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Rhiann blinks, taken aback, then mirrors the motion, her movements precise. “Go ahead and eat. I’m sure there’s plenty for Agnar too.”

“I’ll at least walk with you.” Agnar pivots from the path he’d been pacing. “You ready?”

“More than ready. Thanks, Rhiann.” My throat tightens as I turn away.

As we walk, Agnar keeps glancing over until finally I can take no more. “Spit it out, Agnar. What’s bothering you?”

He sucks in a sharp breath. “Nothing. I just…”

“Just what? This isn’t like you, and it’s starting to freak me out. What’s going on?”

“I didn’t want you to worry. Which was why I was going to talk to Sterling and hopefully get things settled before you got back.” Agnar curses low and slow under his breath. “People were commenting on your disappearance. You left the same day troops started moving in Aclaris. Rumors got started, no doubt initiated by our opinionated group of nationalists.”

Waiting for him to continue doesn’t work. “What are the rumors? I can already assume they’re bad since you don’t want to repeat them.”

He chews his lip for a few moments as we walk. “They’re all stupid. If anyone, even those who don’t know you, thought about them, they’d realize they’re nonsensical. They claim you’re a double agent for Aclaris. Or only cozying up to Sterling in order to get access to the throne.”

I roll my eyes. “Sterling declared a truce with Aclaris and is openly working with them against my better judgment. Also, he’s already announced we’re betrothed. These rumors at least made sense before, but now?”

We reach my chambers to find a cart of food waiting in the hallway.

Agnar opens the door for me. “I did tell you they were stupid.”

“True. Let’s see what we have here.” I try to muster some enthusiasm as I push the cart inside, pulling off the cloth to reveal an assortment of bread, cheese, cold cuts of meat, fruit, and some kind of soup.

“Looks good. But I can’t be sure until I try it.” Agnar snatches the bread from my grasp, a mischievous glint in his azure eyes. “Official taste tester on duty.” He stuffs half a slice in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully before giving me a thumbs-up. “All clear. But there’s way too much food here for just one person. Be a shame for it to go to waste.”

I roll my eyes and grab my own piece of bread, the crust golden and inviting. My thoughts drift back to Leesa, to the unnatural thing that’s taken her over, and my heart aches. Tomorrow. I’ll face it all tomorrow. For now, I need to eat, check on Sterling, and get some godsdamned rest.

After finishing the first slice, I reach for a second. That’s when I spot the parchment nestled among the dishes.

A note with crisply folded edges.

Curiosity piqued, I pick it up and read aloud. “Now that you’ve chased down the lineage of the phoenix, you should come visit me. You have my word no harm will come to you.”

The playfulness drains from Agnar’s face as he leans over to inspect the note. “Who is this from?”

“The man who abducted me from the halls outside the throne room last week. He’s the one who gave me the map to the Lost City. I think we can trust him.”

“Youthink?” His brows knit together. “He fucking kidnapped you, Lark. Map or no map, I don’t trust him. I’m checking the rest of your food.”

I step back to let him do his work.

He moves from dish to dish, sampling tiny bits, and sniffing the contents like a hound on the scent. When he gets to the soup, he hesitates, then tips the bowl over, spilling its contents onto the tray. As the liquid splashes against the silver, an acrid tang rises in the air.

“Shit. This has been tampered with.” Agnar scowls at the soup. “A sleeping herb strong enough to knock out a bear.”

“Or a dragoncaller.” I swallow against the sudden dryness in my throat.

Someone wants me incapacitated, vulnerable. The game has changed. The stakes are higher than ever. Was this the same man who helped me last time? Or is someone pretending to be him in order to lure me away from the rest of the palace?

“Whoever sent this,” Agnar plucks the note from my fingers, “we need to find them. Before they find another way to get to you.”

“Lead the way.” I leave the rest of the food untouched, my appetite gone.

ChapterThirty-Three

Thankfully, I remember the location of the eccentric man’s cottage. Though finding the place in the dark proves a little tricky. We land when the clearing comes into view, opting to walk the rest of the way. Once we reach the front door, I exchange a glance with Agnar.