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The Emperor’s eyes were on me as the Imperator spoke. He licked his lips before turning to his escort.
“Respectfully…” My voice shook. “Must decline.”
He pulled back, his predatory smile spreading across his face, more wolf-like than human. “Julianna was a fighter, too. But it didn’t make much difference in the end. Thanks for the dance.” He released me, shoving me backwards. I stumbled, my vision foggy.
I needed air. I needed to get out of here, off the dance floor, away from prying eyes.
I spun on my heels, only half-seeing where I was going, tearing across the dance floor, pushing through the dancing couples and servers with floating trays of wine and fruit platters.
A door. I needed to find a door and get outside. But there were people everywhere and guards at the door loyal to the Emperor.
My vision was going in and out of focus, my stomach twisting. I slid into a corner and bumped right into Haleika. And Leander. Before I could react, he’d taken her hand, rushing them through a door, leaving me all alone, terrified and panicking. I stumbled back, clutching my chest and gulping for air. I needed to get away from what I’d seen, what I’d heard, away from myself. I ran right into a soturion with light brown hair that curled at the ends. He was older, with a few specks of gray mixed in.
A tear fell from my eye.
“Your grace,” the soturion said, startled. “Are you unwell?”
“I-I’m fine.” I sucked in a breath, searching for another place to go. I couldn’t leave. But I couldn’t stay here. I needed to calm down. To find my footing.
“Your grace, you look faint.” He had a slight lilt to his speech, his accent familiar.
I looked up and found familiar green eyes and a kind face.
“Apologies. You must not recognize me,” he said, seeing the confusion in my eyes. “I’m Rhyan’s uncle. Sean. At your service, your grace.”
“Sean?”
“Yes.”
“Get me out of here.”
He gave a curt nod. “Come.” He took hold of my arm, guiding me back out to the dance floor. The music blasted in my ears alongside the sounds of laughter and feet stomping, glasses clinking, drinks pouring, silverware scraping against porcelain. I felt a hundred curious eyes on me trying to see through my mask. Sean’s hand was light but firm on my arm as he led me to the other side of the temple out into a hallway.
Someone new took my arm, and warm, calloused fingers wrapped around me. “I’ve got her, Sean,” Rhyan said. “Thank you.”
“Be well, your grace,” Sean said with a bow.
“Lyr, what happened? What did he say?” Rhyan asked.
Sean slipped back into the ballroom after offering Rhyan a quiet nod.
This was the hallway. The entrance to the red ray—the entrance that was always specific to Ka Batavia. The one I’d thought sacred to my family, to my Ka, until the Bastardmaker had picked up Jules, slung her over his shoulder, and carried her through here. This was the hallway I’d stopped using unless forced to since that night.
I could still feel the terror consuming my body, my fear for Jules. I could still hear the slaps of Markan’s sandals against the floor as I tore off my diadem and flung it at him. I could still feel the way my scalp burned and my chest pounded and the sudden impact of Markan’s brutish body against mine as he caught me. I could still smell the sharp scent of the cloth as he drugged me.
My knees buckled. White spots appeared in my vision, then blackness. I was going to be sick. I clutched at my stomach, sinking down.
My feet lifted off the ground. Rhyan had swept his hand under my knees, had scooped me into his arms.
“You’re all right now, partner. It’s just me.” He pulled my mask off my face, letting it drop to the ground.
Waves of dizziness washed over me. There was a painful tug on my stomach, and the next thing I knew, we were at the other end of the hall. Rhyan kicked open a door and walked through it. We were in a small spare room full of Valya scrolls in need of repair.
“Down!” I shouted. I was going to throw up; my stomach felt like it had been ripped raw.
I rushed toward a table, my fingers grasping the edge, while I coughed and breathed until the wave of nausea passed. Dizziness and exhaustion took hold of me, and I sank to the floor.
Rhyan shut the door. The lock clicked into place. Seconds later, he sat down behind me, his arms gently encircling my waist. “Do you need a bucket?”
