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Chapter 30
Then
We walked silently down Gormill Road, the energy surrounding Lord Castemont easy going and mild. I felt the eyes of fellow lowborns on me. The stolen stone was still in my fist. “Just this way,” I murmured as we turned left onto Copper Street. The Lord fell into step next to me then, Tyrak behind us.
“How did your house catch fire, Miss Petra?” His tone was relaxed, as if he were taking a leisurely stroll along the waterfront, chatting with an old friend about something much more inconsequential than my impending homelessness.
“I’m not sure, my Lord.”
“Not sure?”
“No, my Lord. We only know the blaze began upstairs.” The words were hard to say. They made little sense to me.
“And was there anything upstairs that could have caught fire? Maybe a candle?” So he thought it was odd, too.
“No, my Lord.”
He sighed. “Sounds like a stroke of bad luck. Have you prayed to Aanh?” Saint of the Home. I had absolutely not prayed to Aanh. He sensed my hesitation and nodded, his voice soothing as he said, “I will say a prayer for you, Miss Petra.”
My brows furrowed as I processed his words. Who the hell was this man?
We walked until we stood in front of the rubble that had been our home. It was a pile of blackened planks and soot, nothing recognizable in the ashes. It still smelled faintly of that day, of my mother’s screams, of Cal’s eyes looking down at me. My heart broke all over again thinking of the lost piece of lapis lazuli.
“You weren’t lying,” he remarked, surveying the rubble. “Your house has well and truly burned down.” What the fuck was he expecting? I kept my mouth shut. “And you have no place to live now?”
“No, my Lord. We don’t. We’ve been staying with a friend who has been kind enough to shelter us, however I’m afraid we’ve overstayed our welcome”
“Any siblings?”
A dagger to the chest. I pulled it out. “I had a sister. She passed. At Cindregala last year.”
His eyes widened as he shook his head. “Was she…?”
I nodded somberly.
“Such horror you’ve been through. And so young.”
“Am I to be punished?” I felt my control fly away as I blurted it out. Tyrak stirred slightly behind us.
Lord Castemont stared down at me, assessing. His warm brown eyes narrowed. “Do you believe you should be punished?”
I chewed the inside of my cheek. “What I did was wrong,” I said quietly, looking away.
“And do you believe it warrants punishment?”
The control I had lost moments ago scurried even further away as my lip began to quiver. I didn’t know why, but suddenly my cheeks were wet and my eyes crinkled. I fought off the sobs that threatened to take over my body. I’d been bending for so long, I was ready to break. I was ready to succumb to the pain, the madness, the numbness. I wasexhausted.
“I will not punish you.” The words suddenly punctured the air. I furrowed my brows in question, my eyes still swimming. “I will not punish you simply because you were trying to provide for your mother.”
“I-I don’t understand, my Lord–”
“But I will make a deal with you.” I cocked my head, my lip still trembling. I could feel the confusion on my face as I fought it back. “If you can promise me that you will refrain from theft, I am willing to offer you an allowance for food and shelter.”
My mouth went dry as I straightened. “What?”
Castemont stared at the rubble, his face thoughtful. “During my prayers this morning, I had an overwhelming feeling. I can only assume it was the Benevolent Saints speaking to me. I couldn’t explain why, but as soon as I saw you in the shop, the feeling returned. I believe the Saints want me to help you.”
Excuse me? I took a deep breath. My cheeks burned with shame. Did he think I was asking for… “The Saints want you to help me?” It was half whisper, half snarl. Why would I trust him?
