“Whatever it is, he says he wants to challenge the Lys’Careths. Not just with soldiers, but with magic. With Aether and practitioners. You need to send a message to the City of Flowers. Warn them that he wants a revolution. He wants to use Aether to take over Carethia.”
“I will. And I have soldiers looking for him. Did he reveal anything about Tommen’s weapon?”
I shook my head. “Only asked what I knew about it. Heconfirmed he was watching us in the woods, and knew we took something from the assassin’s body. I told him it was coins. I don’t think he knew about the wax seal.”
He nodded. “Describe the practitioner.”
“Tall. Around your age, I think, based on his voice and the way he held himself. Hard to tell much else because of the mask and cloak. He does have coin.”
He tilted his head. “How do you know that?”
“He talked like he was invincible. He sounded educated. So he has money, connections, or power. Maybe all three.”
He nodded. “Luna said much the same, but I wasn’t sure if she’d see him differently than you.”
“And she brought me here instead of chasing him down.” That would have bothered her, I know. Not saving me—I didn’t think she’d regret that—but not being able to do both.
He nodded. “Does he sound like anyone you know? A relative who wants to put you out of the line of succession?”
He shook his head. “None have Aetheric magic, and I’d have known. My father would have discovered it. He would have found a way to use it.”
Yet another reason to be wary of Lys’Careths.
“None of this explains why you’re hurt, or why you were unconscious for so long.”
I paused. “He said he wanted to test me because I can see Anima. He wanted to know if I could do more, so I could help him…or he could use me.”
Something dangerous crossed his face now. He looked like a man barely containing his anger. “How did he test you?”
“I think he pulled Aether into the room. Brought it into our realm—the actual energy. It was foggy and it sparkled and itwas hot. Really hot. I didn’t know that was possible—to bring pure Aetheric here. But I guess if you’re going to be a manipulator of Aetheric, you have to be able to get the Aether to manipulate.
“The test…hurt.” I put a hand over my heart. The skin beneath was sore, but nothing like that pain. “I didn’t pass. Or not in the way he’d hoped.”
“What does that mean? ‘Not in the way he’d hoped’?”
“He said failing the test means death. I survived. Barely, but still. The girl,” I added, looking up at him. “The girl who was possessed. Has anyone found her?”
I could see it in his eyes before he spoke. “We didn’t find her soon enough. The damage had already been done.”
I swore, scrubbed my hands over my face. I hadn’t cried in front of the Aetheric practitioner, and I damned sure wasn’t going to do it here, in the damned royal palace. But I wanted a good cry. Very badly. Maybe it would flush out the rest of the magic and the heat in my chest.
“I’m sorry for this.”
“For what?”
“For the fact that you’re hurt because someone hates me and my family. I wouldn’t have wished that on you.”
I lowered my hands. “You can’t control how others see you.”
“All efforts to the contrary,” he murmured. “I’m surprised you didn’t reveal my identity.”
“I’m not a rat.”
“So I see. You’ll stay here until we have the practitioner,” he added in the kind of tone I imagined a prince used a lot—it defied argument and demanded obeyance.
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Yes. Absolutely. You can use this room until the practitioner is caught, or dead, and it’s safe for you to leave.”
