shadows don't lie

Chapter Thirty

Inei opened her eyes, aware of the footsteps approaching her tent.

She didn’t let herself think about why she was in a tent to begin with, and instead sat up and pulled her hair back into a knot.

The camp was already awake and moving, and she could hear the sound of metal clanging and wings beating all around it.

The footsteps stopped outside of her tent and she suppressed a groan, pushing her blankets off. Ignoring the heaviness she felt, and she reached over to pull on a pair of black boots that she had been given with her leathers.

Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she pulled a few of her shadows near to her, and pushed open the flaps to her tent. Marcus waited with his arms crossed, a scowl on his face, and Inei figured that Delvon had probably ordered him to watch her, much to his disdain.

The male gave her a once over before sighing. “Delvon requires your presence. Next time, try to not sleep in so late.”

She just ignored him, picking at one of her nails. She noted an odd darkening along the tips of her fingers, but didn’t think anything of it.

Marcus scoffed at her attitude, but turned around and began walking away. She followed, even if she wanted nothing more than to stay behind and do nothing all day.

But that couldn’t happen. She needed to gather supplies, and to figure out where she might go, and be at least somewhat safe.

When they arrived at the large crimson tents that Inei had come to learn were where the war-camp leaders and nobility stayed. These tents looked thicker, and almost warm as she stepped closer, and her eyes flitted back down to Marcus who whistled to get her attention.

“We don’t have all day, let’s go.”

Brutal, but blunt. She could work with it.

She just nodded her head once, and walked inside.

While it had been frigid at best outside, the inside of the tent was comfortable, warming her skin when she hadn’t even realized she was cold to begin with.

She eyed the carpets covering the floor of the tent, and behind her she sensed as Marcus took his leave, ducking under the tent flaps before they could touch his wings.

If she didn’t know better, she would say that he had almost rushed to leave.

She heard a shuffle from a room over, and one of her shadows fluttered out from her vicinity, and towards the noise. “Delvon, he is alone and waiting.”

She suspected that the male hadn’t come to greet her as some sort of a test, but for what, she couldn’t guess.

Strolling over, she entered a circular room with a large table set up in the center, and Delvon stood beside a large map that hung from the wall.

Without turning around, she could just make out his faint annoyance from behind his wings. “About time. Have you snooped enough? I know how you shadowsingers love your secrets.”

He said the title with contempt.

She smirked. “I can promise you that any shadowsinger worth anyone’s time doesn’t need to snoop to learn something. We know the language of darkness, and it tells us what we need to know.”

He turned around now, motioning for her to come over. She was heavily aware of the silence, and the fact that she was alone with a male who was known for his cruel reputation, but she suffocated that part of herself.

She wouldn’t ever be touched again without permission.

When he moved so she could stand beside the map, she paused, waiting for him to explain what he wanted.