Page 89 of Carousel

I turn back to Drake. Head still low, he mumbles in Rhavnan, “I have a talent. I can stop Ephraine from making some of the blows he wishes to make and prevent him from keeping me under the water for too long. So you do not need to worry. But you need to leave.”

“He’s speaking Rhavnan!” Ephraine yells. “Dezeeves?”

“I’m afraid I missed what he said. You know I’m hard of hearing at the best of times.”

“Then, Meg. Where is she?”

Meg.

She must have slinked in behind us like a feline. Despite being the only woman, and the only Rhavnan, she somehow fits in among these officers with her perfect posture and piercing gaze. Her uniform matches theirs, and in it she looks untouchable.

And she’s staring right at me.

I stare right back at her. Silently plead with this intimidating female I’ve only just properly met.

Rhavnan to Rhavnan.

Woman to woman.

She speaks slowly, eyes pinned on me.

“He told her she doesn’t need to worry about him, because he can handle it. And he asked her to leave.”

Relief floods through me.

This woman has no loyalty to me. To us.

But she’s just protected Drake’s talent.

I owe her.

If Dezeeves knew the blood magic that he could access through him…

I push my shoulders back. Turn back to the officers.

“Sorry for intruding,” I say, unapologetically.

The officers let me step off the platform.

Ephraine glowers. His silver eye shifts mechanically from side to side.

“She should be punished,” he rasps. “Interrupting such an important procedure.”

Dezeeves is by the platform. He says, dismissively, “The girl has apologised. She was just worried for her friend. They arrived together, after all. And I’m sure we all remember how overriding young love can be.”

Young love?

This earns understanding nods from some of the officers.

But unsurprisingly, not Ephraine.

I walk back to the door. In the doorway, Riss looks as horrified as I feel.

Cosmer… looks unexpectedly angry. Like he’s just watched a bomb detonate over his house, and now he has nothing.

I take a final look behind me. Ephraine’s polished metal eye is settled on me. I think I preferred it when it was twitching.

I’ll probably dream of it in my sleep.