Chapter A Soul of Ash and Blood: THE MAIDEN SPEAKS

The following afternoon, the Maiden was quiet as we stood outside one of the halls that led to the kitchens, waiting for Tawny to return.

She stood as quiet as ever, her chin dipped, and her hands clasped loosely at her waist. “Is there anything you need while we wait?”

She shook her head.

“Did you rest well last night?”

She nodded.

I bit the inside of my cheek. That was how she responded to any question I asked. A nod or a shake of the head. She hadn’t spoken to me. Nor had she talked in front of me.

Thinking about what I’d overheard her and Tawny discussing, I fought a grin. She would have to speak in my presence at some point. She had to know that.

Tawny returned before I could pester her with any more inane questions, the edges of her skirt snapping at her heels. She lifted a plate of sliced sandwiches. “Look what I got!” she exclaimed. “Your favorite.”

The Maiden smiled. Kind of. The corners of her lips at least curved upward.

“What’s your favorite?” I asked, my hand resting on the hilt of my sword.

The Maiden quickly turned her head away.

“Cucumber,” Tawny answered, several tight, caramel-hued curls slipping free of their twist to fall over her shoulder as she shot a not-so-covert, narrowed-eye look at the Maiden as she started walking down yet another hall. “What’s your favorite, Hawke?”

“My favorite sandwich?” I pondered, noticing how the Maiden tilted her head slightly to listen. “I’m not sure I have one.”

“Everyone has a favorite sandwich,” Tawny insisted. “Mine is salmon-cucumber, which Poppy thinks is disgusting.”

. That nickname was…cute. Fitting in an odd way since the Maiden wasn’t exactly someone I’d think of as being . Although her refusing to speak in front of me was…decidedly adorable. “I have to agree with her.”

Tawny scoffed, her lips pursing. “Have you tried it?”

I shook my head. “And I don’t plan to.”

The Maiden’s lips twitched, but there was no smile.

“Then what is your favorite?” Tawny asked after giving a rather dramatic sigh that even Emil would’ve found impressive.

“I suppose anything with meat,” I decided, shrugging the weight of what I liked to refer to as my how-to-get-yourself-killed-quickly-in-battle mantle over my shoulder. If I were fighting someone wearing one, it would be the first thing I grabbed.

“Well, that is the most typical guy thing I’ve ever heard,” Tawny retorted.

Chuckling, I trailed after them, and like the day before, any servant or member of the household staff we passed stopped in their tracks and stared. Tawny and the Maiden proceeded as if unaware, but there was no way they didn’t notice. Unless they had grown accustomed to it.

Entering a hall with shimmering white and gold tapestries, we ended up in the bright, airy atrium Wardwell had said the Maiden preferred. I chose a position where I had a view of the entire space and the section of the garden it overlooked. Tawny did most of—if not all—the talking while they picked at the sandwiches. She spoke about the upcoming Rite and then relatively harmless gossip about which Lords and Ladies were suspected of sneaking off together. All the while, I kept my focus on the Maiden. She was meticulous while eating, each small movement seeming thought out beforehand, even if it were to sip from her tea or handle the linen napkins.

Footsteps and the sound of giggles drew my attention to the entryway. Two young Ladies in Wait appeared, one dark-haired and carrying a pouch, and the other blond. I’d seen them on the castle grounds a few times, watching the guards training. What were their names? Loren and Dafina? I thought so, but which was which was beyond me. And, honestly, it didn’t matter as my attention shifted to the Maiden.

I closely watched as the two Ladies in Wait took the chairs near the Maiden, wariness creeping its way through me. From what Wardwell had explained, the Maiden wasn’t to interact with others except for Tawny, but neither attempted to leave.

I had a choice. I could either behave as her guard and escort her back to her chambers, where she would likely stay for who knew how long, or I could follow her lead on this. And since I thought the rules were a load of crap, I went with the latter.

A part of me regretted it within the first few minutes after the two Ladies in Wait arrived.

They quickly became quite the…handful, prattling excitedly and loudly about everything. Yet I somehow had no idea what it was they spoke about. The thread of their conversation was hard to follow.

