honestly have no idea how that fight would go? She’d be dead in a heartbeat. A sense of wrath slid through my bones, darkening the room around us. Crushing my enemies to dust was the one thing that fulfilled me.
Was she my enemy?
She turned to face me, and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “It was just for self-defense.”
So she did oppose me. Fool. Nothing could kill me. I handed it back to her. “Is this all you brought with you? The knife?”
“My suitcase was trampled outside in the chaos.”
“Your boss Ernald told me you can write well in Clovian and in Albian.”
She looked up at me, her dark eyes wide. Silence stretched out.
“You can’t write in Clovian or Albian.” Had I made a mistake?
She shook her head. “There must have been a miscommunication.”
Liar. “Is that what it was?”
“I can learn.”
“I take it you do know what an amanuensis is.”
Her eyebrows crept up. “Not a courtesan, then?”
“No. Someone who takes dictation for my correspondences.”
“Why did you want to hire me?”
Excellent question. Why had fate led me to her? “I’m still asking myself that question. But it seems we have a problem if you can’t write.”
She sat on the edge of my desk. “I’m good at other things.”
“In your role as courtesan.”
“Unlike you, I’m good at going unnoticed,” she said.
“I find that hard to believe.” I studied her. Was this what my dreams had wanted me to do with her? “What else?”
“I can read lips from afar.”
“Okay … I suppose I could use an effective spy.”
Her eyes brightened. “You want information? Secrets? I can sneak through the shadows. No one knows I’m there. I can report back things no one wanted you to hear.”
Interesting. As it happened, I very much wanted something. “I will give you one night to prove your worth to me. If you are the right person, we will soon know. I will be attending a party, and you will come as my guest. You will join me on Thorn Island, in the palace.”
“And what exactly do you want me to do?”
“Your first task will be to feign subtle affection for me.”
She frowned, looking unsure. “Why?”
I found my gaze sliding down her body. “I will tell you only what you need to know. The second thing I need is for you to listen in to the conversations of those around you. Go unnoticed. I want you to find out whatever you can about the Free Men. But don’t let anyone else know I’m interested.”
Something in her eyes seemed to spark at this information, like she was storing it up for later use.
“Do you know who the Free Men are?” I asked.
“Patriots. Or so I hear.”
Anger darkened my mind. “Well that’s quite the euphemism.”
“I’ve only just heard of them today. I don’t think they’re from my part of the city. And what if I pass this test tonight?”
“Then you get to keep your money and remain in my employ. But Zahra, if I find that you are disloyal to me, that you are working against me or subverting my goals, you will of course be killed. Executed. In my court, disloyalty is death.”
“I understand. I just saw the beheading, after all.” She cocked her head. “Just so I know, did you take out a woman’s lungs by any chance, pose them like wings? Would you feel guilt for something like that?”
Her dress had been ripped and muddied in the chaos outside. Dirt smudged her tan shoulders. She needed to bathe. Why was I so fixated on her body?
I gritted my teeth, pulling my gaze away from her. What on earth was she talking about? “Guilt? I don’t understand the emotion. I have a purpose, that’s all.” I paused at the doorway, then turned to her. “And you will need to learn to read.”
I left the room, marching into the chilly hall, but I kept thinking of the sound she’d made—that little gasp when I brushed her skin.
Somehow, she was the one who’d help me become King of the Fallen, though I didn’t yet know how. My dreams had told me what she’d look like, that she’d be going by the name Zahra. But I certainly hadn’t anticipated that I’d be seeking the help of an illiterate courtesan. I supposed fate could be surprising.
I pushed through a door into a stairwell, my heart racing like I was gearing up for battle. Zahra had thrown me off balance somehow. As if sensing a threat, I reached for Asmodai, but