Consorting with Dragons by Sera Trevor

Author:Sera Trevor [Trevor, Sera]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sera Trevor

Chapter 10

As soon as Rilvor said the words, Jasen understood what had happened. It was what Polina had been doing in his room—he hadn’t thought that she took anything, but he had so many pairs of shoes that he hadn’t noticed they were gone. She must have taken them and sent them to someone to curse, and then sent them back to him under the guise that they had been taken to be cleaned. “Oh.”

Rilvor’s expression hardened again. “You do not look surprised.” He took Jasen’s hand. “Come. Let us discuss this in privacy.”

Rilvor led him to his chambers. He had Jasen sit down on the sofa as he ran his hands over his feet, concentrating. At last, he seemed satisfied. “I feel no more magic. The curse was not potent.”

“Well, that’s good news, although I think it would be impossible to make me even clumsier than I already am.”

Rilvor rose from the floor to join Jasen on the sofa. “Do not speak lightly of this. This was a serious attack on you.”

“Nothing that terrible happened. I was just embarrassed—something I would have probably done anyway.”

“And what if the caster had sent you down a flight of stairs? This was a threat on your life!” That frightening expression was back on his face. “And you will tell me now who dared to do this. You do know, do you not?”

“I do,” Jasen said quietly.

“Give me a name.”

“And then what will happen?”

“They will be tried and convicted.”

“And the punishment?” Jasen asked, his voice even quieter.

“Exile, if I am feeling generous.”

Jasen bit his lip. Polina was terrible, but the thought of her being put through all of that made him feel queasy. “I’m sure she didn’t mean to seriously injure me. She just wanted to embarrass me.”

“So it is a lady I will be searching for.”

“Let me talk to her. I’m sure it won’t happen again.”

“This person is a friend?” Rilvor asked, his voice rising in both surprise and fury. “Is it that tall one who is always with you? She dares to betray you, and you would protect her?”

“No! Not her. Someone else. I caught her in my room the other night—she must have taken the shoes then. She’s petty and jealous, but I know she’s also desperate. You don’t know the kind of pressure the consorts are under. I don’t think she deserves to have her entire life destroyed over a lapse in judgment borne out of desperation. She isn’t a monster—she’s confused. She deserves our pity, not our rage.”

Rilvor looked as if he were going to argue, but he closed his eyes and took a deep breath instead. When he opened them again, the fire had left them. He lifted Jasen’s hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Your heart is too pure for this den of vipers. Very well—but you must impress upon this young lady that it is only your mercy that is saving her from ruin. If something like this happens again, she will not be so lucky.

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