Page 42 of The Shadowbound King

“You’re going to get ink on your shirt,” I said.

He looked down, then jerked his arms off the ledger. Twisting his arm, he examined his elbow. Sure enough, a small ink stain spread over the cloth.

“Fuck,” he muttered. He snatched the quill from the desk and gestured toward me. “It’s your fault. I can’t think with all that creaking.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll try to be quieter in my cage.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You do that,” he said after a second. He went back to writing, one big palm flat on the opposite page. A tendril of red hair escaped his queue and dangled over the parchment. “I should make you look at this,” he mumbled after a second. “Give you something to do besides irritate me.”

“What is it?”

Andrin looked up. He stabbed the quill into its holder and sat back. “Household accounts.” He stared at the ledger books spread over his desk. “I’m…not the best at reconciliation.”

Curiosity drew me forward, and I curled my fingers around the bars as I peered at his desk. “Isn’t that a job for Ginhad?”

Andrin raised his eyebrows at me. “Youhavespent more than five minutes around Ginhad, yes?”

I couldn’t hold back my smile. “I guess I can see your point.”

“He has his strengths, but ciphering isn’t one of them.” Andrin sighed, rubbing at his jaw again. “Unfortunately, it’s not one of mine, either.”

I bit my tongue. Then I shrugged inwardly. “It’s one of mine. I could try to help if you want.”

He stared at me. I tensed, ready to withdraw the offer. I’d been stupid to even think of it. Andrin hated me, and I hated him. I was his prisoner. He’d threatened and insulted?—

“All right,” he said, rising and crossing the room. My heart fluttered as he ran a hand down the cage and popped the dooropen. He helped me climb out, then swept an arm toward the desk. “If you think you can balance my books, have at it.”

I hesitated, waiting for him to declare the whole thing a joke and order me back into the cage. When he merely lifted an eyebrow in apparent challenge, I went to the desk and studied the ledgers.

Columns of figures marched down the page, several scratched out with different numbers scribbled next to them. Immediately, I picked out mistakes that threw the totals in other columns into question.

Andrin leaned against the desk, an air of expectation around him as he observed me.

“Here,” I said, pointing to one of the notes. “I see why you changed this, but your original number was correct.”

He craned his head, confusion clouding his eyes. “I don’t get it.”

“I’ll show you.” I reached for the quill. “May I?”

“Go ahead.”

I carefully dipped the quill in ink, then began correcting mistakes. I moved quickly, lining out entries and writing in new numbers. Ciphering had always been one of those routine but satisfying tasks that calmed my brain, and the tension left my shoulders as I worked down the page. The rapid scratch of the quill mixed with the occasional pop from the fire.

Andrin was a quiet, watchful presence. He leaned a hip on the corner of the desk as he followed my progress with growing interest.

After several minutes, I straightened and then ran my gaze down the columns a final time. Nodding in satisfaction, I offered Andrin the quill. “There. Everything is balanced now.”

He accepted the quill, then came slowly around the desk. Shoulder almost brushing mine, he ran a light finger down one ledger, then the other. Sunlight slanted over him, putting goldenhighlights in his hair and gilding the sigils around his forearms. The scent of oak and woodsmoke teased my nose.

Nerves tightened my stomach, which was ridiculous. My numbers were right.

I’ll be damned,” Andrin said softly. He lifted his head and met my gaze. “You fixed everything. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

We stared at each other, dust motes stirring in the shafts of sunlight that fell over the desk. A shadow tumbled between us, and we both looked toward the window, where a leaf spun through the air before touching the glass and vanishing.

“Does it always rain leaves in Autumn?” I asked, searching the sky for others. When Andrin didn’t answer, I turned back to find him staring at me.

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