A Dark and Starless Night

Chapter Twelve

Eve

It was after midnight, and that meant that the heat from the sun had finally given up, leaving Eve feeling cold as she waited. One of Oen's servants had assured her a carriage would be back shortly and it would take her directly home. But the servant hadn't mentioned where the carriage was coming from. It could have dropped someone off on the other side of the city for all she knew, so she could be waiting for a while.

She scuffed at the dirt on the street, moving to try stay warm. Her face was still warm, at least. She buried her hands in her face and made a noise of frustration that earned her looks from the people who moved through the streets. The city really never slept, and its inhabitants wouldn't let her suffer in her embarrassment alone. It amazed her that Rik didn't understand why she hated Fin so much.

Small blessings that Rik hadn't been there to witness it. Where he had been, she didn't know. He'd slipped away not long after the dancers had appeared. A pool of dread formed in the pit of her stomach at the thought of him seeking out one of the women. But he wouldn't betray the feelings he had for Ali. Would he?

She sighed, shuddering. She knew it wasn't really that cold, but she couldn't stop the tremors that shook her. She tried to breathe through it, but her body kept shaking as she moved from one foot to the other in an attempt to stay warm.

She tucked her head into her shoulders. A shiver started at the base of her spine and tore up it. She felt the pinprick of a stare at the nape of her neck. She rubbed her hand over it, looking over her shoulders. There was no lack of people lounging outside Oen's, and no lack of people ambling along the street between her and the house. But she couldn't see anyone outright staring at her. And yet she could feel the stare, feel it like it was a finger hovering a hair's width away from the skin.

She shuddered violently again and made a decision she probably wouldn't have made if she had been entirely sober. She couldn't stand there with that sensation making her feel like spiders were crawling all over her. Better to move through the crowds, lose the stare, and get home quicker than she would if she waited on that damn carriage. She didn't live far and she was a member of a well-known family. She would be perfectly safe.

At least, that's what she told herself.

The feeling of being watched passed at least. Although, it shifted into the feeling of being followed.

There was no reason for her to feel that way as she moved through the busiest streets of the Golden Quarter, going out of her way to stay in the public's eye. She didn't care if it meant she had a longer journey home. At least people she knew saw and greeted her. Surely, she thought, looking back over her shoulder, that would be a deterrent.

But the feeling that she was being stalked through the streets of Teryon persisted.

She tried to stay calm. To keep a reasonable pace. To stop looking back. But with each passing step, with the building pressure on her neck, she started to walk faster. Doing her best to dodge people as she went. Only, that was hard to do when she kept looking over her shoulder.

"Sorry," she yelped, crashing into someone's shoulder.

He was taller, but not by much. He steadied her with both his hands gripping her arms. His hood – who wore hoods in Teryon? – slipped back, and she was surprised by the russet colour of his skin, a darker shade of her own. He was from the Isle, likely from one of the desert tribes, or maybe an oasis town. But his eyes caught her attention. The light of the nearest shop front lit them, showing their beautiful amber colour.

"Steady as you go," he said, his words tinged with an Islan accent. When she said nothing, he cocked an eyebrow at her and let her go.

"We have to go," a short girl at his arm said, in Islan. She grabbed his arm and tugged him along, sparing Eve a nod. He let her pull him along, glancing back over his shoulder at Eve standing in the middle of the street. The subtle smell of desert rain lingered in the air as he went and she closed her eyes for a heartbeat.