Page 47 of Tides of Shadows

“Mirabel,” I said gently. “Is everything all right? The hunter, Cedric, is here for you.”

Her eyes went wide. “Already? Is it already time?”

She began to pace, hands fluttering, her hair nearly as unruly as the clothes beneath her feet.

“Mirabel.” I caught her by the shoulders. “Breathe. You look beautiful no matter which dress you choose. Come. Let me help you.”

I fetched my turquoise hair clasp from my own chamber, brushed her hair smooth, and pinned it back in a simple twist that framed her face.

“There,” I said. “Go. But if he will make you cry. I will drown him in the square’s fountain.”

She laughed, flustered and hurried out. When Cedric saw her, his eyes lit like a gentle sunshine in the morning.

It was sweet, hearing their voices fade down the corridor. Mirabel laughed at something he said, light and unguarded.

Perhaps not everything in this Palace was rotten.

When they were gone, I settled back into my chair and returned to my book. I’d barely opened it to the right page when someone knocked again.

I sighed. Was today some sort of day for petitioners?

I swung the door open, irritated that I could not read in peace.

Aidenar. Stood on the threshold. Tall, composed, immaculate as ever. His presence filled the doorway, there was little space between us for breathing or escaping.

“How can I help you?” I asked at last, breaking the silence.

He cleared his throat, as if pulled from his thoughts. “I have business in the city. And I thought to take you somewhere while I am at it.”

“Is it a brothel?” I asked sweetly.

“No,” he replied at once. “It is too early. Brothels are closed at this hour. The girls have their break.”

I rolled my eyes. He laughed, openly this time.

“You started it,” he said. “Anyway, come. You have nothing better to do.”

Annoyingly, he was right.

We left the Palace with a light escort, careful not to draw too much attention. It did little good. We tried blending into the city crowd, but every girl and woman we padded devoured Aidenar with his eyes. He walked calmly, unhurried, like he owned everything here. Unbothered. But I knew him well enough by now to recognize that he enjoyed the attention.

“So,” I said. “Where are you taking me?”

“I heard you have been lurking around the medical wing,” he replied.

I cut him a look. “Does everyone in this palace know everything? Is it possible to keep anything secret?”

He regarded me with something close to pity.

“No,” he said simply. “As I was saying. I know you seek a cure for your brother. I know a place. And a person. She is… unusual. But she may have some answers. I’m not promising anything.”

“Who is she?” I asked. “A medic, alchemist? A sage?”

“Something like that,” he said, and his expression turned strangely guarded.

We entered a district unlike any I had seen. Herbalists, trinket sellers, purveyors of strange amulets and cheaper magic crowded the narrow streets. Shady trades whispered from every doorway. I had never been here before. I didn’t expect Aidenar to spend time in such neighborhoods. The deeper we went, the more hostile the stares became. Most of them fixed on me.

A tall, bald man approached us, and I tensed, my hand drifting toward the knives at my belt. Instead of attacking, he grinned and clasped Aidenar’s hand. I caught the flash of palladium as something passed between them.