Page 90 of The Exile's Curse

She was almost halfway to the next wall across the terrace when a man stepped out from a shaded group of trees.

The man from the party. She stopped, wary.

"Lady de Montesse."

"Yes?" How had he gotten into this section of the garden?

Think.Last time she had been too startled to look for magic. This time she knew better. She drew a trickle of power, just enough to let her see the glow around him and hear an odd dissonance in the air.

Not like any other magic she'd heard.

So, he was using magic. To disguise himself? That would require a strong illusion. The kind an Andalyssian shouldn't be able to wield. The kind she couldn't necessarily break. She'd never been good with illusion. And while she might have access to Lucien's power, she didn't how to use it. The sense of truth she'd gotten from him the day before had been more instinctive. Maybe she could use that.

"My lady, I need to speak with you again." He sounded hurried, not quite desperate but eager in the wrong sort of way. The strange note of his magic grew sharper.

Her back crawled, and it was an effort not to step back and put more distance between them. But Lucien had said to keep him talking should he appear again. To find out more. If she let him see she was scared, he might vanish again.

"I'm listening. But I don't have long. The others I’m with will come to look for me." There. That let him know she wasn't alone, at least. There was no sign of a weapon, but that was one of the problems with Andalyssian robes. Difficult to see what lay beneath them. The stranger's clothes were relatively plain again, still in shades of deep blues. Who was he?

He frowned at that. "It's true, then? You are here in the royal wing before you marry Lord Castaigne?"

Who had told him that? To get to this part of the palace, he had connections to the court, but she still didn't think he was an actual courtier. A poor relation or a member of a lesser house, perhaps? Perhaps one that wanted to replace Elannon? "I am to marry Lord Castaigne tomorrow, yes."

He looked somewhat horrified, eyes widening. "My lady. You cannot. Not Lord Castaigne. He killed your husband. He is a dangerous man."

That rang true. He believed it. So, how best to play this? Act the reluctant bride, caught up in things beyond her control? That may well string him along. "I do not have any choice in the matter. Your sejerin declare it necessary for balance."

He scowled. "Balance. They are playing games. Rushing to restore Elannon. It is not the true way."

That rang true, too. "You don't think they should be restored? Why?"

"They are a failed house. They should be replaced."

Failed? Why? Because they had been disgraced, or because the Ashmeister had failed to kill the empress and bring about whatever he wanted to achieve through her death? War? Chaos? She didn't know.

Lucien might. She really needed to talk to him.

"Well, regardless, I have to marry Lord Castaigne."

"We could help you."

She doubted she wanted any kind of help he could offer. "We? Who is we? Can't you at least tell me your name?"

A violent head shake. "It is not safe, my lady. Not yet." His face cleared. "You could come with me. We could get you out of the kingdom. You could return to Illvya."

Maybe she was a better actress than she thought if she’d convinced him she’d take up such an offer from a complete stranger with a taste for treason. Or maybe he was growing more desperate. Which meant she needed to find a way to get away from him before he did something to convince her.

"No.” She moved back a half step. Not enough to alarm him but enough that she was out of reach. “They would only come looking for me. That would only harm the cause." She needed to make sure he still believed she was sympathetic to his cause.

"But Lord Castaigne...my lady, he is working for Elannon. And the emperor who should not be."

He stepped toward her, one hand outstretched. She stepped back again, not wanting him to touch her, as the grating hum of his magic flared again, making her want to shake her head to clear it.

From behind her came a scrape of metal and the sound of voices. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a pair of palace guards walking through the gate she’d come through.

"The guard," she hissed at him. "You shouldn't be seen."

His hand stretched closer as though he was considering grabbing her and taking her with him. But then he stepped back, his magic screeched for an instant, and her senses blurred.

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