Page 54 of To Kill a King

Zadé spit into the fire pit, unconvinced.

He slouched forward. If logic wouldn’t work, then it was time to switch tactics. “If you help me convince Lady Brightleaf to apprentice Aliya, I’ll buy you a bottle of the best vintage wine in Filathas.”

She studied him as she chewed the inside of her cheek. After several heartbeats, she nodded. “Okay. But be warned. I have ‘xpensive tastes,” Zadé said, taking another long drink from her flask. “I’ll think about what ta say. Cress hasn’t agreed ta a student in over five hundred years, ya know.”

Aliya closed her eyes and tilted her head back against the rock. The hot springs were glorious. Their heat penetrated her muscles, loosening the day’s knots. She groaned and sank deeper into the warmth.

Something heavy fell into the spring, splashing the heated water over her face and hair. She opened her eyes and coughed the liquid from her nose. About five paces away, Zadé’s arm extended from the center of the pool, holding her waterskin safely above the surface. Moments later, the rest of Zadé exploded up, showering Aliya with a second wave.

“What are you doing?” With a flick of her wrist, Aliya wiped her face. If she wasn’t alone, she should be wearing something. She snapped her fingers underwater. A geyser shot up in front of her. As the droplets rained down, she frowned at her bare skin. Stupid magic. It looked like she wouldn’t be conjuring a bathing suit this evening after all. She sank down to her chin and crossed her arms.

Zadé stumbled backward, flailing, until she came to a stop against a boulder almost identical to Aliya’s. She took a deep swig from the waterskin. “Sorry, Princess. Didn’t mean ta splash yeh. Didn’t want ta lose th’ booze.” She held the flask out. “Want some? Itz the good stuff.”

Aliya went to shake her head but stopped. The drinks the first night with Elessan hadn’t been so bad, and that had been cheap ale. What was the harm if she had just a little now, especially if it was quality? “Sure,” she said, accepting the offering.

Zadé blinked, her mouth opening wide as Aliya brought the bottle to her lips.

She choked and spewed the contents into the spring. “This is water!”

The other woman shrugged with a sheepish grin. “Wasn’t expecting yeh t’ take me up on th’ offer.”

Aliya looked at the elf, and back at the flask. “I thought you were a drunkard.”

Zadé snatched the waterskin back. The affronted expression on her face was almost comical. “I am. Whenever possible.”

“But why?”

“Why not? It’s easier that way.” Zadé frowned at the bottle, sighed, and took a swig.

Her drunken slur was gone, suddenly, too. Zadé put a lot more energy into the drunken façade than her temperament hinted was possible. The woman had more depth than met the eye. “Easier? Having people think so little of you?”

She stared at her hands. “People think little of me, sober or drunk. At least when I’m drunk it doesn’t hurt as much.”

Alia looked at Zadé, really looked at her, for the first time. She would have never guessed the woman was in so much pain. “What happened to you?”

Zadé looked away. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You brought it up. It’s bad manners to mention something and refuse to discuss it.”

The elf snorted. “Been a long time since I worried ‘bout bein’ polite.”

“Zadé!” She was so infuriating sometimes.

Zadé sighed. “I was too close to where one of those exploding fireball weapons landed.” She tapped her temple with her knuckles. “Woke up from somethin’ I shouldn’t’ve.”

Aliya froze, her thoughts screeching to a halt. “You fought in the war?”

Zadé nodded. “I was good, too. If I’d’a stayed smart, we’d’ve beat yeh. And you wouldn’t be here today.”

She raised her eyebrow. “You would have won single-handedly?” Zadé sure did think highly of herself.

“No, not by myself.” She pointed to her forehead. “Tactics. Strategy. All kinds of good ideas lived in here. ‘Twas enough fer them ta ferget I wasn’t an elf.” She shrugged. “‘Til it wasn’t.”

“What’re you talking about?” She studied the other woman’s high cheekbones and angled face. “You are an elf.”

“Not full.” She tucked her hair behind her ear, displaying it. “Human’s in my blood.”

By the ancestors. She was right—the tip was blunt. “I didn’t realize there were mixed bloods.”