Page 133 of A Dance of Shadows

I don’t think she does either—she’s simply trying to ease my worries by downplaying her own, as she so often does.

As my mind scrambles for the best way to light a fire under our emperor’s ass, the music winds down. Aurelia steps back from me, and her eyes brighten. “Neven’s finally been released to enjoy a little entertainment.”

I follow her gaze to the figure who’s just slunk into the room. Neven plants himself near the side table with its stack of wine goblets, his stance stiff as if he’s more uncomfortable than usual in the formal shirt and slacks he has on. He’s slicked his pale hair back from his face, making him look older than I’m used to—less like a kid.

We haven’t seen much of him in the past two weeks. Marclinus sent him to sleep in the soldiers’ quarters and join each rotation in the workouts that keep them fit and theirinstincts honed between stints on duty. He must have been eating his meals with them too.

I doubt the soldiers went easy on him, but after the way he lunged at the emperor, he’s lucky he isn’tdead. Does he realize he has Aurelia to thank for that, despite the insults he’s hurled at her?

I catch Lorenzo’s gaze and indicate our younger foster brother. He nods and must convey the message to Raul, because the three of us converge in our path toward Neven.

We have to find out what’s pushed him over the edge—and make sure he doesn’t cross that line again. I swore I wouldn’t see us lose another prince of Goric, and I don’t intend to break that vow.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear Neven is all that interested in talking to us. The second his gaze collides with mine, his posture goes even more rigid.

His eyes flick over the three of us approaching. He turns and marches right back out of the ballroom.

Shit. I glance at Lorenzo and Raul. An unspoken agreement passes between us, and we hurry into the hall after him.

Neven’s taken off at a good clip to get a head start on us, but there aren’t many places in the small imperial palace to go. We follow his brisk footsteps to the wing of guest bedrooms where our rooms were clustered together as usual.

When we come around the bend, his door is just thudding shut in his wake. The lock rasps over as if to emphasize his refusal.

I pause with a tangle of tension winding through my chest.

We’ve given him space for long enough. Too long, by the looks of it.

This particular stretch of hall is currently empty of guards. I motion to my foster brothers. “We’re not accepting no for an answer tonight.”

They stride over to Neven’s door at my heels. With a concentrated spurt of wind, I push the lock open.

As I shove open the door, Neven spins where he was standing by the desk at the far end of the room. His bright brown eyes darken with the clench of his jaw, but he doesn’t look surprised.

“Go away,” he snaps. “I’ve got nothing to say to you.”

We come in anyway, shutting the door firmly behind us. I scan him up close, noting the bruises on his face, a few scratches on his hands—some faded, some fresh.

How much of his stiff posture is because of uneasiness and how much lingering pain from the beatings he’s been put through? He might be nearly as big and brawny as Raul, but he’s faced little real combat. He won’t have stood a chance sparring with a horde of hardened soldiers.

I take another step toward him, evening out my voice as well as I can. Trying to channel the soothing tone I’ve heard Aurelia bring to bear so effectively. “We have at least a few things to say to you. Not least of all is that we’ve been worried about you. Have the medics treated all of your injuries? I’m sure Aurelia would be happy to?—”

Neven’s lip curls with a sneer. “I don’t want anything from her.”

Raul looms over him, his eyes flashing. “And you’ve made sure she knows it, but she’s still looking out foryou. So let’s hear some respect instead of all this whining.”

Neven glowers at all three of us, but he shifts on his feet uneasily. I get the impression he’d rather run away again than have this conversation.

“What’s wrong?” I ask him. “I thought we were in this together, working to end all the madness Marclinus is dealing out. We’ve tried to keep you involved, but you’ve been dodging us for months.”

“Spending all his time with the musicians and getting drunk,” Raul mutters, in a tone I don’t think is going to mollify Neven.

Lorenzo adds his piece with a few emphatic gestures.We’re here. We’re family. We want to help.

“But what’s the point of any of it?” Neven bursts out. He halts, his face flushing in blotches, and then seems to gird himself to barrel onward. “Whatever you’ve been doing to stop Marclinus, he’s still been kicking everyone around—our families, our people. And we’re still bowing down to him. All Aurelia does is smile at him and hope if she says enough nice things, he’ll finally listen.” He sputters a laugh. “What’s there to respect?”

Raul slashes his arm through the air. “We told you it was going to take time. Do you really think throwing yourself at him like you were asking him to punt you over a cliff accomplished anything?”

Neven narrows his eyes. “At least I did something everyone could see. I showed my people I was ready to fight for them. If I can’t fight hard enough… then at least I know he won fairly. The imperial family has always overpowered us, haven’t they? They grabbed the top spot and held on to it. If no one can take it from them, they’ve earned it.”

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