But what I did take note of was the subtle change that came over the Maiden. I couldn’t say she had appeared all that relaxed when it was just her and Tawny, but she had at least been…comfortable, I supposed. Her posture not nearly as rigid as it was now. I couldn’t even fathom how someone sat that straight and still. Was she forced to wear one of those bone corsets I knew many of the wealthy favored beneath the gown? The dress she wore today was different than the one the day before. More elaborate. Her sleeves were long and flowing, leaving me to wonder how she managed not to drag them across the sandwiches each time she stretched for her tea. The gown’s neckline damn near reached her neck, causing my throat to itch. My gaze dropped to her shoulders and the beaded bodice. The material appeared thin, so I doubted a corset was beneath it. The posture was all her. I eyed her lower half. Her hands were folded in her lap.

Was she carrying that dagger?

I shifted my stance, then noticed that her white-slippered feet had disappeared beneath the hem of her gown. The way she sat made it appear as if she had no hands or feet.

The blonde snapped her fan, reflexively catching my attention. That was likely one of the reasons I found it hard to decipher what they spoke about. She peered at me from behind the laced edges of her fan, her large blue eyes filled with more than just a welcome. It was a promise.

Ladies in Wait weren’t required to be all that strict with whom they spent their time or how they chose to do so, but I was already very well aware of that.

The dark-haired one could not stay seated, leaving the mask she had been sewing tiny jewels onto on the table as she peered out into the garden, watching some bird outside. She was likely only at the windows for a few moments before a soft thump and the subsequent tinkle of crystals could be heard. I looked to see jewels of all colors under the sun spill out from the pouch the dark-haired one had been carrying for some reason.

“Oh, no!” she gasped, staring at the mess in such a desperate, helpless manner one would’ve thought she’d dropped a babe. “My crystals!”

“That was entirely clumsy of you, Loren,” Tawny drawled from where she sat watching her.

“I know!” Loren knelt in a dramatic flourish of silk and lace and began picking up each crystal, one by one.

“Allow me to be of aid.” I strode forward.

“Oh, that is so kind of you,” Loren beamed, straightening. “You’re so incredibly gallant.”

“I try,” I murmured, scooping up the crystals and dumping them into the pouch. Rising, I offered it back to her.

“Thank you.” Loren took the bag, her hand gliding over mine in the process. “Thank you so very much.”

Fighting a grin, I nodded and gave her a curt bow before returning to my corner. I wasn’t there long before the blonde halted midway to the table with refreshments.

“Oh, my.” Dafina lifted a limp hand to her forehead. “I feel so dizzy.” She began to sway.

Good gods…

I went to her side before she ended up in a pile of blue silk, like the crystals scattered upon the floor. “Here.” I took hold of her elbow, and she all but fell into my side. “You should sit,” I advised, leading her back to the chaise near the Maiden. “Would you like me to retrieve a drink for you?”

“If you’d be so kind.” Dafina batted her thickly lashed eyes. “Mint water, if you could.” She looked at the others, waving her fan. “It is so terribly warm in here, is it not?”

“Not really.” Tawny looked on, unimpressed.

I had no idea what the Maiden thought as I poured a glass of the mint water.

“It must be the warmth that has made me so clumsy,” Loren chimed in as I handed the water to the other Lady in Wait, once more having my hand touched in a way that felt more like fondling. Loren had now sprawled herself across the chaise, curving her body so one would have to be utterly unobservant to notice how low-cut her gown had become. How suddenly low-cut of their gowns had become. “I do say, it has given me such a frightening headache.”

Tawny sighed, rolling her eyes.

Beside her, the Maiden dipped her chin.

Unperturbed, Loren pressed two delicate fingers to her temple, and I suspected she was on the verge of slipping from the chaise.

“Then I suggest you make sure you stay seated,” I said, thinking to nip any attempts of her rising in the bud. I gave her a smile that had opened many closed doors to me in the past, flashing a dimple. “All right?”

Loren stared at my mouth as she dropped her hand from her temple to the lace of her bodice, her boldness amusing. She nodded.

Giving them all one more smile, I returned to my station. When both Ladies turned their attention to Tawny, I breathed a small sigh of relief.

“You know what I heard?” Dafina asked, snapping her fan as she glanced in my direction. She lowered her voice, but I easily heard everything she said. “Someone has been a rather frequent visitor of one of those…one of those dens in the city.”

“Dens?” Tawny asked, and I realized this was the first time she’d interacted with them outside of commenting on their clumsiness and apparent weak constitution.

Dafina tipped her upper body forward. “You know the kind, where men and women often go to play cards and games.”

Tawny lifted her brows. “You’re talking about the Red Pearl?”

