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I begrudgingly took a bite of bread before realizing how hungry I was and grabbing for the same rabbit stew we’d eaten earlier in the night. Miles sat back as I ate, his position far too nonchalant to be talking about an attempt on my life.
“About thirty of Kauvras’ men had been tracking us,” he started. “Not surprising. They found you pretty easily once they arrived.” He let out a gruff laugh.
I considered his words, thoughtfully chewing on the stew. “And where are Kauvras’ men now?”
“You’ve got a lot of friends in Aera, Oh Holy One,” he replied. “I’ll just say that after you went down, the townspeople wanted to keep your fire burning, figuratively and literally.”
My eyes widened as I took in what he meant, and I suppressed a triumphant smile at the thought of Kauvras’ men burning before I looked down at my chest again. “And I’m guessing you did…this?” I asked, pointing to the bandages wound around my otherwise bare chest, trying not to let my embarrassment show.
He sat forward in the flimsy chair, the wood creaking beneath his weight. His mask glowed dull in the low firelight, his hands hanging between his knees. “I have more respect for you than to undress you without your permission.”
My cheeks burned, a charged silence suddenly expanding between us. That same uncomfortable feeling flooded my veins beneath his stare.
“Oh,” I answered quietly, shoving a spoonful of stew in my mouth in an attempt to distract myself from the awkwardness.
“The innkeeper dressed your wounds,” he added, looking away. “Helmina was more than happy to assist the Daughter of Katia.”
Relief flooded through me but quickly dissipated when I thought of our companions. “Nell and Whit?”
“They questioned Kauvras’ men…briefly,” he started. “Enella Augen is a hell of a soldier. Better than half of my men, I’ll give her that. Didn’t take long for her to get answers out of them and then let the townspeople take over.” He sat back again, his posture relaxing. “Once they knew the path was clear, they set off for Taitha again. Got a head start to see what’s going on in the city.”
I sank deeper into the thin mattress, but a restlessness settled over me. I didn’t want to be in this room any longer. I wanted to get back to Taitha, get back to Solise and my mother and sort through this fuckingmess. “Can we leave now?”
“Now? It’s the middle of the night.”
“I know. I just want to get back.”
“Sleep, Petra,” Miles said flatly.
“I’m not tired.” Which wasn’t entirely the truth. In fact, there wasn’t a lick of truth behind the words at all. I was exhausted to my very bones.
“Can I ask you something?” The question was sudden, the energy of the room quickly changing. His voice was sober.
“Okay.”
He sat back in his seat, his shoulders squared and rigid as he took a deep breath. “How did you know King Belin?”
His words hit my ears but didn’t make sense for a moment. I wasn’t sure what question I’d been expecting, but it sure as hell hadn’t been that.
And I had no idea how to answer him.
My mouth bobbed open and shut a few times as I sifted through my mind, trying to find the words I needed. Miles sat motionless, waiting as my head began to shake. “I didn’t know King Belin. I knew who he was pretending to be.”
“And who was that?”
I pursed my lips, my eyes closing at the thought of the man I’d so desperately loved, the man who didn’t exist. “He told me his name was Calomyr. Cal,” I breathed. “He told me he was a Royal Guard. He told me about his entire life, about his mother and his brother and how they died and how he always wished to meet his father. And all of it was a lie.” I shook my head against the thought, hopelessly trying to keep the floodgates intact. “He told me he loved me,” I whispered more to myself than to Miles.
“And you believed him?”
I stared at the Lieutenant and shrugged slightly, brows turned up. “I didn’t have a reason not to.”
“And you loved him.” Not a question but a confirmation. A hot knife in my fucking chest.
Tears flooded my eyes and I did my best to blink them away. I was sick of tears, sick of crying. “I loved Calomyr, yes,” I choked out through a stiff jaw. “But Calomyr was never real.”
Miles watched me with a preternatural stillness as I tried to pull myself together. But the thought of the elaborate lie I’d been fed made my skin crawl, made my chest tighten.
“And what about Castemont?” he asked quietly.
