Chapter 27

Ren sat in that dimly lit cave, struggling to breathe.

Timmons had gotten her a position. An actual position. A promised path forward from the lips of a dead boy. She couldn't believe her bad luck. The idea that she might have landed a sponsorship with House Winters if only the accident in the waxway chamber had never happened…

"Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Ren quietly tucked her friend in next to Cora, then set to the task of refreshing the wards. When she took her seat again, she saw Theo's eyes flutter open. "You're awake."

His voice was all rust. "Food?"

She pushed to her feet. The fire was dying, but the cuts of rabbit meat had kept warm enough. She gathered a few of the strips before sitting back down. It took effort for him to wedge up into a sitting position beside her. His hands shook as he reached out.

"Here. Let me help." She ripped off a smaller portion and held it out, the same way you'd feed a hound. The look he offered in response had her smiling. "What? Too proud to accept help?"

He nearly rolled his eyes before leaning back and accepting the offered portion. She fed him like that, bite after bite. He was quiet at first, working his jaw, one hand set over his bandaged stomach. The wounds were still healing. She'd had a small surgery as a girl, and she knew how he must feel. That strange tightrope of fatigue that left a person standing between the dreaming and waking worlds.

"Where'd you learn that dance?"

His eyes found hers. "It's a mating dance. The Delveans first learned it from the Tusk sailors who settled with the farming tribes north of Kathor. It was one of the largest exchanges of information between our two magical systems in history. Until the Shiverians did the same a few decades later."

Ren knew the stories. The first Delvean expedition that sailed up the eastern coast in search of magic never found any. Instead they chanced upon fertile farmland. It kept them alive as they hunted in vain for magic. When the second expedition—sent by the same Delvean monarch—discovered Kathor's vast deposits, the first crew traveled south to share in the discovery.

They were turned away. It began a decade of battles in that region, most of which the Broods won decisively for Kathor. But the northern group was strengthened by Tusk sailors who sailed around the very northern tip of the continent. The two groups eventually merged into one people, and it was only through the Accords that the Kathorian houses avoided a costly war with them. It was no surprise Theo knew all the details. After all, it was his family's legacy.

"There's a good amount of Tusk in my family line," Theo said. "But that didn't matter to my father. He forbid me from seeking a wyvern for myself. The reward wasn't worth the risk, in his opinion. I tried to prove him wrong by learning all the steps. When I finally performed the dance for him, he nodded once. ‘Next time, put that same effort and dedication into something more useful.'?"

Theo took another bite. She knew the story was meant to draw empathy from her. He, too, was denied things. He, too, was a dedicated student. She smiled the way she knew she was supposed to smile. If only he knew what his father had denied her.

"The mating dance is some kind of bond magic, right?"

He nodded. "The completed ceremony acts like a bonding spell, yes."

She raised her eyebrows. "I'm surprised a boy like you would consider bonding to anything or anyone. But I'm glad that you were stubborn enough to learn it. It saved us. Without that dance, I imagine one of us would have died."

"And without your magic, I would have died. I can't believe we survived waking up a sleeping wyvern. What spell did you use?"

She smiled again. "Why do you care?"

"Because every time I think I know what spell I would use in the same situation, you end up using one that's far cleverer. I am open to a continued education. Even out here."

"And I am to teach you?" Ren said, lifting one eyebrow. "Free of charge?"

He snorted. "What do you want? Coin? Can't exactly spend it out here."

"What do I want?"

Ren had been calculating this risk ever since the river, waiting for even the slightest opening. Theo had been so impressed with her magic. At first she'd thought the quick glances were purely a response to her spells. A newly earned trust. But she'd wondered if there was more. If they survived out here, his interest in her magic might be enough. At the very least he'd vouch for her talent to his father. But all it would take was Landwin Brood's disregard for Ren's potential position to go up in smoke. There were other ways to solidify the connection. Ways to intensify Theo's attention. Timmons had just given Ren a fine example of what a little flirting could do. Now she just had to follow suit.

