Flint shrugs. ‘If he’d added you to the list of girls used and discarded by powerful men, then yes, I would have challenged him to a duel, Blaze. And I would have bested him in front of his entire court.’
I roll my eyes. ‘I had no idea you felt so strongly about these kinds of things.’
‘Well, sister, I do. It’s my job to look after you. Besides, depending on the outcome of the third trial, you could bequeen. Remember what Grandmother said. She said you must be wise about how you conduct yourself here. That you must remainabove reproach.’
I elbow him. ‘She said that to you, too.’
‘So … you and Hal, you really didn’t – I mean, he didn’t …’
‘No, I didn’t, he didn’t, we didn’t. But just so you know, even if I had, that would be my choice and none of your concern. And for the record, calling me stupid and naive and accusing me of hiding the Imperial Heir in my underwear drawer makes me angry, and as you know, when I get angry, things tend to get a little …icybetween us.’
Flint cries out in surprise as a layer of frost coats his forearm. He wipes it off, wincing at the cold, then grins at me. ‘Noted. But seriously, whatever is going on between the two of you – and please,pleasespare me the details – you’ve got to be more careful. Think what Grandmother would do if she heard you were sleeping with the prince.’
‘Think what Grandmother would do if she heard you were sleeping with an Eye,’ I shoot back. ‘I can’t imagine that going down particularly well.’
Flint points a finger at me. ‘Now you,’ he says, ‘you are good.’
I bow my head. ‘Thank you very much.’
‘Care to be my escort to the party tonight?’ he asks.
‘I could be persuaded.’
‘Great. Excellent.’
‘That makes a nice change from stupid and naive.’
Flint exchanges an exasperated look with Mouse, but my kitten ignores him, nuzzling into my lap and purring softly.
‘I still can’t believe Hal got you acat.’
‘Oh, good,’ I say, glancing up so quickly I almost get a crick in my neck. ‘Breakfast.’
Elva moves silently across the room, amber eyes trained on the floor as she sets the tray down on the bed and leaves without a word. At the sight of the food, I recall the starving prisoners locked in the dungeons, pitiful and helpless. And I think of that boy, thatMage. For all I know, he could be the lone survivor of the Magi. The last of his kind, just like me.
‘Isn’t it strange?’ Flint says through a mouthful of pastry. ‘That in just a few weeks, you and I could be sitting here wearing crowns.’
I tense up. Since finding the Eye, I’ve barely given the third trial a moment’s thought. And in answer to Flint’s question,strangeis certainly one word for it. I used to think it inconceivable. For me, that is. Not for him. My brother was born to be king. He has to be. Because if the idea of Marina winning is bad enough, the idea of Flint losing invokes an entirely different kind of dread altogether.
I haven’t seen Ember for days. Word is she’s spending almost every waking hour training. Flint, on the other hand, seems far more interested in drinking champagne until the small hours and going to bed whenever – and with whomever – he wants. Hypocrite.
Sighing, I reach towards the tray, finding nothing but a few crumbs and smears of jam. I glare at my brother, who’s leaning back against the bedpost with a hand over his stomach.
‘It was all that blind rage,’ he says. ‘It made me hungry.’
‘I’ve never seen you like that before,’ I tell him.
Flint raises an eyebrow. ‘Well, if my darling sister’s reputation is at stake, I’m afraid I’m going to have to turn off the famous charm, just temporarily. I’m not havinganyone say anything worse about you than they already –’ He clamps his mouth shut.
‘Than they already do,’ I finish for him.
I’ve often wondered whether Flint was somehow oblivious to all the cruel things said about me, or whether he just tried to shield me from them as best he could. I realize now that the latter must be true. And I love him for it, for wanting to protect me. But at the same time, I find that the wordprotectleaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
All my life I have been protected.
To protect you, my parents said as they locked the gates and doubled the guard and built the walls thirty feet high.
It’s for your own protection, Grandmother told me when I begged her to let me go with Flint and his friends to watch a play at the theatre or swim in the hot springs.
