From blood and ash

In that moment, I really wished I’d told her about Hawke and the Red Pearl.

I couldn’t think of another reason why Hawke would be here with the Commander, but I desperately clung to the hope that Vikter had been wrong, and it had nothing to do with Rylan’s replacement. But what other reason could there be?

A sudden new fear took root. What if Hawke had discovered that it was me at the Red Pearl? Oh, my gods. That seemed improbable, but wasn’t Hawke becoming my guard just as unlikely? My heart seemed to restart and was now in a race with itself.

The Duke looked up from his paper, his coolly handsome face giving me no indication of what was about to occur. “Please, close the door, Vikter.”

The stately room stood out in too-vivid detail as Vikter moved to obey the request. The Royal Crest painted in gold on a white marble wall behind the Duke was blinding, and the bare walls were in stark contrast to the black chair rails that ran along the length and width of the room. There was only one chair besides the one the Duke sat in. That was a plush, cream-colored wingback chair that the Duchess usually occupied. The only other seating options were polished limestone benches placed in three neat rows.

The room was as cold as the Duke, but it was far better than the chamber he usually preferred. The one I’d been summoned to far too often.

“Thank you.” Teerman nodded at Vikter, his smile close-lipped as he lowered the paper to the desk. His black, fathomless eyes flicked to where I stood, just inside the door. His mouth tightened as he motioned me forward. “Please sit, Penellaphe.”

Legs oddly numb, I forced myself to cross the short distance, wholly aware of Hawke’s gaze tracking my every step. I didn’t need to look to know that he watched. His gaze was always that intense. I sat on the edge of the middle bench, folding my hands in my lap. Tawny took the bench behind me, while Vikter moved to stand to my right so he stood between me and the Commander and Hawke.

“I hope you’re feeling well, Penellaphe?” the Duchess said as she sat in the chair beside the desk.

Hoping that I was only asked simple yes and no questions, I nodded.

“I’m relieved to hear that. I was worried that attending the City Council so soon after your attack would be too much,” she said.

For once, I was beyond grateful for the veil. Because if my face were visible, there’d be no hiding how ridiculous that concern was. I’d been bruised. Not seriously injured or shot through the chest with an arrow, as Rylan had. I would be fine—I was fine. Rylan would never be okay.

“What happened in the garden is why we’re all here,” the Duke took over, and muscles all along my neck and back began to tense. “With the death of…” His fair brow pinched as disbelief whirled through me. “What was his name?” he asked of the Duchess, whose forehead creased. “The guard?”

“Rylan Keal, Your Grace,” Vikter answered before I blurted out his name.

The Duke snapped his fingers. “Ah, yes. Ryan. With Ryan’s death, you are down one guard.”

My hands curled into fists. Rylan. His name was Rylan. Not Ryan.

No one corrected him.

“Again,” the Duke added after a pause, a faint twist of his lips forming a mockery of a smile. “Two guards lost in one year. I hope this isn’t becoming a habit.”

He said it as if it were somehow my fault.

“Anyway, with the upcoming Rite, and as you draw closer to your Ascension, Vikter ca

I bit the inside of my cheek.

“Which, as I am sure you realize now, explains why Commander Jansen and Guard Fly

I might’ve stopped breathing.

“Guard Fly

I was wondering exactly that. The Duke sounded like he too was questioning it.

“There are several Rise Guards in line to be promoted, and bringing on Hawke is no slight to them.” The Duke sat back, crossing one leg over the other. “But the Commander has assured us that Hawke is better suited to this task.”

I couldn’t believe this was happening.

“Guard Fly

“Debatable,” murmured the Duke.

The Commander wisely continued without acknowledging the comment. “But because there is a false sense of security and complacency that often comes with being within one city for too long. Hawke does not have such familiarity.”

“He also has recent experience with the dangers outside the Rise,” the Duchess spoke, and my gaze sharpened on her. “Your Ascension is a little less than a year from now, but even if you’re summoned sooner than expected or at the time of your Ascension, having someone with that kind of experience is invaluable. We won’t have to pull from our Huntsmen to ensure that your travel to the capital is as safe as possible. The Descenters and the Dark One are not the only things to fear out there, as you know.”

I did know.

And what she said made sense. There were fewer Huntsmen, and not many guards were suited for travel outside the Rise. Those who were had to excel at…

Killing.

Wasn’t that what Hawke had said he was really good at?

“The possibility of you being summoned to the capital unexpectedly played a role in my decision,” Jansen stated. “We plan trips outside the Rise at least six months in advance, and there could be a chance that when and if the Queen requests your presence in the capital, we’d have to wait for the Huntsmen to return. With Hawke being assigned to you, we would be able, for the most part, to avoid that situation.”

The gods hated me.

And that wasn’t exactly surprising considering all the things I regularly did that were forbidden. Maybe they had been watching, and this was my punishment. Because how in the world did the Commander not think a single Rise Guard was better suited or qualified?

Was Hawke that good?

My head moved then without any command from my brain. I looked to where Hawke stood and found his gaze fixed on me. A shiver curled its way down my spine. He inclined his head in acknowledgement, and I swore there was a faint glimmer to his amber eyes as if he were amused by all of this. But surely that had to be my paranoia.

“As a member of the Maiden’s personal Royal Guard, it is likely that a situation may occur where you will see her unveiled.” The Duchess’s tone was soft, even a little sympathetic, and then it struck me. I knew what would occur now. “It can be distracting, seeing someone’s face for the first time, especially a Chosen, and that could interfere with your ability to protect her. That is why the gods allow this breach.”

For some reason, I had been so caught up in fear of being discovered that I’d forgotten what had happened when Rylan was brought in to work with Vikter.

“Commander Jansen, if you will, please step outside,” the Duke said, and my wide gaze shot to him. There was a smile on his face, one that was wholly pleased and not at all forced and brittle.