‘Gods,’ she groans afterwards, falling theatrically across a red-silk chaise, ‘I’m stiff as a board from that carriage journey. But I couldn’t disappoint Hal.’
My head snaps up involuntarily, but Elaith is too busy fishing something out of her pocket to notice. It’s a crumpledpiece of parchment. On it I recognize Hal’s spidery scrawl, though I can’t make out the words since they’re written in Ostacrian. I might’ve been forced to learn how to speak the language, but I was never taught to read it.
Elaith smooths out the letter with her fingers. ‘It was delivered right into my hands. Doesn’t say much, though. I still haven’t a clue what he actually wants.’ She clears her throat. ‘Elaith,’ she reads in a deep voice. ‘I have need of you. Come to the palace? Hal.’
My brows knit together. Hal tells me almost everything, yet he never mentioned this.
At that moment, there’s a knock on the door.
‘Enter,’ calls Elaith, stuffing the letter back into her pocket.
A boy appears in the doorframe, tall and chiselled with dark skin and eyes the colour of honey. I recognize him as Zephyr, the Ventalla Heir who won the Choosing, and one of Hal’s closest friends. Unlike the rest of the new Council, Zephyr does not have a court to reside in, since King Balen is still occupying the Marble Palace.
‘Hello, Elaith.’
‘Zeph! How are you?’
He dips his head, grinning. ‘Still in one piece. And yourself?’
‘Mildly traumatized,’ muses Elaith. ‘To what do I owe the pleasure?’
Zephyr shifts on his feet. ‘I’m not … entirely sure.’
She arches an eyebrow. ‘Come again?’
‘I have instructions to fetch you and tell nobody.’
‘How mysterious,’ she says. ‘Where are you supposed to be taking me?’
‘The observatory.’
‘Now?’
Zephyr nods.
‘Very well, consider me intrigued,’ says Elaith before smiling at me. ‘Thank you, Elva. That’ll be all.’
But Zephyr shakes his head. ‘She comes too.’
My stomach drops. Fear courses through me, and I clasp my hands behind my back.
‘Er … what?’ Elaith asks, perplexed.
Zephyr sighs as he props open the door. ‘Are you coming or not?’
Elaith looks as uncertain as I feel, but she only shrugs, springing lightly to her feet. ‘All right, then. Let’s go.’
I have no choice but to follow.
Zephyr glances from side to side before swinging open the entrance to the serf tunnels. ‘Discretion,’ he explains. Then he turns to me. ‘I take it you know the way?’ His tone is polite though he seems unable to hide the confusion creasing his brow.
I feel myself flush pink. Nodding once, I slip silently into the darkness beyond.
‘Hold on,’ says Elaith, reaching up on her tiptoes to heave one of the torches from its golden bracket. ‘Won’t you be needing this?’
I take it gratefully, inwardly cursing myself.
Since our destination sits at the very top of the palace – a colossal golden tower adjacent to the Choosing Chamber – there are a lot of stairs to climb. I can hear Elaith panting behind me as the steep steps stretch on and on.
