Page 98 of In Violent Waves

“Cyrus,” Blondie whispered. “Watch your tongue.”

The mouthy, dark-haired one, Cyrus, glared at Lyra and stalked out of her room.

“My apologies, my lady. I will send someone to clean that up,” Blondie said before pulling her door closed.

Interesting, so they would rush in here the mere moment they assumed she was trying to escape. She wouldn’t be able to unless she did it very, very quietly.

A light knock on the door pulled her from her plans of escape.

“Your Highness,” Daisy trilled through the door.

“Come in!”

Daisy pushed open the door. Her periwinkle hair was braided up into a crown, with tiny chamomile flowers placed throughout.

“I love your hair,” Lyra gushed and then froze. Where in the world had that come from?

Daisy paused, patting her hair and then smiling. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

She walked closer and saw the shattered teacup. Lyra feigned distress.

“I’m so sorry. I was stretching, and it was an accident.”

It wasn’t a lie, but all the best lies were like that. A bit of truth wrapped in.

“Not to worry. I’ll have this squared away in no time. In the meantime, I’ll draw you a bath.”

“Oh, I can do that myself,” Lyra offered, sliding out of the other side of the bed. She had watched Daisy do it enough times that she thought she could manage.

“Oh no, that is most ill-mannered. A lady never draws her bath.”

And with that, Daisy scurried into the bathing chamber and got to work. Lyra walked with a sluggish gait and yawned and stretched.

By the time she had reached the bath, Daisy had already doled out the salts and was adding the oils to the steaming tub.

“What did you do?” Lyra asked, wondering what luxurious oils were added this time.

“Excuse me?” Daisy spluttered, whirling around. Her face pinched, wrinkles marched across her brows, and her lips were drawn so thin they were practically gone.

“Which oils did you use this time? It smells lovely—but different.”

Daisy’s pinched face relaxed. “I used citrus and yarrow. To help with your energy and pain.”

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure. I’ll clean up the cup and set out your training clothes for today.” Daisy strode with haste out of the bathing room.

Standing there alone, Lyra gazed around the room. The little voice inside her whispered that something wasn’t right. She sniffed at the oils. Nothing about them smelled unusual or dangerous. And she didn’t peg Daisy as an assassin. She dipped her fingertips into the warm water and closed her eyes.

What was she searching for?

But when there was no burning or dissolving of her flesh, she shrugged the encounter off to Daisy being nervous around her still.

Lyra shrugged out of her nightclothes and slipped into the water. It was still comforting after so much time on land to submerge herself in its weightlessness. She closed her eyes andimagined herself floating through the current, twirling through kelp forests, and near the reef.

It was splendid with its magical colors and plethora of life. That was the only part of the ocean that wasn’t dark or twisted. Then again, she liked that part, too.

She was dark and twisted.