“What do they mean?” I ask, eyes spinning all around me. Even with Judd and Lu in front and the guards at our sides and back, I still feel exposed to this shock of impliable judgment. “Why are they saying I stole magic?”
I can see Slade’s hold tighten on the reins, see his hesitation in the tic of his jaw muscle. “That’s the story that’s spread from Fifth Kingdom,” he admits. “The story that Queen Kaila has helped spread.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?” I practically hiss between my teeth.
“I didn’t think this rumor was so widely accepted.”
I look around at the leery faces as they strain to see me as our horses pass. “I’d say it’s pretty damn accepted, Slade.”
He can’t argue otherwise.
“Do you want to go back?” he asks.
I start to nod, but then, I stop myself.
I’ve always had to shy away from crowds, always had to fit into Midas’s narrative. And now, even though he’s dead, he’s still steering my public reputation.
For ten years, he took my power and pretended it was his own and now…
He’s still taking. And yet, they’re calling me the thief.
My power has never been my own, and for the first time, when I’m finally proud of it, when I’m finally mastering it, he’s tainted this too. Made it seem like I took it from him?
The thought makes my blood boil so hot that the backs of my eyes sear with moisture.
“No,” I say definitively, expression hardening. “I’m not a thief, and I’m not going to hide.”
I’m not going to let Midas use my gold-touch to his death’s advantage.
Pride flickers over Slade’s face as I shove back my hood, letting it drop behind me. “I’m not going to run away like I’m guilty,” I declare, sitting up straighter. “Let them look.”
CHAPTER 48
AUREN
“You were right,” I say across the long table. “The Burnt Cat really is the best.”
Judd beams at me, lifting his tankard up in a toast. “Told you so. Best wine in Orea.”
Nodding, I help myself to another drink, only to realize it’s empty. I frown at the bottom of my wood cup, as if the sweating grooves inside will somehow produce more deliciousness. I’m vastly disappointed when it doesn’t.
“I ran out.”
“Would you like to have more?” Slade asks, though how I hear him inside such a noisy tavern, I’m not sure.
“Yes, please.”
Judd led the way straight here, and the tavern owner quickly brought us into this private seating area in the back. The lighting is low, a fresh breeze coming in from the window behind me, and our round table is blocked by stacks of wine barrels that smell amazing.
I have to admit, the wine has helped my mood.
Slade lifts his hand, and the tavern owner comes bustling over. He’s a short and stout man named Barut, with thinning hair and even thinner lips. Barut wipes his hands on his muddied apron. “What can I do for you, Sire?”
“Can you bring another pitcher of wine for the table? And we’ll have more bread and cheese as well, Barut.”
“Of course!” he says with a clap, beaming over at me with a crooked smile, his two front teeth tilted over each other like crossed arms. “How is everything else?”
“Perfect as always,” Judd calls over.
The man’s cheeks go ruddy with a bashful blush. “So glad to hear it, Sir Judd.”
When he leaves and it’s just the five of us again, I glower into my cup. I kept my chin up while we were outside on the street, but this widespread rumor of me stealing Midas’s magic is both ironic and infuriating. Needless to say, my mood has plunged. Everyone else is trying to keep the atmosphere positive still, but I can tell that the rumors are bothering them too. Digby, however, is not amused in the slightest. Every time he heard someone say something about me outside, I thought he was going to leap off his horse. I think only his sore ribs held him back.
“Are you alright?” Slade asks, his arm braced on the back of my chair.
I nod. “I’m fine.” When I realize how surly that sounded, I lift my gaze to him. “Thank you for taking me to the clothing shop—you didn’t have to buy me all of that, by the way.”
“You need clothes,” he says with a shrug. “Plus, it’s purely selfish.”
“How so?”
He leans in close. “I get to rip every single piece off you. It’s like getting to decide on the wrapping paper for my own gift.”