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I stared back at him, tracing the line of his dark eyebrows and sharp jawline with my gaze. Nothing about him triggered a memory.
Wait.
“It wasyou,” I said suddenly, the memory coming back to me. “In the bramble that night. Wasn’t it? You gave me the bramblefruit.” I hadn’t known what it was at the time, but it’d left the same sour taste in my mouth as Queen B’kara’s nectar. “You saved me from the endless sleep.”
“Yes, that was me.” For a moment, I thought he sounded sullen, almost defeated, as if this wasn’t the answer he wanted.
“But why?” The question came out as a whisper.
He tilted his head to the side in a way that asked,You don’t know?
“Who are you?” I asked again, the edge returning to my voice. I didn’t feel like playing games. I just wanted answers. I doubted this stranger had saved my life twice now—once in Javan and once in the bramble—out of simple kindness. He wanted something. I could feel it.
He pushed up the sleeve of his shirt. On his forearm was a tattoo of three feathers.
My heart came to an abrupt halt.
He was a Zavien.
34
Jeddak
At dusk, the bramble bars of my cell were brushed aside. Two guards entered, while four waited outside. They appeared to be taking extra precautions after what happened last time.
The same female guard from earlier held her spear point to my chest. “Let’s go, Kovak.”
“Where’d you take the girl who was with me?” I demanded, not caring that my voice cracked with desperation.
They ignored me.
“If you hurt her?—”
“Our queen has requested your presence at tonight’s feast,” the other guard said, giving away nothing.
As the main course?“Tell your queen I’d prefer to rot in her cells.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged,” the female guard said, shoving me toward the exit.
“I’ll come quietly if you let the bear come with me,” I said coolly.
“You are not in a position to negotiate,” she said, thrusting her spear forward to make me walk in front of her.
“I’ll be back for you,” I called over my shoulder to Kah. They might not know it, but they’d just made a huge mistake by letting me out.
“Good, because it’s getting cramped in here,” Kah muttered.
The guards marched two in front, two on the side, and two behind me, leading me away from the prison. The path curved, and suddenly the dense growth of bramble enclosing us dispersed, revealing the heart of a living, breathing city woven into the shadowy landscape. I had to clench my teeth to keep my jaw from dropping. I’d never seen anything like it. Here, some of the bramble grew smooth, twisting together into the form of massive trees, extending into the sky. Multiple dwellings were built into the thick branches of each giant bramble cluster like treehouses, with hanging bridges that connected them like zigzagging clotheslines above our heads. The city was a suspended metropolis.
The guards pushed me forward, leading me deeper into the city. Above my head, people were congregating on the bridges lit up by the strands of lights strung between the bramble. They were celebrating something. But as I passed underneath, waves of silence followed me. I could feel the weight of eyes watching me from above.
Eventually, we left the forest floor, ascending a wooden spiral staircase into the bramble canopy. As we crossed several bridges and climbed endless stairs, I concentrated on memorizing the landscape, elevation, and landmarks. Without these Bramblemen knowing it, I was forming a map of their secret city in my head.
The guards finally stopped in front of a set of double doors high up in the bramble. The smell of cooked food and spices in the air made my mouth water, while the sound of laughter tied my stomach into a hard knot.
The doors opened, and I found myself standing at the entrance to a ceremonial hall encased in thousands of candles.
I spied the queen in an instant. At the head of the table, she commanded the attention of the room with her silver headdress, flowing violet robes, and artful white smile.