The Maiden sat as still as the limestone statues I could see in the garden.

“I was trying to be discreet.” Dafina sighed, looking at the Maiden. “But, yes.”

I bit the inside of my mouth as I briefly shifted my attention to the glass panels above us.

“And what have you heard he does at such a place?” Tawny asked, the skirt of her gown moving and the toe of her slipper appearing—

The Maiden jerked slightly.

Did Tawny just the Maiden under the table?

“I imagine he’s there to play cards, right? Or do you…?” Tawny pressed a hand to her chest, leaning back in her chair. “Or do you think he engages in other more illicit…games?”

“I’m sure playing cards is all he does.” Loren raised an eyebrow as she pressed her fan against her chest. “If that is all he does, then that would be a…disappointment.”

I didn’t think she’d be disappointed.

Mostly.

I hadn’t returned to the Red Pearl since the night the Maiden was there, and I had been there nearly every night before that.

“I imagine he does what everyone does when they go there,” Tawny said. “Finds someone to spend…quality time with.” She tilted her head slightly to the Maiden.

I had to bite harder on the inside of my lip.

“You shouldn’t suggest such things in current company,” Dafina admonished.

Tawny choked on her tea while I almost choked on my breath.

“I imagine if Miss Willa were alive today, she would’ve snared him in her web,” Loren said. “And then wrote about him in her diary.”

Who was this Miss Willa?

“I heard that she only wrote about her most skilled…

,” Dafina added, laughing softly. “So, if he made it onto those pages, you know what that means.”

I was flattered they’d already decided I would be skilled enough to make it into this diary.

Unfortunately, their conversation moved on from my perceived to the Rite, though I still occupied their thoughts based on how Loren and Dafina continued stealing glances in my direction.

But they weren’t the only ones.

The Maiden looked, too.

I couldn’t see her eyes, but there was a slight tilt of her head in my direction. What really let me know was the odd prickle at the nape of my neck that I would not ask Kieran about because, knowing him, he’d probably say it was my conscience.

“I do hope you-know-who isn’t in the city like some are saying,” Dafina said. “If so, they may cancel the Rite.”

“They won’t cancel the Rite,” Loren assured. “And I don’t think it’s an if.” She glanced at the Maiden, then sent her friend a meaningful look. “You know that it has to mean that he’s near.” Her chin lifted. “Prince Casteel.”

Damn.

Did she just say my actual name? Usually, I was only referred to as the Dark One.

Dafina frowned. “Because of the…” She glanced not-so-coyly at the Maiden. “Because of the attack?”

“Besides that.” Loren’s attention returned to the mask she was currently sewing a red crystal to. The corners of my lips turned down. How many damn colors were on that thing? “I overheard Britta saying so this morning.”

“The maid?” Dafina scoffed.

“Yes, the maid.” Loren lifted her chin even higher. “They know everything.”

That was true.

Mostly.

Dafina laughed. “Everything?”

She nodded. “People speak about in front of them. No matter how intimate or private. It’s almost like they are ghosts in a room. There is nothing they don’t overhear.”

“What did Britta say?” Tawny placed her cup down.

“She said that Prince Casteel had been spotted in Three Rivers,” Loren said. “That it was he who started the fire that took Duke Everton’s life.”

I did start the fire.

But Duke Everton was already dead by then.

“How could anyone claim that?” Tawny demanded. “No one who has ever seen the Dark One will speak of what he looks like or has lived long enough to give any description of him.”

“I don’t know about that,” Dafina countered. “I heard from Ramsey that he is bald and has pointy ears, and is pale, just like…you know what.”

Well, that was…offensive. I did not look like a Craven, which was what they insinuated.

“Ramsey? One of His Grace’s stewards?” Tawny challenged. “I should’ve stated, how could anyone claim that?”

“Britta claims that the few who’ve seen Prince Casteel say he’s actually quite handsome,” Loren tacked on.

“Oh, really?” Dafina murmured.

Loren nodded. “She said that was how he gained access to Goldcrest Manor. That Duchess Everton developed a relationship of a physical nature with him without realizing who he was, and that was how he was able to move freely through the manor.”

Part of that was true. My appearance had gotten me easy access to the manor. That was about it, though.

“Nearly all of what she says turns out to be true.” Loren shrugged, picking up a green jewel, an emerald one that reminded me of the Maiden’s eyes. “So, she could be right about Prince Casteel.”

