Scars of Gold

Chapter Twenty Nine

Despite his threat, the king didn't return to punish me for depriving him of the poison. I was feeling more and more relieved that I'd stopped him from getting hold of it. I'd thought about it from every angle, and the only use I could think Tancred could have for the poison was to use it against the Etealian rebels. He had wanted to use my blood to annihilate my people.

Two days later, the thought still made my stomach heave.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked. It was becoming a new part of our daily routine: I'd look like I was going to throw up, Ash would ask if I was okay. We hadn't spoken about the poison, or what had happened to the Etealian Tancred had killed. But it was there, in the undercurrent of every look, every word: the worry; the sympathy.

I hadn't been able to tell him about Raza, either. I was convinced the perfume I'd used was the reason my powers had stopped working (and therefore the reason the poison hadn't been strong enough to kill after the first sample). Its regular use was probably why Raza's powers had been so weak. But I still didn't know what was in the perfume, or who had given it to her.

"I'm fine," I told Ash, using my stock answer. It wasn't as though we could start talking about it over breakfast, in the middle of a canteen.

On Ash's other side, Dante let out a low laugh. "Kacia, your impression of fine is the same as the look Mari gets when she's contemplating a take down. You're not fine."

"What are we doing today?" I asked Ash, ignoring Dante.

Ash had been quiet this morning. Not as surly as the Ash of my arrival, but pensive as he shovelled food into his mouth.

"Training," he replied, rather unhelpfully. We always started the day at the training centre; I'd been expecting more detail than that. When it was clear he wasn't going to be providing any more information, I sighed and got to my feet, following him out of the canteen.

Aleela had helped me to braid my hair in an elaborate plait with curled around my head like a headband that morning, chattering all the while about the other Etealians in her quarters. Like in Volcaria, they were grouped by gender and age. Most of the girls she lived with worked in the kitchens. From Aleela's description their jobs sounded frantic and stressful. Every bite of my breakfast had tasted like ash now that I knew Etealians had been up before dawn to prepare it.

The training room was just as packed as it had been for Dante and Mari's fight, this time without the ring of expectant spectators. Instead, everyone was trying their best to appear hard at work, although the looks that were exchanged when Ash and I entered suggested they were still here for a show.

Mari was already here; stood off to one corner with a group of girls fawning over her hair, the tips of which were changing colour; from blue to pink to orange, before fading back into a different shade of blue.

"She has a high tolerance for the pain tithe," I said to Ash, indicating in Mari's direction.

He looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. "I'd never thought of it before. You're right though; it must be incredibly high. I should mention it to Evanthe. I think we tend to underestimate Mari because she uses her powers for vanity."

"That sounds like a dangerous mistake to make." I thought back to how carefully I'd seen her watching me, and how difficult it had been to maintain my hold on her powers. I'd been sick for hours after the stunt I pulled with the king.

"I agree. Who knows what she could be getting up to when we assume she's busy shopping." To my surprise, instead of heading over to his usual spot, Ash veered instead towards Mari and her friends.

"What are you doing?" I hissed, keeping pace beside him.

"I think it's time we both got some payback. Ready to use your powers in a real fight?"