The Point of A Dagger

Ten

Griffin's eyes shoot to me when I hear the 'news,' an unreadable expression on his face. He looks at the letter in my hand, seeing the signature.

"Was anyone hurt?" I ask, my voice shaky as I force myself to imagine how I would be acting if Erora was dead. Fear bubbles in my chest, even though I know she is safe with her Captain, on her way home.

"It's unclear, ma'am," Ronan says, his voice somber. My stomach clenches at the realness of all this, how well we are playing our roles. I even summon a tear to my eye, forcing it to roll down my face, but wiping it away once Griffin sees it.

"Get a carriage ready, and gather as many guards as you can spare. If anyone is hurt, I will hunt down the arsonist to the ends of the Realm," I say, summoning anger I didn't know I possessed. But, the anger at Saunin for everything they have taken from me, from my Land, boils and spills over the surface.

I turn to Griffin, summoning as much of my own fire into my stare, burning him with guilt. "I need to take care of this, and I need you to stay here, out of trouble."

"Cassandra," he says, his voice gruff, with a hint of worry. The undertone surprises me so much that I almost drop my facade, almost. "Let me come with you. I may be able to help you find the arsonist's signature if they are from my Land." At that, my mask does drop, revealing my shock at his words. Quickly, I put it back up, this time contorting my expression with pure rage, stepping closer to him.

"If anyone from your land is responsible for this, you will want to be far, far, away from me." The flash of emotion I saw earlier is gone now, replaced by cold, hard, indifference.

"It's your own fault, you know, putting a royal on a ship. Unguarded." My temper flares as I look up at him, his eyes a dark auburn, staring down at me, his arms crossed over his chest.

My temper flares, his eyes narrowing as he watches me. Everything in me boils, threatening to spill over the surface. The urge to scream at him, tell him that I know what his Land did and that I'll make them pay, blurs my vision. Ronan must sense it as he steps forward, putting a gentle hand on my arm.

"We should leave immediately, miss." I take a breath, nodding. Something about Griffin makes me lose my hold on reality, makes me want to scream until the whole world stops. He makes me irrational, and it's dangerous.

"You are to stay in your room. Do not attempt anything. I will be back soon." A menacing grin blossoms on his lips.

"Tell dear Erora I said hello. And my condolences for her ruined ship." A tear slips from my eye, one born of anger, and a snippet of emotion flashes across Griffin's face before he returns to his cold, hard mask.

Ronan leads me out of the room, allowing me to finally breathe, before we begin moving. He ushers me down the hall, the guards moving into their hidden positions.

"There is a carriage out front. It will leave followed by a good sum of guards on horseback. We'll take refuge in your study before fitting into the mind of two dove's stored there." I nod, my tears drying on my face as we move, the sound of footsteps moving through the castle. "Are you alright, ma'am?" Ronan asks, standing before my study.

"Just fine," I reply with a nod. He gives me one more look before shoving the doors open.

When we enter, a guard stands near the desk holding a cage with two white doves in it. Ronan and I both take a seat. The guard takes the birds into his hands, Ronan closing his eyes, one of the birds immediately flapping his wings. The guard lets go, the bird flying to sit on Ronan's shoulder. Closing my own eyes, I move into the other dove's mind, seeing from her eyes. I flap the wings, feeling the guard release me.