“You should really stop saying that name.” Tawny smiled thinly as the two focused on her. “If someone overhears you, you’ll be sent to the Temples faster than you can say ‘I knew better.’”

Loren laughed. “I’m not worried. I’m not foolish enough to say such things where I can be overheard, and I doubt anyone present will say anything.”

“What…what if he was actually here?” Loren shuddered. “In the city now? What if that was how he gained access to Castle Teerman?” Something akin to excitement filled her tone. “Befriended someone here or perhaps even poor Malessa.”

“You don’t sound all that concerned by the prospect,” Tawny pointed out, picking up her cup. “To be blunt, you sound excited.”

“Excited? No. Intrigued? Possibly.” She lowered the mask to her lap, sighing. My brows rose. “Some days are just so dreadfully dull.”

“So, a good old rebellion may liven things up for you? Dead men and women and children are a source of entertainment?”

The looks of surprise on Loren’s and Dafina’s faces surely mirrored mine as shock rolled through me. I slowly turned my head to the Maiden. That had been her. She had spoken.

.

Loren recovered first. “I suppose I…I might’ve misspoken, Maiden. I apologize.”

“Please ignore Loren,” begged Dafina. “Sometimes, she speaks without any thought and means nothing by it.”

Loren nodded emphatically.

The Maiden said nothing as her head remained turned in their direction. However, there was no doubt in my mind they felt that hidden stare because they quickly departed after that.

“I think you scared them,” Tawny remarked.

The Maiden took a drink, and my eyes narrowed at how her hand trembled slightly. I stiffened, glancing at the door.

“Poppy.” Tawny touched her arm. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, placing the cup on the table. “Yes, I’m just…” She seemed unsure what to say in those moments.

I imagined that Dafina’s and Loren’s careless words had made her think of Keal. My jaw flexed.

“I’m okay,” the Maiden continued, her voice low. “I just can’t believe what Loren said.”

“Neither can I,” Tawny agreed. “But she’s always been…amused by the most morbid things. Like Dafina said, she means nothing by it.”

She nodded.

Tawny leaned toward her. “What are you going to do?” Tawny whispered.

“About the Dark One possibly being in the city?” The Maiden sounded confused.

“What? No.” Tawny squeezed her arm. “About him.”

“Him?”

The Maiden’s head tilted in my direction.

“Yes. Him.” Tawny let go of her arm. “Unless there’s another guy you’ve made out with while your identity was concealed.”

Okay, this was a far better conversation.

“Yes. There are many. They have an actual club,” the Maiden replied with the dryness I’d heard in her voice at the Red Pearl. “There’s nothing for me to do.”

“Have you even spoken to him?” Tawny asked.

“No.”

“You do realize you will have to actually speak in front of him at some point,” Tawny informed her, and yet again, she proved she was my favorite person in the kingdom.

“I’m speaking right now,” the Maiden argued, and I swallowed a laugh. She was speaking so low I knew she believed I couldn’t hear her.

Tawny called her out on that in the next heartbeat. “You’re whispering, Poppy.

can barely hear you.”

“You can hear me just fine.”

Tawny shook her head. “I have no idea how you haven’t confronted him yet. I understand the risks involved, but I would have to know if he recognized me. And if he did, why hasn’t he said anything?”

“It’s not like I don’t want to know, but there’s…” She trailed off, her veiled face turning to mine.

Again, I felt that stare, and the odd prickle at the nape of my neck worked its way down my spine. And as crazy as it all sounded, I didn’t see that damn veil. I saw : face bare, stubborn and proud, with her chin lifted.

Left uneasy by the intensity of that vision and irritated with myself for standing there thinking idiotic things, I looked at the entry when I heard someone approaching. One of the Duke’s Royal Guards appeared. He gave a curt lift of his chin. Glancing over at the two women, I quickly made my way to the doors.

“His Grace has summoned the Maiden to his offices on the fourth floor.”

“Understood.” I turned from the Royal Guard, wondering what the Duke could want.

“He’s just doing his job,” the Maiden was saying. “And I…I just lost track of what I was saying.”

“Is that so?” Tawny replied, tone as dry as the Wastelands of the east.

“Of course.” She smoothed her hands over the lap of her gown.

“So, he was just making sure you’re still alive and—”

“Breathing?” I suggested, coming to stand by their table. Both jumped slightly. “Since I am responsible for keeping her alive, making sure she’s breathing would be a priority.”

