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Quentin let out a grunt of disappointment, which I totally got. I loved a good festivity as much as anyone, but I wanted to see this sand dragon.
Around me, people drank, ate, sang and talked.
I listened, but either they kept to day to day topics around me, or they had little to say but small talk. Either way, I soon tuned that out as well.
Gradually, couples slipped back down the stairs and I thought again of Izzy. I half expected to see her amongst the crowds on the terrace, but she was nowhere to be seen.
For some reason, I found her absence unsettling. I had no specific reason to think Dex harmed her, but I had none to assume he hadn't. In the end, we were both at his mercy.
I leaned against the rail of the terrace and surreptitiously watched other people while the music swirled around in a series of tunes I didn't know. I tapped my fingers against my glass, even after I emptied it. Bottles sat on a table to one side, but I decided against drinking more.
I should at least have been here a few days before I made a fool of myself.
I sensed someone staring at me. That was to be expected, especially as the crowds thinned. Anyone new tended to draw attention, and they probably knew a witch was in the midst. For a long moment, I ignored it.
Eventually, curious in spite of myself, I scanned those gathered. A woman looked openly at me, bare hostility on her otherwise pretty features.
She looked familiar. I frowned and tried to place her.
The woman scowled and looked away.
I decided I had never seen her before, it was just her expression which was familiar. Hate, for no apparent reason, or because she knew what I was. Or maybe because I rocked bed hair better than she did.
I sighed. I was far from home, and alone. That put me in a vulnerable position with no one to watch my back.
I would have to do that for myself. I had no choice.
5
Bain
"I should have you executed,"Dex said lightly. "Or exiled."
The Keeper made that threat so often I didn't pay it much attention anymore.
"Okay," I replied lightly. "For what this time?" I picked my way across the sand with deliberate, cautious steps.
Dex gave me a dry look.
I responded with a raised eyebrow.
"For letting a witch come into my residence armed with a blade," the Keeper replied lightly.
He almost never shouted, or outwardly appeared to be angry. It made him that much more dangerous. People never saw him coming when he acted pleasant.
"Ah." I nodded. I wondered when Dex would bring that up.
Dexter Joseph Breakwater knew how to make people sweat and squirm. He knew the right amount of time to bide, to let them think they had gotten away unscathed with some offence or other. When they least expected it, he would pull the rug out from under them.
More than one person had found themselves in a cell after they thought they were in the clear. It was all part of the game, to be unpredictable, to out-manoeuvre friends and rivals.
I suspected he found it amusing. It used to work on me once, but not for a long time. As much as he tried, and he did, Dex rarely surprised me. Once in a while, I decide to humour him and play along.
I took a moment to reply. That was a part of the game. I would hesitate so it seemed I scrambled to think up the best response to save my ass. Truthfully, I preferred to choose my words carefully. It avoided a lot of bullshit later.
"I didn't sense malice on her part," I said finally. "No intention to assassinate you. If I had, there would now be no witch."
"You only sensed good intentions?" Now it was Dex's turn to raise an eyebrow. "No desire to manipulate the situation?"
