Page 48 of The Awakening of Essensia

“That was a curtsy?” he teased.

She shot him a look. Gods, he had missed that. The unabashed challenge.

“If you were a court lady, then yes. But guards bow.”

She lowered her head again and this time he reached for her without hesitation, his hand closing gently around her arm. She looked up, eyes wide.

“Not when it’s just us,” he said.

Something passed over her face, understanding, maybe. Then it was gone, her features perfectly smooth.

“Tonight,” he said. He turned before he could say more. Before he could ask her to trust him. The gate swung shut and he didn’t look back to see if she watched him. He already knew she was.

By the time Elijah reached the East Wing of the palace and stepped into the Queen’s Tower, his head was spinning with thoughts of what he would say to Vaelira, and how he would convince her to trust him after the lie. She would understand once he explained, but he had to do it the right way, find the right words to convince her.

Her Royal Majesty Queen Mairese was sitting on a chaise by the tall balcony windows, her dark hair braided and pinned into a thick bun at the nape of her neck. She turned as he entered but made no move to stand. Elijah dipped his head.

“Elijah,” she said. She spoke softly, but her eyes were anything but. “It took you some time to come after my summons. Where have you been?”

“I was seeing to a personal matter. How may I be of service, mother?”

She studied him for a long moment. Elijah remained standing, his hands clasped behind his back.

“Why did your father and I send you to Anhaven?”

He reined in his surprise. “As I recall, you said I was to make myself useful.”

She tilted her head, the heavy, red-jewelled necklace shifting at her throat. “The girl you brought back with you. How is she useful?”

Elijah stiffened. Of course she’d had him watched. He should have expected nothing less.

“She showed great skill during her trials,” he said evenly.

“And yet.” The Queen drew a long, measured breath. “I have heard she is failing to keep up with her training. Only an hour ago she was seen limping from the sparring mat.”

“I imagine training in the minor towns differs greatly from the rigors of Lord Jurah’s and Master Kolborn’s classes. I expect she is still adjusting to her first week.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Which begs the question, why bring her here at all, if she cannot hold her own?”

A spark of anger rose in his gut, the sensation entirely unwelcome. He kept his expression smooth. “If there is any doubt about the girl’s suitability, I will personally escort her back to Anhaven.”

The Queen pursed her lips. “Any misstep on your part reflects poorly on us all. Now more than ever. The Three see all.” Her gaze drifted to her right, where an ornate wooden altar sat against the far wall. Stone idols of the First Three stood above flickering candles and bunches of heartviolets. Hair prickled on the back of his neck.

“One month, Elijah. If she proves to be unworthy, I will deal with her myself.”

12

Relics

Vaelira’s boots crunched against a dusting of snow as she walked through the Noble Quarter.

Tiny white flecks drifted lazily through the torch lit streets, the night quiet save for a few shopkeepers closing for the night. Eli walked beside her, and she now understood that it wasn’t the cold that made him pull his hood low over his face.

He had met her at the gate after dinner, as promised. They’d barely exchanged a handful of words before silence fell. It had been awkward at first, taut with a hundred unspoken questions, but now, Vaelira was too absorbed by the city around her to care.

The buildings here felt impossibly old, etched with unnecessary but beautiful details, twisting lines and arcing strokes, like a single light mark of charcoal cut into the stone. The few people still on the streets wore fine fabrics, adorned with silk, jewels and delicate embroidery. It reminded Vaelira of the dresses in Jurah’s house in Allen. It struck her now that the house must have been Eli’s, or at least owned by the Royal family.

She cursed herself for not seeing it sooner. All the signs had been there. The way Jurah, and even Commander Lysander had deferred to him. How he’d handed over his purse to the Wasteland raiders like it meant nothing, because to him, it was nothing. He had known the names of the staff in Allen. Jurah had even announced the prince’s arrival when they’d reached the town. She had assumed it was Jurah’s authority that commanded respect, but it had been Eli all along.