“As I said, won’t happen again.” I straighten my back. “Have you spoken to House Dzuni? Are we ready for Jax’s trial? He agreed to bind his life to mine.”
All the humor evaporates from Noire in a blink. My heart sinks.
“What? You said it’s an option. That it’s a way for Jax to serve his punishment,” I say.
Noire nods. “It is. However, House Dzuni must vote during the trial, and right now, the vote is not in our favor.”
I bite the inside of my mouth to not scream.
Inhale.
Exhale.
When that doesn’t help, I count to ten in my mind.
“Not all is bad, General. Mr. Kregger is liked amongst some noble circles despite his crime,” Noire says gently. “I’m confident of those votes going in our favor. We must assume the nobles associated with Caligos will vote to eliminate him. That leaves us with about a third of the House Dzuni who are neutral. Their vote will go either way.”
“That’s good. We can do something about it,” I say. After a beat of silence, I add, “Can we? There must be something we can do to persuade them.”
“Absolutely, General,” Noire says. “If Vera was here with us, I’d be asking her to host a party.”
My stomach churns at the mention of Vera.
Every second we spend not actively looking for her, not looking for my dragon, staying here and doing nothing, brings her closer to death.
I’m surprised Caligos kept her alive for this long. What do they want?
“Great. I’ll go visit her apprentices myself,” I say, and start walking. Noire follows, along with my Ezkai. “When we last spoke, she said Bart would be ready to take over in her absence. I’m sure I can talk to him.”
“Yes, Bartholomew has been running the studio in Vera’s absence. He knows Nobleman Juti well enough to host a revel to please his tastes and ego.”
I frown. “Is that the noble we need to convince? Nobleman Juti?”
I can’t put the face to the name. There’s just too many nobles.
“Dzuni run in packs,” Noire says, his shadows filling the stairwell as we climb the stairs. “If we get Nobleman Juti on our side, he’ll convince his group to vote in our favor.”
Political games at their finest. That’s why I desperately need Vera by my side.
“Great, let’s get these motherfuckers,” I mutter. “I’m heading to Vera’s studio now.”
Just as we reach the top of the stairs, Noire’s steps halt. “You have?—”
I wave him off. “No matter. Cancel or move whatever I have on my agenda for this morning. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
PHOENIX
Isit on the plush velvet bench on one side of the moving carriage while Ezkai Emil and Ezkai Bjorn sit opposite me.
Despite me glaring at them the whole journey from Ezkai Castle to Vera’s studio in Bussek, they’ve managed to keep their eyes trained somewhere above my head. Not a single ounce of emotion visible on their faces.
I don’t remember Ezkai General Kitajo having two Ezkai trailing him everywhere he went.
It’s for your own protection, General. Noire’s voice rings in my mind.
“Shouldn’t you wear your masks?” I ask sharply, breaking the silence. “You used to wear your masks when you first started guarding me.”
