide if you deserve to keep your other earring.”
“You can’t do that,” Raefe said, the words coming out strained, each one punctuated with a wheezing breath.
Elyria shrugged. “I can do anything I want.”
Cedric gave a grunt of agreement. “And I doubt you want to find out exactly what either of us want to do right now.”
Light, unhurried footsteps sounded from behind, and Sephone muttered something that sounded like, “Lunara give me strength,” as she approached and knelt at Raefe’s side. Her dark hair was braided tightly against her scalp, bringing even greater attention to the shaven half of her head and the lightning-burst tattoo there.
“For fuck’s sake,” Sephone said, helping Raefe to his feet with a grunt. “Can you please stop antagonizing her? This is not whatanybodywants.” She splayed her fingers, and the faint scent of blackberries and port wine whispered through the air as Sephone leant a wisp of healing magic to her associate.
Cedric stepped forward, angling himself between Elyria and Raefe before turning to face Sephone. “The Lady Lightbreaker has informed your...colleague...that he is not to continue accompanying us to Dawnspire. You may stay, however. If you so choose.”
“That isn’t up to you, human fil—” Raefe began with a sneer, though he quickly silenced himself at the look on Sephone’s face.
