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Layla’s eyes widened in surprise and she retracted her hand from my leg. “What? No. I would have wanted to see you again anyway.”
“Did you?”
She managed to hold my look for two seconds before she looked away and stroked her arm. “It’s been… difficult for me.”
I tried to see through my anger at her having used me for her own purposes but it was too difficult.
She needed to get inside the palace so she could get the Blue Orb.
Now all her questions about the ancient artefacts and wanting to see them all suddenly made sense.
She had no interest in the artefacts, just as she had no interest in me.
She caredonlyabout the Blue Orb, nothing else.
“Why didn’t you just tell me about this sooner?” I said. “You must have known I would help you.”
She nodded. “It was too risky. I worried about my sister. I didn’t want any harm to come to her. Or her kids. They don’t deserve to get dragged into this.”
“But I do?” I snapped.
I got to my feet and marched back and forth like a caged ashiial.
I felt trapped again — just as I had felt imprisoned when I had learned Mila had taken off with my executive assistant.
I wanted to run and scream, to beat at a tree until my knuckles bled.
“IknewI shouldn’t have told you,” Layla said resolutely.
She got up and approached me.
She reached for my pocket with the Blue Orb inside but I turned away from her.
“Give it to me!” she commanded. “Give it to me and I’ll get out of here and you’ll never have to see me again!”
“If I give you this Orb, you’llneverseeanybodyever again. These people, these creatures, that came to you… they’re not going to follow through on their promises. Their kind never do.”
“So what are you suggesting?” she said, folding her arms. “Just let them go do what they want with my family?”
“No,” I growled. “You’ll let me handle this. I have experience with this kind of thing.”
“Experience?” she said. “What experience?”
“I used to be a soldier, remember? I know how people like this think. If you want to keep your sister safe, you’re going to have to trust me.”
“Trust you? You don’t even know my sister! Why should I trust you?”
A servant stepped into the kitchen hesitantly before motioning toward the pots and pans on the other side of the room.
I motioned for him to enter.
He hastily rushed over and took what he needed before leaving again.
I had no idea what he wanted the pots for and, right about that moment, I didn’tcareto know.
“Come on,” I said. “We’re too exposed here. People will hear what we’re talking about and then someone will come and try to talkusout of it.”
I marched toward the door that led back into the palace.