Her eyes drifted down. Cora had put Theo in Clyde's other shirt, but she'd not bothered to button the top three buttons. It was likely she'd left it open so his wounds could breathe. Ren thought touching his chest might be too forward, so she let her eyes fall to his hand. She bravely reached out and slid her own into his. The way Theo shocked to stillness was utterly satisfying. He didn't pull away. Instead, as she used her thumb to trace the lines of his palm, his throat bobbed.

"I could think of an exchange," Ren said softly. "Several, in fact."

His chest rose and fell. She kept waiting for him to say this was untoward, but he didn't. It was a risk because Ren didn't know how often a boy like Theo faced such advances. Had other girls, hoping to lure him into a match, done the same back at Balmerick? Would he think that she was desperate? She watched as he shifted his weight. They were facing each other properly now. Theo's eyes darted from Ren's lips to her hand and back to her eyes. She bit her lip, like this was all new to her.

The truth was that Devlin Albright—for all his faults—had imparted a certain confidence. He'd written bad poetry about the rich brown of her eyes. He'd whispered about how soft her lips and skin were. Ironic that a boy dedicated to protection had sharpened and honed Ren's idea of herself into a far better weapon. Quietly she wielded that knowledge now.

Ren knew to wait. Hunger was pooling in Theo's eyes as he traced the lines of her palm in return. She could not be the first to make a move. Patience had its rewards. He tugged, ever so slightly, on her hand. Pulled it up to his lips. She let him graze the spot with a kiss, and another. She responded by running that hand down his jaw. Letting it settle on his chest as the distance between them grew narrower. The whole room smelled like ashes.

"And I said to him, put that in your vessel!"

Ren and Theo both froze. Timmons was sitting up in her sleep, eyes still closed. She laughed at her own words before nestling back in beside Cora. The intrusion ruined the moment, drawing out all the awkwardness. Ren and Theo pulled away from each other, all hesitant smiles. Every nerve in Ren's body was firing. She said what girls were expected to say in these moments.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I didn't mean to…"

"Don't apologize. Not for that."

He winced a little as he propped himself back against the cave wall.

"Maybe another time," Ren said. "We can continue our exchange."

He smiled before taking another bite of his food. Ren glanced sideways at him.

"And don't get all haughty now. Just because I held your hand."

That familiar scowl surfaced, but it didn't hold for long.

"You still haven't said what spell you used."

"Now that I know what I can extract from you, I was considering withholding the information for later." Another scowl. She smiled at him. "It was a brightening cantrip."

Theo shook his head. "I've never seen a brightening cantrip that looked like that. What'd you combine it with?"

Ren grinned. At least he was smart. "I concentrated the cantrip into a sphere, increased its velocity, and then used the impact exclusivity charm to direct—"

"The brightness at whatever the spell struck. That's clever. Really clever."

She pretended to be pleased by the compliment, though she'd have preferred if he stopped being so surprised by her skill. At least Ren had him right where she wanted him. If they survived, Theo would be a fool not to see her usefulness. Agora's words about the city's elite came back to her. Creatures like him bore easily. A little flirting along the way would make sure that Theo didn't lose interest by the time they made it back to Kathor. But he'd be suspicious if Ren came on too strong too fast. What did a boy with the world at his fingertips—with friends who acted more like servants—really want? Ren's guess had been proven correct. He wanted someone who wasn't afraid to challenge him. Someone who wasn't there to agree with everything he said and every plan he made. She knew she could give him that.

"You've got this crease," he said. "Right here."

He tapped the spot between his eyebrows.

"It's settled in permanently, because you always make the same face when you're thinking."

She threw him a scowl of her own. He laughed.

"Don't worry. It's cute."

She pretended to be embarrassed before offering a response.

"I have to think twenty steps ahead of everyone else. It's the only way to survive when you come to Balmerick with nothing, when you've been through what I've been through in life." She caught and held his gaze. "I've earned that crease, however cute you may think it looks. Good night, Theo."

She settled in, turning so that her back was to him. Let him think about that one for a while. Let it roll around in his mind and fester. Ren fell asleep easily, the smell of ashes still hanging in the air.