Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 121924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
A thoughtful look fell over his face. “I would wager that is the case.”
Rhad absently scratched his cheek, ruffling his beard. “Give us a demonstration,” he demanded, every inch the royal.
I lifted my palm. Flickers of moonlight arced along my fingers moments before I conjured an orb of ashes—one that I ensured was weak and unstable.
“Strange.” Minos hovered a hand over the orb that I held. “The heat is bearable. The ashes are not tightly clustered together.”
“I’m hoping I improve, but that might be wishful thinking.” I half-expected Talon to snort or something. He’d seen me in battle; he’d surely seen the orbs that I’d conjured earlier—they were much hotter and more harmful than this. But nothing in his expression must have given that away, because the Sovereigns would have noticed.
Maybe he hadn’t seen the orbs that I’d tossed around during the battle—after all, he had been rather preoccupied.
“How fast do you heal?” Minos asked me.
“Pretty fast,” I replied, letting my orb disintegrate, “but not so much that I don’t have to use salve.”
“Yes, I smell it on you.” Seeming somewhat appeased by that ‘weakness,’ Minos slid his attention to the Cardinal. “What do you think of all this?”
Talon gave a lazy I don’t see what the big deal is shrug.
Minos twisted his mouth. “Hmm, I suppose it all matters little. It is not as if the gods will use her. They cannot since, as I’d suspected all along, being mortal makes the power she carries weak.” He refocused on me. “And yet, you have not pulled out of Xalbia.”
“As I confessed last time, we mortals always have something to prove to ourselves.” I gave a sheepish shrug.
Minos stared at me, his expression pensive. “I had considered not granting you a place in the Order irrespective of whether you passed Xalbia or not.”
I stilled. He freaking what?
“But at the moment, while attacks are forever imminent, every officiate counts,” he continued. “So if you pass, you will become part of the Black Tapestry.”
I subtly let out a relieved breath.
“I cannot say I am confident that you will pass, however. Then again, you have repeatedly surprised me thus far,” Minos tacked on, sounding unsure how to feel about it. “Perhaps you will do so once more.” He turned his back on us. “You are both excused.”
I personally wasted no time in pivoting on my heel to make my way out of the audience chamber. The moment I vacated it, my power seeped back to the forefront. It was too weird for words.
On exiting the tower, I gave Talon a sideways glance. “Did you notice the crack in the platform?”
He only spared me a brief look as we walked, seeming not one bit concerned.
“It was right under Minos’ throne, and I’ll bet my life that it wasn’t there before.”
Still no reaction.
“Nobody thinks it’s weird that cracks are appearing in places they shouldn’t?”
Again, nothing.
“Fine, don’t tell me.” Really, I wasn’t sure why I’d thought that he would. I was a candidate, not a Marshall. Hell, not even an officiate. If the cracks were a real issue, it would be a need-to-know thing.
As we strolled back into the garrison, I noticed Khalida stood a few feet away. Ajax called out to Talon from a whole other direction. The Cardinal and I exchanged a brief look before each going our own way.
“I heard that the Sovereigns summoned you,” said Khalida. “I was worried. A little. Don’t read anything into it.”
I snorted. “You were worried I might not come back. Admit it.”
“Never.”
Shaking my head in amusement, I noted, “There’s no one hanging around the apothecary, so I’m guessing that all wounds have been tended to.”
“Most were quick to wash and change so they could scoff down their dinner. There weren’t as many injured as I’d thought there would be, or as many deaths.” She looked to where seven bodies were laid out covered in blankets just beyond the building that housed the wagons. “I think maybe it’s because we had the advantage—we could attack from all angles, including from above. We’re also used to fighting in the fog; used to relying on more than our vision. Our enemies weren’t.”
I gave a nod of agreement, swallowing hard. “Did you hear about Glory?”
Khalida grimaced. “Yeah. Harbin is pretty upset. Jelani is with him—they went for a walk along the battlements.”
That would be good for them both, since … “He knows how Harbin will be feeling.”
“To a degree, yes.” Linking arms with me, she started to lead me toward the food hall. “You can see now why we might avoid heavy relationships.”
“I can see it. Just as I see why Nakoa swears that she and Soule aren’t exclusive—if she tells herself that they’re not serious, she’s not too invested in him and so it’ll hurt a lot less if she loses him.”