Book 5: Mirror

Amval

The moment Ingrid walks away, my mark sears like it intends to burn all the way through my skin and kill me, bringing this whole bitter trick to a bitter end.

But I am made of sterner stuff than that. So, I take a heartbeat to catch my breath and then return to the stables. I have a job to do, after all. Mesut needs me.

Thoughts like that power me through the coming days. The rhythm of them is almost familiar. Tek needs me. Nur needs me. Cirocco and Kaloni and every single one of my siblings needs me. The same thoughts that allowed me to trudge through day after week after month in hiding.

This time, at least, there are breaks in the constant throb of being needed. Breaks that come in the form of near-nightly trips to the Gruesome Pony. There are still too many spare nobles hanging around the palace, too much sheer work to do, for even Tek to suggest going every single night. We would drown in horse shit if we did. But we go often enoug