Page 121 of Taken By Shadows

“Historian,” Hael corrected, unabashed, as though he’d said it a thousand times.

“And besides, the real news is Lord Kaedian’s latest arrest,” Ashen said in a sombre tone.

Last night was still playing on my mind. I didn’t know what I could say and what I couldn’t. Seemingly, though, there was little Audrie didn’t say to Ashen.

With warm smiles and promises to meet soon, we left Ashen and Hael to their day.

“They were nice,” I said to Audrie once we’d parted ways.

She nodded. “Ashen is a good friend, and Hael is kind. He lends me books whenever I need them. But Ashen is right, he’s a bit of a gossip. He claims it’s historical records he’s keeping. But I think he just loves a good chin wag.”

We wandered the remaining stalls until vendors were packing up for the evening.

We’d let the sun slip behind the sandstone buildings, and the night was falling heavily around us.

As we were leaving, one merchant was only just opening up. They had dozens upon dozens of glass baubles hanging from their awning. Lanterns. Some that could fit my palm and larger ones, in shimmering shades of lavender, emerald and ochre.

“To hold your fae light so you don’t have to conjure it constantly,” the woman behind the stall explained.

I offered her a weak smile and moved on. Not for the first time since meeting Kaed, I wished I had magic in my blood, even if it was just to hold a pretty piece of something in my hand.

I spun the thought of what my magic might have been. What colour, how it would move. How I would move it.

I thought of Kaed’s. Denora’s. Gavrin’s.

And I felt like I was missing something. Last night, I’d been missing something. Those soldiers didn’t realise, they were just crushing me. They didn’t care that I couldn’t push back and defend myself.

But that piece of me was missing.

Chapter thirty-seven

Ispent the next few days training. I had finally managed to complete a movement set of blocks and attacks without complaining. And I didn’t land on my ass … too often. My muscles ached less the more I honed them, but the lessons didn’t get easier; I just got faster, stronger and more balanced. I would have thought my climbing muscles would have helped me, but it turns out that they were a whole other set than what I needed.

Tending to my bruises was a better use of my time than thinking about Kaed anyway. I was not in the mood to think about him. Or his bedroom. Or how his body had felt under my hands.

It helped that I hadn’t actually seen him since that night in his room.

Seemingly, the council was no longer prepared to leave him to his own devices and had scheduled meetings and strategy reviews to broker deals with Hayden.

I only knew all of this because Denora had baited me more than once to try harder in lessons. If I landed a blow, she’d tell me something about what was going on. If I failed to defend myself, she’d knock me to my ass.

So I tried harder.

I didn’t like being motivated by knowing more about Kaed. It was really for my own preservation to know more.

That’s what I told myself.

I quashed the seeds of budding heat that rose up when I thought of him and his expansive bed.

Mostly.

Denora had me working on defensive movements, relenting and deciding not to waste her time on my aim. She’d seen my aim one of the first days we’d tried anything at all, and I actually saw a grimace cross her lovely face.

“That”—she had pointed with a segment of clementine—“I’m not sure I can help with.” My mark had been a target ring not ten feet away, and the knife had hit a potted plant another five feet to its left.

So long as my attackers didn’t require single and precise shots to take them down, I might stand a chance.

“That’s encouraging.” I had laughed at my own underdeveloped sense of aim, and we quickly moved on.