Page 61 of Grave Situation

“No!” Tia and Jaimin shout together. The king draws back, clearly offended.

“They’re protecting you, Your Majesty,” I explain hurriedly, before he can kick us out. I’mreallyenjoying royal hospitality. “I suspended one of your guards in midair by his ankle.”

The king cocks his head. “By the ankle? But that would mean…” He rotates a finger to point up.

I nod. “Yes, sir. He was upside down.”

Slowly nodding, he asks, “But why?”

I shrug. “He asked me to prove who I am.”

The deep belly laugh that bursts from him is unexpected and gratifying. “He’s lucky you didn’t turn him into a toad, then.”

Haftel sighs. “I keep telling you, we can’t do that.”

The king doesn’t look convinced, and I get the feeling he’s determined to believe that if someone annoys him enough, he can ask Haftel to toad-ify them. It’s actually not a terrible idea… except for the fact that only the gods can change a living creature’s form. “If you say so,” he agrees, and we can all tell he doesn’t mean it. “Now… I hope you won’t think me rude for cutting through the pleasantries, but is there any possibility of me seeing the stone of creation?” He shakes his head. “It’s hard to believe those are words I really said. This is such a phenomenal event!”

Clearly he hasn’t spent any time with the stone. I refrain from saying that, though, and reach inside my shirt for the pouch as Jaimin replies, “It certainly is. Of course you can see the stone, sir.”

I tip the rock into my palm and extend it toward King Brend and Master Haftel.

Silence.

“I shouldn’t be surprised it’s so ordinary-looking,” the king muses as he stares at it. “But… it’s so ordinary.”

“An ugly hunk of rock,” I agree, and the stone shares its disapproval.

“My goodness,” the king breathes. “Was that…?”

“The life stone doesn’t like when Talon insults it,” Jaimin says pointedly. “He still hasn’t grasped that.”

I shrug and dump it back in the pouch. “It forced me to leave home and come on this journey, so I get to tell it what I think of it. Relationships are about give and take.”

The king blinks at me, then turns to Haftel. “If you ever decide to leave my court, I want him to replace you.”

Oh, fuck no. “She’s irreplaceable, Your Majesty,” I insist. “And you don’t want me. Trust me on this.”

“You definitely don’t,” Tia mutters. “I’ve been trying to get rid of him for years.”

Haftel’s lips lift in a tiny smile. “Talented twins,” she murmurs. “How fortuitous for the stone that this occurred now, while you were both around to take on this task.”

Tia and I exchange glances. “I’m sorry, Master Haftel, I don’t follow.”

She shakes her head. “It’s nothing. Just a little theory of mine.”

Fear races down my spine. She can’t possibly know about the connection between me and Tia—or even have guessed. It’s probably just that, like everyone else, she’s thinking about how rare twins with different Talents are.

Jaimin shifts his weight, and his arm brushes against mine. Calm reassurance immediately seeps through me, and I resist the urge to yowl with surprise and leap away from him. Did I know he could do that?

More to the point, how did he know I needed it? And would it be bad if I leaned my whole body against him?

“Is there anything you need from us while you’re here?” the king asks. “Or for when you leave? I can have soldiers escort you.”

The negative response from the stone is very clear, and his majesty raises a brow. “Or not.”

“It’s been very specific about who can travel with us,” I explain. “The escort you gave us was a concession specifically because of the attack. I believe we’ll be adding someone to our group while we’re here, but we don’t know who yet.” I hesitate. “Or when.”

Haftel purses her lips. “Samoine implied as much. That may prove helpful—I’ve heard a rumor that the priesthood is interested in your visit here.”

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