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Blanching, he releases his grip on my bicep. I march to the palace door at the end of the path and enter the hall of mosaic tiles. Light slants through stained glass windows. With the venison tucked under my arm, I make my way through the Lost Palace. The air smells of burned wood and charred stone. I ease open the door to the next hall, and a rumbling growl reverberates through my ribs. Two metallic eyes materialize in the darkness.

“Tarasque, I’ve brought you a snack.” Though my throat is dry, I force my voice to stay steady. She doesn’t like weakness, and I don’t want her to assumeI’mthe snack.

The light through the doorway glitters on her scales. As my eyes adjust, I take in her full form. Without Talan here, she seems even more terrifying—muscular, monstrous. An abomination.

My heart races.

The stones in the chamber are charred black in places, and the air smells of soot, sharp on my tongue.

I keep my body as far from her as I can, still twenty feet away.

She opens her jaws and lets out a roar, filling the hall with smoke. The guards waiting outside are probably wondering when and how to collect my remains.

I unwrap the package and raise the venison high. “Tarasque, do you want this?”

Her eyes narrow on the meat. I take a step toward her, then another. Her head darts forward. With one sudden snap, the meat disappears.

I yank my hand back. It’s a miracle she didn’t bite it off. With a smile, I coo, “Good girl,” just like Talan did.

She blinks, then lowers her head until it almost reaches me. She growls impatiently. It takes me a moment to realize what she wants.Holy shit.I reach up and scratch her under her jaw, as I’d seen Talan do. As I stroke the scales on her throat, she shuts her eyes in pleasure, purring.

“That’s right, you’re a good girl.” I raise my voice so the guards can hear me. “Yes. You just needed attention, didn’t you? Don’t worry. I’m here. I’ll stay with you for a few minutes.”

I stroke her throat thoroughly, until I judge she’s completely relaxed. Then I carefully circle her. Her head follows me, but she seems more curious than hostile. I get to the back of the hall, where I find the enormous double doors, and unbar them. I try to push one open. Just…need it…to…budge…a little.

Talan made it seem easy, but the door is as heavy as a truck. Of course, I don’t have nearly the strength that Talan does.

Tarasque lazily shifts, her tail striking the door. It creaks open just enough for me to slip through.

“Good girl.” I grin at her in astonishment, then squeeze out of the opening.

The palace is between me and my guards, so they can’t see me. I creep into the dense woods, hiding behind oaks and birches, and make my way back to the castle and the stables.

Saddling Clover, I lead her by hand to the Messenger Gate, my heart thundering. If anyone notices that I’m missing my usual retinue, my plan is fucked.

All I can do is try to act natural.

The Messenger Gate is heavily guarded, of course. Since Perillos was attacked the night I escaped, all the defenses were strengthened. But lucky for me, the new directives demand a sergeant to command each gate, which means everyone has to follow his orders. And that’s something I can work with.

I approach the gate, and the sergeant strides up to me, his red hair gleaming in the sun. “Your Highness.” He bows.

I nod at him. “Good day. Can you open the gate, please?”

He looks over my shoulder. “Where are your guards?”

I frown. “They were there a minute ago.” I quickly turn and pretend to trip over a stone, toppling into the sergeant’s arms. The moment his hands grip my waist, I dive into his mind.

That’s the last thing I need right now. Talan loses his mind when anyone touches this farm girl, and the man is unhinged enough as it is. He’ll feed me to his dragons. And I can’t let her through. Not without her guards. She seems fairly daft.

“You can let me through,” I whisper in his mind. I can feel him resisting, so I force the tendrils of my magic in deeper.

…Shouldn’t have been late to this morning’s briefing. I saw the captain giving me the side-eye. He has it in for me. Just waiting for me to fuck up…

“You missed something important in the briefing.” I plant the idea deep in his thoughts.

Fuck. What if I missed something important in that briefing? The captain will have me on charges. Talan will have me flayed alive as an example.

Pain carves through my skull, but I ignore it. “They might have mentioned special permits,” I mentally suggest, rooting the idea. “If someone has a permit and you don’t let them through, it won’t end well for you.”