Page 67 of A Court of Ash and Midnight
“I knew you’d be here,” Cillian says to me.
“Because I have nowhere else safe to go,” I respond gloomily.
“Why don’t we take a walk?” He sees the look on my face and quickly adds, “Nowhere near our grandparents’ tent. I promise we won’t run into the delightfully couth and well-mannered brothers you met earlier.”
I roll my eyes at Cillian’s sarcasm. “Do you mind if I come back later?” I call to Julian.
“Of course not, dear,” he says, looking up for a half moment to give me a smile and then continuing whatever has him so distracted in his book.
Cillian and I step outside, only after I make Cillian check both ways first to make sure we’re clear. Then we head through the sea of tents, not returning to the main path but weaving through toward the far end of the valley away from the ocean. I hope Daemon isn’t panicked trying to find me, and wish I could somehow send him a message. But there’s nothing I can do about it right now. I just need to stay out of the path of…nearly everyone. Until night falls, at least.
When we’ve cleared the tents, I angle us closer to the peaks on one side so we’re not completely out in the open. Then I finally feel safe to strike up a conversation.
“I amnotmarrying either of those men. Or probably any man, ever, for that matter. I cannot believe our grandparents think they can sell me off.”
Cillian grimaces. “They are truly unique in their awfulness, I agree.”
“Is that the whole reason they brought me here?” I snarl.
“Not the whole reason, most likely… I think they did hope for the off chance that you’d win the tournament.” He shrugs.
“Off chance… exactly. This makes so much more sense. They needed a bride for their business associates and thought, oh, let’s use the estranged granddaughter we hate since we don’t need her anyways.” My eyes feel funny again, like I’m literally seeing red I’m so mad.
“It’s definitely an elaborate plan for… I don’t really know what they get out of it. Kildari and Quelan must have offered to pay alotof money for you.”
Each word comes out of my mouth with the heat of a falling star. “I. Am. Not. Property.” I squeeze my fingernails into my palms so hard that I can feel my skin give way.
“A fourth wife… can you even imagine what he needs four women for?” Cillian taps his chin as if he’s genuinely contemplating it.
An actual growl erupts from my throat. “If they try to summon me to their tent again, they will live to regret it…”
Cillian glances over at me and his eyes widen. “Embyr!”
“What?” I snap.
“Your eyes…”
I stop walking, and in the stillness, I realize that I’m shaking. I feel like a whole sun is burning inside me. My blood is pulsing hot and so, so fast, and my heart is hammering like hoofbeats. And my eyes do feel quite strange, as if…
“They’re glowing,” Cillian finishes. He pulls a small mirror out of his cloak pocket and hands it to me.
“You carry a mirror?”
“Well, you have rings of fire around your eyes, so…”
I lift the mirror. He’s right. My dark gray pupils are encircled by a bright orange ring that glows like burning coals. “What in the dark goddess…”
“What in the dark goddess indeed.”
After staring at myself until the orange ring fades and then disappears, I hand Cillian the mirror back and we start walking again. The sea of tents is a distant rainbow of color behind us, and the wind chases clouds overhead, carrying the scent of salt and fire.
“Did my parents have any kind of magic like this? Does anyone in House Harkyn?” I ask, looking over at Cillian. I feel raw, on edge, like I have all this unspent energy inside of me and no way to release it.
Cillian shakes his head. “No one in the family line can make their eyes glow like that… at least no one I ever heard of.”
“I didn’tmakethem,” I say defensively. “It just happened.”
“Because you got angry,” he says. It’s a statement, not a question. “So, do you plan to use this against your challenger tomorrow?”
