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Though he faced Amalthea, I didn’t take my eyes off the vampire in the room. My fingers shook slightly, longing for the comfort of the copper cuffs I’d left in the bathing suite. The vampire spared me the barest glance before focusing on Amalthea, annoyance obvious on his features. But restrained annoyance, like when a friend has played a joke, rather than vampire annoyance where they contemplate tearing you limb from limb.

I tried to steady my heart and failed.

“Even when you are wrong? Surely our king hasn’t changed that much on this journey.” The witch’s voice was lilting, like she was singing instead of insulting her king. “She will be living among vampires. She cannot be cloistered away. You trust Demos above all others, so who better than your right hand to join us? He’s much better with a blade than I am, in any case.”

“Fine,” Raphael bit off. “I leave her in both of your care.” An ominous current ran between the words.

Iademos nodded gravely. Though I wasn’t facing Amalthea, I suspected her response was less deferential.

“You’re leaving?” I didn’t mean for my words to come out as a whisper. Panic spidered over my skin, constricting my chest.He was leaving me with another vampire?

Raphael faced me. “I have matters to attend to. Despite her many faults, Amalthea is correct. I trust Iademos above any other in this mountain, or all of Eurobis.I planned to hold off the introduction, but since Amalthea has deemed herself an incompetent teacher”—an indignant huff from the seer—“they will both be with you when I am not.” He reached into the folds of his cloak and pulled out a short scabbard. “Learn this weapon. You willnotneed it here, but it will give you comfort to have and know how to use it, given your future plans.”

My plans to leave, once I finished translating. I took the blade and pulled it from its oiled sheath, testing the weight in my hand. It wasn’t gold, but the color was similar. Bronze? Raphael nodded once with satisfaction and left without further word.

I swallowed.

What now?

Amalthea approached me without any of the hesitation that constantly rattled inside me.

“In His Majesty’s hurry to play nursemaid, he forgot all his manners.” She ignored a pointed cough from Iademos. “My name is Amalthea, court seer to the Vampire Kingdom of the West and resident know-it-all. Or if not all, at least the interesting parts. That disapproving fanged menace is Iademos, right hand to the Vampire King of the West and general of Damerel’s army.”

She looked at me expectantly.Right. This is the part where I introduce myself.“I’m Samara. No fancy titles, I’m afraid. Just a stray Raphael picked up.”

Amalthea laughed, and Iademos’s lip curled into something that might have been a repressedsmile.

“Oh, you’re much more than that. You’re the first human Raphael’s ever claimed as his Chosen.”

I blinked. “What?”

Iademos cleared his throat. “What Amalthea means is you’re our king’s guest. That in itself grants you status.”

“Like his right hand and an illegal witch as babysitters?”

“Illegal witch?” Amalthea repeated, tone thunderous.

I looked down, embarrassed. That was the term I’d always heard used to refer to seers, and it had slipped out before I’d thought through the implications.

“There’s no such thing as illegal magic, any more than there are illegal clouds. Magic chooses its form, and we obey. Only a fool attempts to restrict the existence of kinds of magic. There will always be a reckoning for such hubris.” The words were almost a growl by the time Amalthea finished speaking.

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I didn’t mean—that was rude of me.”

Amalthea’s expression softened at once, the thunderstorm gone as quickly as it had come. “I’ll bear no grudge, Samara. I’ve had worse said about me and done to me.” She lifted a hand to her face, where her glass eye looked back at me. “You’d be wise to remember what I’ve said.”

I nodded. “Can I ask how you came to be here?”

“Of course. And because I like you, I’ll even answer. Here, come and sit.”

“The king told us—rather told you—to train her,”Iademos chastised.

Amalthea waved him away. Where the vampire guard frightened me and was clearly not one to be trifled with, Amalthea treated him like an annoying sibling. “Learning about her new home is important training for Samara. There’ll be plenty enough time for you to show off all your little drills later. Not that there’s much to say—stick them with the sharp end. Nothing to it.”

Iademos ground his jaw. I kept my eyes on him even as Amalthea dragged me over to a bench.

“Won’t you get us refreshments?” she asked saccharinely.

“That’s not my—fine.” He huffed and left the room.