‘It’s more a question of who I want you to be.’
The four of us stare at him blankly.
Hal smiles a little, then points at Zephyr. ‘My Council, naturally.’ He nods at Marina and Elaith. ‘My advisers.’ Then he turns to me, his voice as soft as his gaze. ‘And my spy.’
I stiffen, my mouth falling open a second time. Did I just hear him right?
‘I’m alone in this,’ Hal says. ‘I need you – all of you. If you’re willing.’
Zephyr grins at him. ‘Been a long time coming, my friend.’
Elaith beams. ‘You already know my answer.’
Hal inclines his head then glances at Marina. She may be a difficult sort of person, and she was no friend to Blaze, but Hal has always made allowances for her. They’ve known each other since infancy, and despite her rather frosty demeanour, her loyalty runs deep. She would never betray the crown.
‘OfcourseI’ll advise you, Hal,’ she says. ‘But aserfspy?Really?’
‘I confess, I’ve been wondering the same thing,’ Zephyr admits. ‘Why her?’
I sink further into my chair.
‘Isn’t it obvious?’ Hal asks, his dark eyes never leaving my face.
My heart lurches. I hold my breath, bracing myself. Surely he’s not going to …
‘Anonymity,’ he says abruptly. ‘Her ability to slip unnoticed through a crowd. The three of you are high profile, easily recognizable. You can’t blend in the way she can.’
I’m so shocked that all I can do is blink at him.
‘But how d’you know you can trust her?’ Marina presses.
The pause before Hal speaks lasts only a fraction of a second. ‘Because Blaze does.’
‘And so do I,’ says Elaith, smiling.
‘But I am giving her a choice,’ Hal continues, turning back to me. ‘What do you say? I’m not asking you to engage, just observe. I want to know who’s trustworthy and who’s treasonous. I want you to be the Eye watching the Eyes. My shadow, hiding in plain sight.’
Oh, Hal, I think.If only you knew.
15
Blaze
The next few hours pass in terse silence.
Of course I’m notrelaxed. How could I be? I just woke up from a fever dream after being bitten by a giant snake. I lost my brother and, seemingly, my mind, because somehow I agreed to travel through this strange, overgrown maze of a kingdom with the very same boy who broke the empire in half. I can feel him leaning away from me, sitting as far back in the saddle as he can. Maybe he’s regretting his offer to escort me to the Lagoon, or maybe it’s that I could really do with a wash. Either way, as pairings go, the two of us are exceedingly ill-matched. It’s not just the way he speaks to me, his every word infused with that mocking pleasantness, or worse, that maddening softness. It’s that … well, hesavedme. And of all the things he’s ever done, it’s this I find hardest to forgive.
We reach a slight incline, and I’m forced to grab a handful of Cedar’s mane to avoid tipping backwards into Fox’s chest.
Perhaps I’m being ungrateful. Perhaps I should be thanking him. I imagine that’s generally the response one gives in such circumstances. But doing so will only affirm out loud what we both already know – that I owe him, now.
I’m beginning to wish he’d just left me there in the forest. Getting eaten by wild dogs or slowly decomposing into the undergrowth seem like vastly preferable alternatives to being in the Earth Cleaver’s debt.
Oblivious to the whirlpool of self-loathing swirling inside my head, Fox clears his throat and asks, ‘How’re you feeling?’
His voice is neutral, almost bored. Gone is any trace of that lingering smirk. Is he intent on making another gibe, or does the question indicate a temporary ceasefire?
‘Better,’ I concede.
