Page 42 of Of Scale and Blood

“Have you forgotten that Hannity won’t get into the aerie without me expanding the spell?”

“I actually had.” I wrinkled my nose. “That reminds me, have you had time yet to scribe home and ask about that combining spell?”

“No, but I’ll send a message once I get back from the cavern. I noticed the other day that your father had a quill connected to Angola.”

“He has them linked to Kriton and other western cities, too, but they’re not often used. Your father doesnotapprove of us approaching his seaport or regional cities directly.”

“My father doesn’t approve of many things at all.” Damon did up his robe, then gathered his clothes and tossed them into the chute before walking around to collect mine. “But the quills do still work, don’t they?”

“Yes.” I opened the door and waved him through. “Wouldn’t it be easier to simply use the one Gayl is holding?”

“Easier, yes. Safer, no. Besides, it’s not paired to Angola.”

“No, but it would be easy enough to send a message and ask for it to be scribed there from Zephrine.”

“I would not trust my aunt nor indeed Zephrine to relay such a message.”

“Why wouldn’t Zephrine pass it on? Is it because they have no drakkons and don’t want us gaining any sort of military advantage? Surely your father wouldn’t be so petty.”

His smile was mirthless. “You have met my father, haven’t you? There is absolutely nothing he wouldn’t do to gain the upper hand and overall control.”

I frowned, wanting to question him further about their relationship but knowing well enough he would not elaborate. So instead, I said, “What is the problem between you and your aunt? You clearly don’t like each other, so why is she staying here with you?”

“You’re astute enough to guess the reason, Bryn.”

“She’s spying on you.”

“She’s my father’s guarantee that everything I report about your fatherandthe developments here is the truth.”

“How, when the only time she leaves her room is when she’s getting her ‘daily exercise’ by walking the wall?”

“She’s a powerful reader and a minor seeress. She cannot read my thoughts or indeed those of anyone from her bloodline, but she can skim the thoughts of many others and sometimes divine their future actions through their thoughts. Her targets here have been all those within the war room.” He glanced at me, amusement lifting his grim expression. “Perhaps I fill you with my seed in the vague hope it can offer you some protection.”

I nudged him; he laughed and staggered sideways in an overly exaggerated movement.

“What’s her range?” I could read or command the minds of animals from a good distance, but from what Fergus had said over the years, his range was nowhere near that.

“Fifty or so feet, but she doesn’t have to be in sight of the person to read their thoughts.”

Which was one up on Fergus—he did have to see the person he was reading. “That’s why her daily exercise walks along the wall happen at random times, and she often takes a break close to the war room section underneath.”

“Indeed.”

There was a part of me wanting to ask why he’d never said anything, but the answer would undoubtedly be the same damn one he’d countered all my other recent questions with. I guess I had to be thankful he was even answering these ones.

“Is there any means of preventing her from reading us? Or divining our future actions?” Túxn only knew, if she’d been listening in to my conversation with my parents this afternoon, that could be disastrous.

“I did bribe a guard a few days ago to let me know if she came to our side of the palace?—”

“And has she?” I cut in, alarmed by both him resorting to bribery and the fact that one of our guards actually accepted it.

“She did yesterday, although the guard said she only used the thermae.”

“Yesterday, but not last night?”

“Yes.” He glanced at me. “I daresay she was getting a discreet update on your condition and what we found in Mareritten.”

At least that meant she hadn’t overheard our conversation about Damon, her, and the spies we had in Zephrine trying to uncover what was going on. “Is there any way to stop her skimming our thoughts when we’re in our rooms?”

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