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Dirt lined the cobblestones beneath our feet as we placed our backs against the brick wall of the building behind us. I scanned the street, lingering on the broken windows gaping at us from the building next to the gambling den.
The street smelled dank, heavy with the aroma of burned wood and the pungent odors of stale sweat, cigar smoke, and cheap perfume.
All we could do now was wait, listening to the clicking of heels on the cobblestone, the jingle of coins in pockets as groups of men and the occasional couple strolled into the gambling den.
Vicer had asked one of his rebels to study Rothnic’s routine. Apparently, it was likely he’d stumble out of the gambling den within the next hour or two. The longer we stayed in the city, the more dangerous it was for us, so we’d gotten here early, unwilling to risk missing Rothnic and wasting a night.
With nothing else to distract me, my thoughts returned to Tibris. To Demos and Asinia. Tibris was kind, warmhearted, and prone to putting others before himself. But he was also iron-willed, unwavering in his determination. I had to remember that. Had to remember that he was more than he’d pretended to be while we were growing up in that village. He’d been a rebel. He’d managed to find me when I was with Lorian and the others. He’d healed Asinia and Demos, and hundreds of other prisoners, and worked to free them—right beneath Regner’s nose.
Madinia nudged me.
A thin, well-dressed man was walking toward us, and I snapped my mouth closed, pasting an inviting smile on my face. He looked at Madinia, and his eyes widened in awe. “You’re beautiful.” He glanced at me. “So are you. How much for both of you together?”
I could feel Lorian’s eyes on me, a warm comfort. Madinia tilted her head, giving him a disparaging look. “It’s not enough for you for one of us to pretend to be satisfied by your fumbling incompetence? You need both of us to feign pleasure to feed your ego?”
His mouth dropped open. So did mine. Somewhere above us, Lorian chuckled, the sound so low, I doubted the man could hear it.
“You fucking whore,” the man snarled, leaning close to Madinia.
She just gave him a bored look. “Leave,” she ordered imperiously.
His eyes widened. Shock flickered across his face, followed by confusion. But he stumbled away, practically running down the street.
I surveyed our surroundings, but thankfully, no one was paying any attention. Madinia’s temper had gotten progressively worse lately.
She turned her attention back to me, as if we hadn’t been interrupted. “You’re worried about Tibris.”
“Yes.”
“You should be.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised by Madinia’s bluntness. Yet I constantly was.
This time, Lorian’s low growl was clear and full of threat. Even Madinia cast a wary look upward.
But she met my eyes anyway. “You’d be an idiot if you weren’t worried. But you have to focus on what you can control. You’ve done everything you can in this moment to help him. Demos knows how much he means to you.” Her mouth twisted. Demos and Madinia still didn’t get along. “And Asinia…” Her voice trailed off, and she glanced away.
“What is it?”
“She would do anything for you,” Madinia said. “Just like you would for her.”
“Yes.” I couldn’t read her expression, and I leaned close. “What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“Madinia—”
She lowered her voice, until I was sure even Lorian would have struggled to hear her. “You should appreciate what you have, that’s all. A friend you can trust that much is a gift.”
She’d said it as if she’d never experienced such friendship. I cleared my throat. “What about Lisveth or any of the others?”
She sent me a poisonous look. “You were there. You know what they were like.”
“Yes, I was there, and I remember you were the one who was constantly lashing out.”
Her mouth tightened. “When I had seen fifteen winters, Alcandre started a rumor that I was sleeping with the king. When I had seen sixteen winters, Pelopia convinced me we could be friends, and when I fell asleep after talking to her that night, she cut off all my hair. When I had seen eighteen winters, Caraceli and Katina put some kind of charmed herb into my drink, ensuring I lost consciousness at one of Regner’s balls. Thankfully, my father was the one to find me and not Davis. Those were just a few of the incidents over the years.”
I ground my teeth. Caraceli was the one who’d poisoned me in the castle. If not for Lorian, I would have died.
