Page 82 of The Scarlet Star

She stood in silence after that as Calliope took up nearly the whole space to practice her dance. Ulita cleared her throat and quietly sang through a few lines of her song, and Lis arranged her cart of perfumes and practiced fanning the scents in specific directions.

Ryn took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s going to be all right,” she whispered to herself as she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. Her sword pressed against her spine with too little assurance.

All she had to do was get through tonight. She didn’t even know for sure the B’rei Mira assassins would be at this event—she’d only assumed it based on a guess. And maybe Heva was somewhere out there, doing her job. Maybe she’d discovered something and was working to end the threat, if there was one.

“Are you nervous, Estheryn?” Lis asked, drawing Ryn’s eyes open.

“A little,” Ryn admitted, though Lis wouldn’t understand why.

“Me too,” Lis said.

Ryn cast her a small smile of assurance.

An organizer appeared and escorted the maidens to a backstage area. Ryn had a clear view of the stage, and the large crowd of nobles filling the room. There were more people here today than at past events. Ryn eyed them one by one, guessing which one might be a spy hiding in plain sight.

When she saw Xerxes in a gilded chair with a blindfold over his eyes, nausea and relief washed through her at the same time. At least he was still alive.

Xerxes’s lip was slightly curled into a scowl, and he held tight to the armrests of his chair. His royal coat wasn’t even done up. It looked like the organizers had wrangled him into that blindfold and dragged him to the stage, and contrary to Ryn’s nerves, she smirked.

Ulita went into the trial first. Ryn watched the crowd, studying each face, catching each movement. After a few minutes where nothing happened, she relaxed. It didn’t make sense for an assassin to wait this long if they had something planned.

Ulita sang a lovely tune, and the guests clapped her praises when she was finished. Unlike the whistling and cheering nobles, Xerxes hadn’t moved a muscle. Nor had he found it within himself to offer Ulita a nod or smile of assurance. Ulita bowed to the nobles and returned backstage, fanning her cheeks.

Lis went next.

Xerxes did move this time. He reached up and plugged his nose the moment she began fanning perfumes at him. Ryn bit down on a smile, and a few nobles in the crowd chuckled.

The tension drained from Ryn’s body as it became clear she’d gotten herself worked up over nothing. Even Matthias hadn’t imagined something might happen tonight. She let out a long, heavy exhale as she went to her cart and lifted the silver tray of apple pie. As soon as this ridiculous show was over, Ryn would go find Geovani so they could search for Heva. Maybe theguardswoman had simply fallen ill and was sleeping it off in one of the spare palace rooms.

Lis returned.

“You’re next,” an organizer urged Ryn.

Ryn took in a deep breath and carried her tray out. She moved slowly, letting her footsteps tap in spaced out beats across the stage, letting the nobles—and the King—wait. Truly, she had no desire to rush through her turn, then be forced to watch Calliope run her hands all over Xerxes’s shoulders and face while he was blindfolded. Naturally, the organizers had decided to save Calliope’s skill for last.

However, Ryn revelled in the thought that Xerxes would be shocked to realize therewassomeone who’d chosen ‘touch’ and was doing a dance. She almost smirked in front of all the nobles when she pictured Xerxes thinking it was Ryn who was dancing because of what she’d told him in the garden. As it was, her boring pie would be the least exciting thing Xerxes would experience during this trial.

Ryn dropped the silver platter on the stage table with a clatter. She grabbed the fork and gouged out a large bite of pie, then carried it over to where Xerxes miserably waited. His frown was priceless.

“I’m going to have to sit there with my eyes covered like a fool. I have to endure whatever nonsense the maidens come up with,”he’d said.“I hate the thought of it.”

Ryn bit her lower lip so she wouldn’t laugh and give herself away. She leaned over him, bringing the pie toward his mouth, but realized she didn’t know how to make him open it without telling him to—which would reveal her—and she’d been given strict orders not to touch him.

The nobles watched and waited around the room. A man in the front row folded his arms and began tapping his foot againstthe floor. So, Ryn nudged the pie against the King’s lips with the fork, leaving a dollop of whipped cream on him.

Xerxes sucked on his teeth a little. But he opened his mouth, and Ryn stuck the bite of pie in.

There, it was over.

Ryn pulled the fork out.

Xerxes chewed once, then stopped. Ryn moved to stand, to glide toward backstage and never think about this trial again, when Xerxes’s hand flashed out, catching her wrist in midair and holding her still. The fork hung between them. Ryn’s mouth parted as whispers flittered through the room. As it dawned on her she wastouchingXerxes against the strict instructions of the organizers.

A slow smile spread across Xerxes’s face. He swallowed the pie, holding tight to Ryn. He licked the whipped cream from his lips.

He yanked his blindfold down.

Gasps and chatter erupted in the Hall of Stars.

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