The Maiden stiffened.

Tawny lifted a napkin to her mouth, appearing as if she were attempting to smother herself. “I’m relieved to hear that,” she managed.

I grinned at her. “If not, I’d be remiss in my duty, would I not?”

“Ah, yes, your duty.” Tawny removed her napkin. “Between protecting Poppy with your life and limb and gathering spilled crystals, you’re very busy.”

“Don’t forget assisting weak Ladies in Wait to the nearest chair before they faint,” I added, glancing at the Maiden and in no hurry to answer the Duke’s summons. “I am a man of many talents.”

“I’m sure you are.” Tawny returned my grin.

“Your faith in my skills warms my heart.” I looked at the Maiden. “Poppy?”

Her mouth clamped shut so quickly, I wondered if she cracked a molar.

“It’s her nickname,” Tawny explained. “Only her friends call her that. And her brother.”

“Ah, the one who lives in the capital?” I asked of her—the Maiden.

The tension in her jaw eased a bit, and then she nodded.

“Poppy,” I repeated. “I like it.”

The corners of her lips turned up. It wasn’t much of a smile, but it was something.

“Is there a threat of stray crystals we need to be aware of, or is there something you need, Hawke?” Tawny asked.

“There are many things I’m in need of,” I said, giving the Maiden a grin. I was immediately rewarded with a faint flush spreading across her jaw. “But we’ll need to discuss that later. You’ve been summoned by the Duke, Penellaphe. I’m to escort you to him at once.”

I hadn’t been around the two that long, but I noticed their moods change immediately. Tawny’s teasing vanished, as did her grin. The Maiden had stilled again for a few heartbeats, and then a smile appeared as she rose. A tight, smile.

“I’ll await you in your chambers,” Tawny told her.

Their reactions had alarm bells ringing as the Maiden eased past me. I followed behind and walked slightly at her side as we entered the foyer. Her hands were twisting once more, but no servants moved about as we neared the staircase. The alarms continued going off.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

She nodded.

I didn’t believe that for one second. “Both you and your maid seemed disturbed by the summons.”

“Tawny is not a maid,” she responded and immediately sucked in a sharp breath.

She hadn’t meant to respond to me.

I hadn’t expected her to be so defensive regarding her companion. Her . I thought of how the Duke had claimed the Maiden had a habit of not setting boundaries. I was really glad to hear that was apparently the truth. It made things easier for me. But why in the whole wide realm of fucks did it matter if the Maiden had a friend?

Either way, I wanted to shout in triumph that I’d gotten her to speak to me and now knew how to get her to respond.

Irritate her, and that tongue of hers would move.

I kept my expression blank as I asked, “Is she not? She may be a Lady in Wait, but I was advised that she was duty-bound to be your lady’s maid.” I had been told no such thing, and I also knew the difference between a maid and a lady’s maid. The latter held rank. The other didn’t. “Your companion.”

“She is, but she’s not. She’s…” She turned her head in my direction as the staircase curved. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing is wrong.”

I looked down at her, a brow raising.

“What—?” Her foot snagged on the gown, causing her to misstep. I caught her by the elbow, steadying her. “Thank you,” she muttered.

There was that…spunky attitude—the fire I’d seen in her. “No insincere thanks are required or needed. It is my duty to keep you safe. Even from treacherous staircases.”

She drew in a deep, audible breath. “My gratitude was not insincere.”

Noting the irritation in her tone, I grinned. “My apologies, then.”

We reached the third-floor landing, taking the left that led to the castle’s newer wing. She was quiet once more, as usual, and I used the time to plot what to say to her next. She was clearly worried I’d recognized her and would report it, which was just silly. But did she really believe I didn’t recognize her voice? Or hadn’t seen enough of her features that night at the Red Pearl to know it was her when she was unveiled? She didn’t strike me as being that foolish. Perhaps she to believe I hadn’t recognized her, despite what she had said to Tawny.

Reaching the wide, wooden doors at the end of the hall, I purposely made sure my arm brushed hers as I opened one side. Her lips parted slightly in response. I held the door for her, waiting for her to enter.

“Watch your step,” I said, even though the spiral staircase was well-lit from the numerous oval-shaped windows along the wall. I didn’t think she’d trip again, but I was confident I’d get another response out of her. “You trip and fall here, you’re likely to take me out on your way down.”

She huffed. “I won’t trip.”

“But you just did.”

“That was a rarity.”

