“Thank you so much, Dawn. I will cherish him forever.”
She rested a hand on my cheek. “He might not be big like them.” She pointed to the two hulking golems behind me. “But he can still protect you.” She smiled, then fled back behind the stand.
How sweet. I straightened, inspecting the small golem. The jewels in his eyes and armor glimmered in the lantern’s light. The craftsmanship was beautiful and precise, down to every detail of his small face and fingered hands.
“Make sure to pay them,” I murmured to one of the guards. The golem may have been a gift, but someone had worked hard to create him, and although I was sure Dawn meant well, judging by her appearance, I doubted they could afford to just give Calculus away.
“Don’t you have enough golems already?” Cassie teased, rejoining me in the center of the aisle.
“Calculus is different.” I passed the little creature over to its enormous counterpart for safe keeping.
“Whatever you say.”
I smirked, but the smile died on my lips when the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Spinning, I sawhim.
His golden eyes bore into mine while everything else about him lay concealed in the shadows of a dark cloak. He stood unmoving in the middle of the crowded street, like a rock among waves. Raising his arm, the lights reflected off something metallic leaving his hand.
Someone shoved me hard, and I tumbled backward as the object flew past my head. Pain seared my cheek. I jerked my fingers to my face, touching warm blood and my stomach dropped. “Cassie!”
Alex charged to her side, sword drawn as my view of the vibrant crowds and that furious gaze were cut off by the broad shoulders of my guards.
“Kaleah!” Cassie’s voice rose above the panic as screams and shouts replaced the merriment that had moments ago filled the air.
“Cassie!” My knees shaking, I pummeled one of the guard’s shoulders. “Please, you have to get to my sister. Make sure she’s safe.”
They ignored me.
Breathing hard, I pushed and shoved, trying to fight my way between them. Positioned in a circle around me, my seven guards didn’t budge. My head spun, and I toppled to the cobblestone street, pain exploding up my body. What was happening? Throat constricting, I choked. My vision blurred, the black and gold armor of my guards going fuzzy.
It was just a scratch. My fingers brushed my burning face again. Pulling away my hand, the vivid red painted against the paleness of my fingers made my stomach churn.She’s going to be furious.
Strong, unnaturally hard arms scooped me up, and the world reeled. The golem cradled my body, the impact of every step jarring through me. Overhead, thousands of lanterns swirled like pin dots of stars against the velvet backdrop of the night. The voices of my people muted to a low mumble, everything fading away except the memory of those golden eyes that burned into my soul.
2
A Revelation
Tremblinghandstightenedaroundmine, and I pried my eyes open, squinting. Bright light flooded through the floor to ceiling windows. A gentle breeze blew in from the garden outside, ruffling the edges of the drawn curtains and filling the room with the scent of flowers and fresh linen. I blinked, and the low wooden ceiling came into view. It was supported by deep blue pillars that lined the room and painted with intricate mosaic designs reminiscent of the ocean.
“Kaleah?” Cassie’s face came into view, her eyes bloodshot and her nose red from crying.
What was wrong? I tried rising from the soft pallet-bed, but barely made it off the mattress before collapsing back down, my body aching. Memories of earlier flooded my mind, and my throat tightened. “Are you alright?” Ignoring the pain, I took in my sister. She knelt beside me in a white shift, her golden hair loose around her shoulders. I searched for any signs she had suffered at the hands of the assassin, and she scowled.
“I tried to get the golems to protect you—”
“Kaleah.” Cassie tightened her grip on my hands, her blue eyes—reflections of my own—boring into mine. “You’re the one who nearly died, and you’re asking how I am? I’m fine. There were plenty of guards around, but Alex would have been enough protection had the need arose, which it didn’t. As for your golems, you know they won’t protect me. They were created for you.”
“Well, it’s stupid. You should have golems as well—”
“We’ve been over this before, those clay-men with their glowing eyes creep me out. I’ll stick with human guards, thank you very much.”
I huffed, giving up on a subject we’d been over countless times. “I still worry. And there’s no need to over-exaggerate. I didn’talmostdie. It was a scratch.” I bit down on my lip and ran my fingers over my left cheek. Nothing. I exhaled in relief.
“Don’t worry, your face is back to its perfect state.” Cassie scoffed. “As if that’s even important—”
“Itisimport—”
“Kaleah.Youare important. As a whole, not only your body. And you’re lucky it was just a scratch.” Releasing my hands, she reached into her lap. “If that golem hadn’t pushed you out of the way,thiswould have been embedded right between your eyes.” She stretched out her hand, revealing a simple black knife. Divine runes I didn’t recognize were etched into the leather wrapped handle, stained a dark red. Such a pathetic-looking weapon, and yet, it had almost claimed my life. I swallowed hard.