Page 144 of Games of Death and Desire

The scourge sorcerers don’t even know this room exists. We should be safe.

My heart keeps thudding. I slump into one of the chairs so the room will spin less.

Stavros emerges a few paces away, already gripping his locket. As he presses the inside to signal the others, he looks me over with a grim expression and a twitch of his head.

“You got the summons for the initiation,” he says. “They drugged you again. You need to rest.”

I shake my head and grip the arms of the chair harder against the vertigo the motion provokes. “This is important. The royal family has to start preparing right away, for everything. For anything.”

I’m babbling like before. I shut my eyes and focus hard on the set of my feet against the floor, the arms of the chair in my hands.

Julita’s presence shifts inside me.I’m sure the Melchioreks will be all right for another hour or two. You need to look after yourself, Ivy.

That’s what I’m doing, as much as I can justify.

The grounding makes me a little more coherent. “I’ll explain to you and the others, and you can explain to the king. In a way that’s more organized. I’m sure I can get it all out.”

Stavros mutters something under his breath, but he isn’t going to jeopardize the king’s safety just so I can take a nap.

The second Casimir steps from his own cord, Stavros whirls toward him. “The courtesans must know all kinds of hangover cures. What can you mix for Ivy quickly that’ll help take the edge off any kind of intoxication?”

Casimir’s gaze flicks to me with a widening of his eyes.

“I’mfine,” I insist. “Just… just hazy. Fucking sorcerers.”

The courtesan turns back to Stavros. “I can grab a couple of things that might help. Give me a few minutes.”

He vanishes, and now I’m alone with the last person I wanted to see again.

Stavros’s jaw works. “Ivy, about—”

To my immense relief, Alek springs into the room before the former general can do more than start that sentence. “Did the initiation happen already? Ivy, are you all right?”

“Fine, fine,” I mumble, but affection swells in my heart at his concern.

I am okay now, aren’t I? I’m back with the few people in this world who care about what happens to me.

And maybe I can stay here. King Konram will have to take action after he hears what Ster. Torstem said, won’t he?

No more playing scourge sorcerer. No more gritting my teeth and forcing myself through trials and celebrations I find equally awful.

Although, what will I do with myself after that? It’s not as if there’ll be any reason for me to stay on as Stavros’s supposed assistant once our investigations have concluded.

I guess I’ll go back to my old haunts… The king implied he’d give me a reward, which’ll mean I can distribute even more silver than usual to the people of Florian who need it most…

“Ivy,” Alek says from right beside me, and I give a little start. I got so wrapped up in my wandering thoughts that I hadn’t noticed him approaching me.

The scholar sets his hand on my arm, and I smile up at him with a sudden tightness in my throat.Hecan’t follow me to the streets. Does everything we’ve shared end here too?

I don’t want it to.

The scholar peers down at me with his piercing gaze. “You look upset. What did they do to you?”

A ragged laugh slips from my mouth. “Not much. Shitty refreshments. Clay masks.”

Stavros speaks up from farther down the table, where he’s wisely keeping his distance. “I think they forced her to take even more of that drugged drink than last time. She definitely seems more affected, but she insisted that she needed to fill us in right away.”

I thump the chair arm. “Yes. It’s important. When is Casimir coming back? We need him too.”

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