Page 15 of The Half King
She clenched her jaw, refusing to answer him. Clearly, he had heard the same rumor that Daerick had told her about. And she had been right in predicting that the king would hate her when he learned the truth.
The king’s gaze dipped to the throbbing pulse point at the base of her throat. One corner of his lips curved up. He thrust his dagger into the trellis and then began inching toward her. “Do you want to know how I can tell you have no Sight?” he asked. “True Seers possess a calm that comes from the ability to See the paths around them. But you’re more frightened than a rabbit staring down a viper, aren’t you?”
Her confident mask slipped. He couldn’t possibly know about the rabbit kit and the lowland flamewinder, could he?
“Let me predict something for you, my lady of the temple.” His voice, already deep, turned sinister. “Youwillfind evil here, in the most unexpected places. By the time the shadows consume me and I dissolve into nothing, you’ll wish you could forget all the things the temple has hidden from you.”
Cerise swallowed hard and held her ground at first. But as he quickened his steps, advancing toward her with no hint of stopping, she scurried backward, nearly tripping over the hem of her gown. His tall, broad frame began to fade at the edges, curling into smoke. Still he advanced, until she was certain their bodies would collide. She balled her fists and closed her eyes, tensing for the blow, but instead of impact, a cool breeze rushed over her, brushing back her hair.
She opened her eyes and blinked.
All that remained of the king was a pile of clothing at her feet.
5
The next morning, Cerise made it her mission to seek out Daerick Calatris. Her face hadn’t stopped flushing with embarrassment since her disastrous first meeting with the king, and after another long night of restless sleep, she no longer cared whether His Majesty had dismissed his court, or if his meetings had been cancelled, or if he had withdrawn from his responsibilities and absolved Cerise of hers.
She was tired of feeling like a failure.
The title of emissary belonged to her now—for better or for worse—and she would perform her duties with honor. Sightless as she was, she had other skills. She was better read than anyone else at the temple, having spent night after night with her nose buried in books, trying to find a way to bring about her gift. With any luck, Daerick would teach her what her duties entailed.
And she didn’t have to leave her room to find him. He appeared at her suite before she had even finished her breakfast. He knocked twice and announced himself from the corridor.
When she opened the door to let him inside, it took her a moment to recognize him, dressed as he was in the gauzy linen of a laborer instead of silk finery. “Lord Calatris,” she greeted in a tone that was more of a question.
“Good morning, my lady.” Daerick indicated his plain clothes and extended a matching bundle of folded garments to her. “I know what you’re thinking:How is Daerick so devilishly handsome, even in the garb of a peasant?”
“Yes, you read my thoughts,” she said, playing along with his game. She took the folded clothes and smelled them. She found them clean, which was a relief, as it seemed she was meant to put them on. “Please don’t keep me in suspense, my lord.”
“I have a surprise for you.” He pointed at the clothes he had given her. “But first, you have to change into that cap and dress.”
She arched an eyebrow. Impersonating a stranger didn’t seem like a good sort of surprise.
“The king has invited us to accompany him into the city,” Daerick told her. “I accepted on behalf of both of us, because there’s someplace I want to take you. And in that particular part of the city, it’s best if we don’t draw too much attention to ourselves.”
“So you want us to dress as commoners,” Cerise said. “But won’t we draw attention to ourselves anyway by traveling with the king?”
“Yes and no. He won’t be with us for long.”
“Where is it you want to take me?”
“So many questions!” he complained.
“And so few answers…”
“All right,” he said, “I’d rather tell you when we get there. Strictly speaking, our destination isn’t considered fitting for a lady of the temple. I don’t want to put you in a position of having to lie to anyone like Father Padron, who might intercept you and ask where we’re going today.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.” And though Daerick didn’t know it, he’d already put her in a position of having to lie by telling her she was going somewhere that was not appropriate for a lady of her station. “I was hoping you would show me the former emissary’s office and help me learn her duties. Did you find her journal?”
“Not yet, but I will. I promise.” Daerick leaned down and peered intently at her. “The emissary’s office isn’t going anywhere. But for the errand I have in mind, we have only today. Do this one favor for me, and then I’ll teach you anything you want.”
“Do you promise it’s safe?”
“I give you my word.”
“All right, then. We have a deal.”
She ushered Daerick out of her suite so she could change from her temple gown into the plainsmen clothes he had brought her. The outfit was a simple one that included a beige linen dress with long, loose sleeves to protect her arms from the sun and a long hemline to cover her legs to the ankles. She tucked her hair into a matching beige cap, slipped her feet into the plain leather sandals she had worn during summers at the temple, and then met Daerick in the corridor.
