A low rumble of noncommittal noises drifts from Loch and Coulter.

‘She asked if you got it,’ Benny repeats with a glare at the other men. This time, when they respond, they are louder in their agreement. ‘Good. Don’t forget our priorities here. We have a gifting to win,’ he says firmly.

When I walk to the hall, anger stirs, hot and heady. Korvane is such an utter prick. Lots of memories may have faded from my mind since leaving the High Hold, and though I attended only a few of the balls as a child, I’m certain I’ve never experienced anything like this.

The hall is decked out in dark wood, but it’s the ceiling that’s the most breathtaking feature. It’s as high as the temple’s, but here the light comes from massive chandeliers instead of windows. The design of each is deliberate, with six rings stretching outward, like the six rings of a Hold. It’s not exactly subtle, but it is beautiful. What makes me baulk, however, is the choice of candles he’s used to fill it. Smaller, dimmer ones to fill the outer loops, getting larger and brighter until they reach the point right in the centre – the High Hold. It is a brash and arrogant analogy.

Despite the sheer number of Korvane’s people who live there, there are no lights for the slums.

One of us. Yes, I think I am. More than I realised. The depths of the slums have ingrained themselves into me in more ways than the dirt embedded into my skin.

Llinos beams at me. ‘I think we’re supposed to go this way.’ With a slight tug on my arm, she directs us towards a large arched doorway. Though she’s barely taken two steps in when our route is blocked.

My line of sight falls straight on a broad chest I immediately recognise, though it’s not the one I’ve been thinking about almost constantly since the incident in the kitchen. The dark leather jacket he wears is unbuttoned, revealing a crisp cream shirt beneath it, fastened with garnet-coloured buttons, and for a second, all I can do is stare at the hints of tattoos and muscles visible beneath the fabric. A light tan weapons belt is slung around his waist, and the decorative, gem-covered hilt of a dagger pokes out of the top. It’s not something you’d use in an actual fight. Appearance over substance. Like so much of Korvane’s court. Though somehow it doesn’t annoy me as much given the wearer.

‘Jonas?’ As I shift my gaze up to his face, I try to keep my voice sounding as neutral as possible, but it’s hard. You’d have to be dead not to be attracted to him in this moment.

‘Wow, Rose.’ Jonas’s voice is breathy as his eyes wander all the way down my body and back up again. ‘Who knew you could scrub up so well?’ A smile begins to form on his lips, only for his jaw to drop as his brain catches up with how offensive his words were. He flushes bright red. ‘Oh Gods, I didn’t mean, you know … because of the slums or anything. I just mean … I meant …’

‘It’s fine,’ I say, placing my hand on his arm and liking how easily it fits there. ‘I know what you meant. And you don’t look so bad yourself.’

I have no intention of using Jonas as a guard in any of the trials, or when facing Rettlings like Zara, but having Jonas here, in a ballroom full of enemies … well, that’s a comfort I’m willing to accept.

‘Thank you for the gift. The sand bucket,’ I clarify. ‘Very amusing.’

‘Oh, there was no joke involved.’ His lips twist. ‘I just didn’t want you setting fire to the entire barracks before we’ve even got to the first trial.’

I let out a laugh at his warm teasing.

‘So are you going to introduce us?’ Llinos interrupts.

‘Sorry, yes.’ I step back so Jonas can see the rest of my group. ‘Jonas Lorathin of Wrohelm, this is Llinos … Llinos of the Eastern Isles.’ I make a mental note to learn the islanders’ surnames. ‘And this is Jai, Coulter, Loch, and Benny.’

As Benny steps forward to shake his hand, Jonas’s brow furrows.

‘Haven’t we met before?’

‘Probably, if you’ve been dragged along to these things for decades like I have,’ Benny replies with an easy laugh. ‘Now, let’s get in there. I need a drink.’

As Benny and the others head inside, Jonas places his hand on my waist, twisting me around to face him.

‘Rose, before you go in, there’s someone I need to warn you about.’

‘Your father?’ My heart skitters. ‘Is he here?’ I need to make sure he got my message about Kay. Hearing that she’s somewhere safe, where she can keep tabs on how I’m doing, would be the positive news I need to get through the rest of the night.

‘Not yet, no. But look, Rose, I’m not sure how to say this. You just need to know⁠—’

‘Oh fuck,’ Llinos says, her voice loud enough to cut Jonas off. ‘I don’t know if I’m impressed or terrified.’

I follow her line of sight.

Turns out Zara isn’t holed up with the healers after all.

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Chapter 15

Iwish I couldn’t see Zara, a furious scowl on her face and angry burns still marring her skin. The healers have done one hell of a job on the blisters and brought down the swelling, but the evidence of what I did is still clear. Her skin is puckered and pink, the hair on that side of her head gone entirely. Not just shaved but scorched away.

Beside Zara is a slender man with an almost identical face to her own. I assume it’s her brother, Shim. When he sees me staring, he taps his sister on the shoulder. Slowly, she turns to face me. Her choice of outfit is fierce – a dress that’s eighty percent chains and no more than six inches of fabric. It definitely gives the burns room to breathe.

Every muscle in my body clenches as I stand there, bolted to the ground, awaiting whatever pain’s going to come. But there’s nothing. Nothing but my own pulse hammering in my ears as her lips curve into a sneer. Whatever she’s got planned for me now, I have a feeling it’s going to be a hell of a lot worse than when she merely considered me a ‘runt.’

‘I need a drink,’ Jai grunts, and for once I’m grateful for the curtness of his interjections.

‘Yeah, me too,’ I reply, trying to stem the trembling in my knees. I can feel their gazes trained on me – the courtiers, former so-called friends of my family – as my own eyes fall on a redheaded woman. A gasp escapes me. It’s Lora’s mother, and she hasn’t aged a day. Only … my stomach sinks as I realise it’s not her mother at all. It’s Lora herself. I hastily look away.

As I continue to scan the scene, I wonder how many among the crowd have placed bets that I’ll be dead by the end of the first trial and how many don’t expect me to even get that far. Now, more than ever, I’m glad I went down to the kitchens earlier, and not just because it meant I met Llinos and her gang; I’m not sure my stomach could handle anything right now.

Along the side of the main ballroom, there are a series of archways that lead into different corridors and, I assume, more rooms where the real action takes place. My father always said that balls are never about dancing or drinking. They’re for clandestine meetings, mingling, information gathering, and forming alliances.

‘Okay, Wrohelm,’ Benny says to Jonas after Jai’s grabbed a full tray of drinks from a waiter. ‘Since you’re hanging around with us, you can make yourself useful. Who’s our biggest competitor?’

‘Really?’ Coulter looks up at Benny. ‘We don’t even get tonight off?’

‘You can if you want,’ Benny replies, ‘but I intend to use my time wisely, as I’m sure all the people who want a chance of actually winning this thing will do.’

I shoot Coulter a sympathetic smile. Maybe it’s because of his age, but I get the feeling this event, with the drinks and the glamour and the eight-piece musical ensemble, is a far bigger deal to him than the others. I can only imagine how giddy Kay would be if she were here.

‘There’ll be plenty more,’ I remind him. ‘One after each trial.’