After a minute, Arcalon assistants gestured for them to dismount their podiums. Henry made a beeline for Kara and pulled her in for a tight hug. A display of affection that was quite unlike him.
“Well done, Kara,” he whispered in her ear, his arms tight around her waist.
“Erm, thanks,” she said. “And to you, second place is a great achievement.”
“Thank you,” Henry said graciously as he released her. “Want to walk back up to the tent together?”
Kara glanced back at Sebastian, but he stalked past them, not looking in her direction.
“Sure.” She focused on Henry instead. “I’d like that.”
As she walked away in step with Henry Caldris, her father beamed down at her from the stands.
The perfect daughter.
See, Father? I’m trying.
Later that evening, they all gathered in the Council hall. Only delegates and their families had been invited by the High Council. The Unity Feast was a private celebration before the spectacle of the Autumnal Ball the next day. Rosalie’s parents had declined. Kara had seen Rosalie’s mother being comforted by Lord Elias Lyra earlier – tear-stained, barely holding herself together – mounting a valmare as the sun set. A carriage had followed. Rosalie’s body making the journey home to Lyra.
And then Vallenna moved on. The loss, it seemed, hadn’t affected the Council’s plans.
Kara sat beside her mother at one of the long oak tables, dressed in fresh Hale robes. Traditional. The conversation buzzed around her, cheerful and animated – the mead flowing generously. Her father, seated at the Council table at the head of the room, was deep in conversation with Galen Caldris, heads bowed low. Kara didn’t have to wonder what the topic of conversation was – the answer sat beside her. Henry hadn’t left her side since the end of the final trial. Orders from his father no doubt. He’d spoken more than she’d expected – the Arcalon had given them plenty to talk about – but even so, the words felt stilted. Formal. And for Kara at least, exhausting. The energy required to maintain the mask – the knowledge this would soon be her life – drained her. Her gaze wandered, far more than it should have, across the hall, to find the one person she actually wanted to speak to. Sebastian sat at the far end of the room, flanked by two girls who looked unmistakably like him – one close to his age, the other a few years younger – wide-eyed and eager – her magic had probably only just come in. The older girl lookedhaughty, disinterested and bored by everything. His sisters, Kara assumed.
“Are you okay?” her mother asked when she caught Kara staring for the third time.
“Yes, just tired. It’s been a long few days,” she said.
Her mother didn’t believe her – she held her gaze for a moment too long – but didn’t press the issue.
The night passed quickly, and as soon as it was polite to do so, Kara took her leave. She slipped from the Council hall, away from the pressure. Away from the pretending. She needed somewhere she could breathe. She hadn’t made it far when a voice sounded behind her.
“Kara.”
She turned – Sebastian had followed her out. He stood in the archway, arms folded. He had a look on his face that she hadn’t seen before.
“We need to talk,” he said.
She hesitated. “It’s late.”
“I won’t take long.”
Kara’s gaze darted to the torchlight from the Council hall flickering behind him. “Not here. Come with me.”
He followed her out into the gardens, behind a grove of apple trees, away from prying eyes. She turned to face him. He was close. Too close. His scent caught the air around her: leather and pine. His breathing was quick, shallow. Nervous, maybe. He wasn’t the only one – her heart was hammering.
What are you doing, Kara Hale?
For a second, neither of them spoke. They just stood there staring at each other in the moonslight.
This is fine. Completely normal. Nothing suspicious about hiding in the trees with the heir of Thorne.
Sebastian broke the silence. “You felt it too.”
Kara looked at her hands, remembering the way their magic intertwined. “I did.”
He nodded once, like he’d suspected but needed to hear it. “It’s not supposed to happen like that, not without–” he stopped short and met her eyes. Her mind went blank under the weight of his stare.
Gods.
