Page 97 of Spark of the Everflame

I bristled. “I can handle it. It was a mistake. It won’t happen again.”

She choked out a dry, humorless laugh. “No, it certainly won’t.”

I jogged until I stood in front of her, forcing her to stop. “Next time, I promise I’ll obey all the rules.”

“Next time?” She gave me an incredulous look. “There’s not going to be a next time, Diem. Even if by some miracle Prince Luther is willing to let you back into that palace, I most certainly am not.”

“I’ll apologize to the Prince. I’ll show him I can be trusted. I have to keep serving as the palace healer, for Teller—”

“For Teller?” Her coffee-brown eyes squinted as she wagged her finger in my face. “Where was this concern for Teller when you fought back against the guards? Or when you took off running from the King’s chambers, or when you mouthed off to the Prince? That boy could have been kicked out of his school for any one of those things.”

My mouth snapped shut, guilt halting my tongue. She had a point.

“I can guarantee your brother would rather lose his education than see his sister arrested and executed.”

More truths. If Teller knew the risks I was taking to keep our mother’s bargain, he would drop out of that school without a moment’s hesitation.

And if my father knew... I shuddered at the thought. His wrath would put even the Prince’s to shame.

“That agreement was between your mother and the Crown,” Maura said. “I should never have told you about it. It wasn’t your place to get involved.”

“I have no choice but to get involved. You know that.”

“If your mother was here—”

“My motherisn’there.”

“And thank the gods for that. It would break my heart to see how disappointed she would be.”

She might as well have taken my dagger and plunged it straight into my chest.

“You put everything at risk today, Diem. Our work at the center, your brother’s schooling, your entire family’s safety,mysafety. Twice now I’ve had a palace guard’s knife pulled on me because of you. And for what? Tell me, what was so important it was worth risking all that?”

I looked away, unable to bear the judgment in her eyes.

“Does this have to do with whatever’s going on between you and that Prince?”

My jaw tightened. “Nothing’s going on between me andthat Prince.”

“Oh, don’t give me that bollocks. The two of you can’t keep your eyes off each other. He can’t stop touching you, and you can’t stop provoking him.”

“There’s nothing there,” I snapped, a harsh tone edging my words.

“Fine.” Her hands folded across her chest as her head cocked sideways. “Then is this because you don’t want to be a healer?”

My gaze shot back to hers. “Of course I want to be a healer. Being a healer is... it’s my whole life.”

“Exactly.” Some of the iciness melted from her features. “I know you never had a real choice in the matter. Your mother decided you would be her disciple before you could even walk.”

“I could have picked a different path if I really wanted to,” I argued, though Maura’s flat stare said she wasn’t buying that any more than I was. I blew out a breath. “So that’s it? I make one mistake and now I’m no longer good enough to be a healer?”

“It’s not about being good enough. You’re extremely talented. You’re a quick study, you work hard, you’re great with the patients. Half our clients make me want to take a scalpel to my ears, but you always find a way to be kind to them, even the ones who don’t deserve it.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Your heart isn’t in it. Or it’s in it for all the wrong reasons. When you were a trainee, you always wanted to be out roaming the forests to gather ingredients or chatting up our most unsavory patients to hear about their lives.”

“You could say the same thing about any of the trainees.”

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