Queen of Thieves

chapter 37

Cirdrissa hissed out a breath.

She was perched on the windowsill of her bedroom, her skirts hiked up to her hips. The wound on her thigh glittered silver in the moonlight. Black veins wriggled out of it, like millions of small worms, and she leaned her hot forehead against the cool windowpane.

Shit.

She felt the oddest urge to laugh. How many injuries had she sustained over the years? Dozens? Hundreds? There was that time that she dislocated her shoulder cliff jumping in Sehalle. Or when Bea almost chopped her ankle off when they were sparring.

But in the end, it was a small cut that would get her.

She hadn't even realized that Eknobia had nicked her with the knife, at first. The cut was so small you could cover it with your thumb. But then Cirdrissa had felt dizzy in the shower two mornings ago, and she had looked down at her thigh and she had known.

She didn't know much about poison, but she knew what this one looked like; it was Eknobia's signature cocktail. The queen had used it to kill Diasoma, and now, she would use it to kill her, too. It was slow acting, and there was no cure. Cirdrissa was surprised she had made it almost half a week so far; it was probably because she had only gotten a very weak dose of the poison.

But she didn't have long.

Cirdrissa forced herself to stand. The world tilted slightly, and she gripped the bedpost, taking deep, shuddering breaths. She didn't have far to go; just a few floors down, and through a corridor. She could do it.

She was halfway there when she saw a light flicker in Bea's room. Cirdrissa paused, peeking her head through the door. Bea was already propped up in bed, Gus sleeping soundly beside her. A book with pastel illustrations of sharp-looking weapons lay open in front of them.

Cirdrissa arched an eyebrow. "I thought you'd be with Kai."

"So did he." Bea's mouth twitched. "You should have seen his face when I turned him down." She closed the book. "It was absolutely priceless."

Cirdrissa smiled. "One day, Bearami, you'll find a boy that you actually like." She leaned heavily against the doorjamb. "And you won't know what to do with him."

"I'd just toss him out the window."

"Metaphorically."

"No, literally." Bea pulled a face. "I'd rather break him than have my heart broken." She brightened. "Or you could break him for me."

"What if I'm not around?"

Bea rolled her eyes. "Don't be stupid," she said dismissively. "You'll always be around."

Cirdrissa felt a lump rise in her throat. She had thought that too, once; she always imagined that she would move into a sleek apartment with Bea after they graduated, somewhere in the heart of Blisron. Bea would work at the Academy, teaching kids the art of warfare, and Cirdrissa would join the Council and spend her days helping other nations with flood mitigation and other mundane water-related tasks. She could still see it when she closed her eyes, shimmering in front of her like a mirage.

Bea yawned, and Cirdrissa seized it as an excuse.

"You're tired," she said, turning for the door. "I should go."

"Drissa?"

She paused. Bea rubbed her eyes.

"You're feeling okay, right?" she asked. "You seemed quiet tonight."

Cirdrissa's throat ached. For a moment, she wondered what would happen if she told Bea. If she simply let the words out that she'd been holding in for so long.