Page 27 of A Storm in Every Heart
“I wasn’t talking to you, was I?” Jett quips.
Aurelia giggles. “What happened?”
Jett sits up straighter, spreading his arms wide like an actor performing one of the great tragedies. “It was a dark and stormy night.”
“Shut up,” Daemon grins and tosses a bread roll at Jett’s head.
Jett catches the roll and takes an enormous bite out of it before fixing Daemon with an exaggerated glare. “Itwas. Have you ever experienced a rainy season in Solistine? Every night is dark and stormy.”
Daemon rolls his eyes. “I’m sure.”
Jett carries on as if there were no interruption. “The merchant was throwing an enormous party for all the wealthiest families in the city. He’d been talking for weeks about how this renowned sorcerer would be there to entertain the guests with tricks. I figured I’d have to find this sorcerer and convince him to make me disappear once I’d gotten in and robbed the place.”
“And did you?” Aurelia prompts.
“Well, of course,” Jett continues with a dramatic flourish. “But as it turned out, the man was a fraud. He didn’t have any more magical ability than I do, and he certainly wasn’t very strong.”
“Why do you say that?” Kastian asks, frowning.
“Because he was so easy to capture. I tied him up, took his robes, and went to the party in his place. The merchant’s house was just as grand as he’d bragged; art and gold everywhere, jewels on all the lamps and candlesticks. The robes were so large no one noticed all the things I shoved into the pockets.”
Aurelia laughs. “Did you have to perform for the guests?”
“Only for a few minutes. Once the merchant realized I had no idea what I was doing, he kicked me out of the house himself. It was the easiest escape I ever made.”
Everyone roars with laughter, and even Fox cracks a smile.
I stand halfway out of my chair and lean over Fox to reach for the platter of vegetables. Across the table, Kastian makes a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat. I glance at him, confused. “Can I help you,Your Majesty?”
His eyes flick up to mine, and he shakes his head once, his jaw tensing.
“Excuse me,” a high-pitched voice breaks through the happy chatter around the table.
I retake my seat and twist around. In the doorway to the kitchen, a tiny pixie woman stands wringing her hands in her skirt. I smile widely. “Hello, Shar.”
Shar smiles back at me, her rows of tiny sharp teeth glinting in the flickering candlelight. “Good evening, Lady Odessa.”
I roll my eyes. Shar and I have known each other for years. She was once a servant at King Thorne’s summer palace, where I was a lady-in-waiting to the king’s various brides. Early in our acquaintance, I had to remind Shar often that I’m notreallya lady. My father wasn’t noble, and my aunt only became so after her marriage to the 11th Baron Ashwater, so no one had to address me by title. Eventually she’d grown used to using my name alone, but it seems that since Daemon took the throne any casual greetings have flown out the window.
“I know I can’t convince you to sit with us,” I say in a rueful tone, “so was there something you needed?”
Shar nods. “I’m sorry to interrupt your meal, but a visitor has arrived.”
Around the table, everyone tenses.
“From where?” Daemon demands.
“Hydratta, Your Majesty.”
“Fuck.” Daemon gets to his feet. “I knew we should have stayed alert, but I thought we’d have at least another day before he arrived.”
“This is better,” Kastian says calmly. “Arriving while we’re in the middle of a meal gives the impression that we didn’t know the emissary would be coming.”
“I wish Alix were here,” Daemon mutters, running a hand through his hair. “Alright, fine. Fox and Jett come with me. Aurelia?—”
“I’m already going,” Aurelia says, her chair scraping against the floor as she stands. “I’ll be up in the tower.”
“Good,” Daemon nods. “Dess?—”