“Well, then, I feel honored that I bore witness to it.” I eased past her, fighting a laugh. “I’ve seen you before, you know.”

Her breath hitched.

“I’ve seen you on the lower balconies.” I held open the door to the fourth floor. “Watching me train.”

“I wasn’t watching you. I was—”

“Taking in the fresh air? Waiting for your lady’s maid, who is not a maid?” I caught her elbow once more, stopping her. I lowered my head until I was a few inches from her veil-covered ear. “Perhaps I was mistaken,” I spoke, my voice low. “And it wasn’t you.”

There it was again, the catch in her breath. Those tiny reactions were a good sign. “You are mistaken,” she said, her voice softer but not in that submissive way.

One side of my lips tipped up as I let go of her arm. That veiled head tilted toward mine, a ghost of a smile on her lips. One not as tight. Nor as practiced. I stepped into the hall, spotting two Royal Guards stationed outside the quarters where I’d first spoken to the Duke. I waited for her, but she had gone still again. I looked down, finding that she wasn’t looking at me but at the two Royal Guards down the hall.

“Penellaphe?” I questioned.

She jerked slightly and then took another deep breath. She clasped her hands together and moved forward. The two Royal Guards stared ahead, not looking at her as she stopped before them. One started to open the door, but she turned her head back to me.

Something about that made me wish I could see all of her face. Those warning bells renewed as my gaze flicked to the doors of the Duke’s office.

“I’ll wait for you here,” I assured her.

There was a moment of hesitation, and then she nodded, turning away. The Royal Guard opened the door wide enough for her to enter, just enough for the Ascended’s faint, stale-sweet scent to waft out. As she left my line of sight, the urge to follow hit hard and unexpectedly. More of those warning bells I’d been experiencing. They were even louder now.

I strained to hear anything beyond the doors, but there was nothing. The walls in the newer parts of the castle were thicker.

My hand tightened on the hilt of the sword as I eyed the two Royal Guards. I didn’t recognize either of them. “Is this common?” I asked, nodding at the door.

The darker-skinned one answered after a moment. “Not too common.”

That wasn’t much of an answer. “How long do these…meetings take?”

Again, the one who spoke hesitated. “Depends.”

I glanced at the other guard. He stared straight ahead as if he heard nothing of the conversation. I looked between the two, sure they had witnessed some horrific shit.

Atrocities they had decided they could live with knowing.

I could force them to tell me what they’d seen—the things involving her—but using compulsion was too great a risk. Some mortals were resistant, remembering everything they were compelled to do.

Instead, I sent a steward to get Vikter. Maybe he could tell me what was going on.

A muscle ticked in my jaw, as did the time while I committed both guards’ faces to memory. About ten minutes passed before the doors at the end of the hall swung open, and Wardwell entered, his white mantle streaming behind him. He motioned me forward as he stopped several feet away.

I didn’t move. Not for several seconds. It was like my damn feet were rooted to the floor. Glancing at the doors to the Duke’s office, I forced myself to move and join Wardwell.

“How long has she been in there?” he asked, dragging a hand over the sandy strands of his hair.

“A little over ten minutes,” I answered, noting how the creases at the corners of his eyes had deepened. “What does the Duke want with her?”

“He likely wanted to discuss her upcoming Ascension,” he answered, attention focused on the doors behind me. “I will take over from here and continue for the rest of the day.”

Everything in me went on alert. “My shift doesn’t end for several hours.”

“I know.” His gaze shifted to mine. “But I’m here now. You got a problem with that, take it up with the Duke.”

Irritation flared deep, and energy ramped up in my core. I felt the compulsion to make him tell me what was going on building in me as I snagged Wardwell’s gaze. I had to fight it back. Knowing my luck, this fucker would be one who remembered everything they did while under compulsion.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the urge down. I looked over my shoulder at those closed doors. “She…”

“She what?” he pushed when I didn’t finish.

She’d looked at me as if she needed assurance that I’d be out here, waiting for her.

And that should’ve pleased me. It meant that she was already starting to trust me, despite my short time as her guard. I figured the Red Pearl had a lot to do with that, but either way, I needed it from her. Trust. However, nothing about this sat right with me.

“Hawke,” Wardwell snapped.

“Nothing,” I said, tearing my gaze from the doors. I smiled at the older Royal Guard. “Good day.”

Then I walked away.

I left the fourth floor.

I left the Maiden.