Page 84 of The Crown’s Temptation

Her hair was dark at first glance, but when she passed the window he caught strands of indigo and burgundy twisting through it like a storm trapped beneath the surface.

He looked down. She was barefoot despite the cold of Kelsey's floors. She looked at him with disinterest, as though she had not just barged into his chambers uninvited, unannounced.

Then she looked at Nox.

Then back at him.

"Who is this?" he said.

"I am Aviaryn." She said it as though the answer were obvious. "I am her daughter." A pause. "My father is a Rathmor, apparently. Although I do not think it is you."

He raised an eyebrow.

"You do not seem like the type of man my mother would want," she explained.

Nox opened her mouth.

"And what type is that?" Sevrin could not hide his amusement.

"One who is more creature than human," Aviaryn continued, unbothered. "Humanity is a weakness. You have too much of it."

The room was quiet.

Sevrin looked at her. Then, slowly, something moved at the corner of his mouth.

Aviaryn turned to Nox. "I would like a story. Find one and have it read to me."

Nox stared at her. "A story?"

"Yes."

"You want⁠—"

"A story," Aviaryn said again.

"Kelsey Castle has a library below," Sevrin said. He was looking at the girl with attention that had shifted from what it had been a moment ago. "I imagine there are stories there."

She considered this. "You are recovering."

"I am."

"Then you are not doing anything useful." She looked at the door and back at him. "The library is below. You said so yourself. Perhaps if I find something of interest I will bring it to you."

Nox made a sound that was not quite a word.

"But because you are weak and useless, and my mother either lacks the knowledge or is disinterested, I will find it myself," Aviaryn said simply. She turned toward the door.

"Can you read?" Sevrin said. He could not stop himself. For some reason he cared about the answer.

She stopped. Turned back.

"Of course I can read," she said. "How else have I been able to examine the ledgers and tax reports?"

She left.

The door did not close behind her. It simply remained open, as though closing it had not occurred to her as a necessary step.

Sevrin looked at the empty doorway. Then at Nox.