From Blood and Ash (Blood And Ash #1) - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,76

may happen.”

He was quiet for a moment and then his wintery blue eyes closed. He might’ve been thinking of a prayer for patience, something I’d known him to do many times before.

That brought another small smile to my lips. “I’m careful, Vikter.”

“Being careful doesn’t seem to matter.” His eyes opened. “I welcome the idea of the Queen summoning you to the capital sooner rather than later.”

I shivered as I started down the stairs. “Because then I couldn’t be subjected to the Duke’s lessons?”

“Exactly.”

That was something to look forward to, especially since I planned on telling the Queen everything.

“Was he alone? I asked the guards, but they acted as if they had no idea who was in the room with him,” he said.

They always knew who was in with the Duke. They just hadn’t wanted Vikter to know, and I…I didn’t either. “He was alone.”

He didn’t answer, and I wasn’t sure if that meant he believed me or not. I decided it was time to change the subject. “How did you know where I was?”

Vikter moved only a step behind me. “Hawke sent one of the Duke’s stewards for me. He was…concerned about you.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Over what?”

“He said that both you and Tawny appeared distressed over the Duke’s summons,” Vikter explained. “He thought I could explain why.”

“And did you?”

“I told him there was nothing to be worried about, and that I would remain as your escort for the rest of the day.” Vikter’s brow wrinkled as he casually took my arm, lending me his support. “He wasn’t exactly receptive, so I had to remind him that I was higher-ranking than him.”

My lips twitched at that. “I’m sure that went over well.”

“As well as an avalanche.”

We rounded the next floor, the knowledge that I was getting closer to my bed keeping me going as I mulled over what Hawke had done. “He is…quite observant, isn’t he? And intuitive.”

“Yes.” Vikter sighed, obviously thinking that wasn’t a good thing. “Yes, he is.”

Three dozen torches blazed beyond the Rise, their flames a beacon of light in the vast darkness, a promise of safety to the slumbering city.

I cast a longing look toward the bed, letting out a tired sigh as I twisted the ends of my braid. Nightmares from a different night had driven me from sleep, leaving my skin slick with a cold sweat and my heart thrumming like a rabbit caught in a snare.

Luckily, I hadn’t woken Tawny with my screams. She’d been up late the past two nights. The first night, she’d spent a good part of the evening doing everything possible to make sure the welts healed, and last night, she’d been summoned by the Mistresses to assist with preparations for the Rite.

Tawny had used a concoction the Healers swore by and which the guards frequently used for their numerous injuries, rubbing the mixture of pine and sage-scented arnica and honey onto the inflamed skin of my back. It was the same stuff the Healer had used the night of the abduction. The ointment had cooled my skin and eased the ache almost immediately. Still, we knew from previous experience that it had to be applied nearly every other hour to achieve the desired effect.

And it had worked. By yesterday evening, there was only a twinge of discomfort, even though the skin was still pinker than normal.

I hadn’t been making light of what had occurred when I told Vikter and then Tawny that it could’ve been worse. The welts would most likely be gone by the morning, and there’d be little if any pain. I was lucky I always healed quickly, and even luckier that Teerman hadn’t been drinking Red Ruin the afternoon of my summons.

The Duke had known my mother. How? As far as I knew, she’d never been to Masadonia, so that had to mean that the Duke had met her in the capital. It was rare for the Ascended to travel, especially such a great distance, but they’d obviously met.

There had been such a strange look on Teerman’s face when he spoke of her. Nostalgia mixed with…what? Anger, perhaps? Disappointment. Had whatever interactions he’d had with her caused the way he behaved toward me?

Or was I just looking for a reason for his treatment, as if there had to be something to explain his cruelty?

There wasn’t a lot that I knew about life, but I knew that, sometimes, there was no reason. A person, whether Ascended or not, was who they were with no explanation.

Sighing,