mirror mages as monsters who dealt in deception, death, and destruction. Leisa had never imagined using her one silly little magic trick in any way that could be considered dangerous. Had no idea how that might be done. But she could do no magic outside of mirrors, so did that make her a mirror mage? Did that make her the kind of monster Melger intended to hunt down with an entire battalion and then murder with arrows from afar?
And why had she never heard any of this before?
Come to think of it, no one had ever really explained Leisa’s magic to her. She’d always assumed she was a life force mage, because every time she changed—especially anything that wasn’t her own body—it depleted her energy. But King Melger seemed to think otherwise.
And yet, as terrifying as it was to contemplate King Melger’s opinion of mages, what mattered far more at that moment was her bodyguard.
As Leisa made her way back to her rooms after the ballgown fiasco, she could barely manage to watch where she was going. Her entire focus remained bent on the shadowy figure trailing her through the halls.
She still had no idea who or what was under that armor, only that he was incredibly fast, silent, and strong. He wielded that enormous blade with deadly skill, or rather she assumed so given the proficiency he’d displayed thus far.
For now, he seemed to be protecting her, but she knew better than to trust him. He was huge and terrifying and could decapitate her with about as much effort as swatting a gnat.
And she had no idea what he was thinking. Only what he was feeling, and his emotions had seemed as tangled as her own. The only way to find out more would be to touch the gem again and… no. Just no. It was bad enough that she could sense some of his emotions without touching it at all.
But why had the Raven stopped her and held her against that wall? For the briefest moment, she’d had the absurd idea that he’d intended to kiss her. To her eternal embarrassment, her body had reacted as though that were about to happen. She didn’t even know for sure whether the Raven had lips, and anyway, he hadn’t exactly been focused on her face.
He’d been focused on shielding her.
But what could have been his reason? His only duty was to protect her, so why did it matter whether she’d crossed that balcony right then? Was it part of his orders to keep her away from sensitive conversations? If that were the case, he should have simply walked her right on by.
But he hadn’t. He’d stopped her—deliberately—and held her there while King Melger blew her world to pieces.
Had he wanted her to hear what the king said? Perhaps he’d been trying in a roundabout way to provide answers to the questions she’d posed to Vaniell. Or, perhaps he’d been forcing her to listen in hopes she would somehow reveal her secrets.
If the latter, she was already doomed. Leisa had no doubt her bodyguard could read the panic on her face. Could feel the terror and confusion that left her hands trembling even now, hours later.
Risking a quick glance back over her shoulder, Leisa confirmed that he was still there, still silent, still watching.
After today, it was clear that her future and her success might now depend entirely on him. On his relationship with Melger, and on whether he would tell the king what he knew. Whether he even could, or whether he had a choice.
Her safety might also depend on what the Raven thought of mages, and that, she had no way to know. Not without touching that infernal gem.
And if she touched it, she might accidentally find out what he thought of her, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Did he see her as the pathetic princess he’d been forced to look after? Did he resent her? Plan to kill her eventually? Or did he realize she was also an unwilling participant in all of this?
And why did it matter so much what he thought? Why did she even care?
Leisa’s fists clenched, and her chin came up, so of course, that was when she tripped on the hem of her gown and nearly face planted on the marble floor.
The Raven caught her.
Somehow, he closed the six paces between them and grasped her arm, pulling her up before she even had time to yelp in surprise.
They both paused.