Ian’s POV
Kiva followed me back from the audience chamber, quiet as ever, though I could feel her gaze tracing the curve of my spine. Once inside, she moved around the chamber with brisk purpose, tending to the basin like a woman trying to wring the thoughts from her fingers.
I was barefoot. Dehydrated. My tunic clung to my chest - not just from the sweat the scorching purple sun poured through the glass panes, but from the tension coiled in me like wire since Luna Vashti's summon.
Lazhara.
That b***h was in my head.
She was just like Brenda - conniving, competitive, cruel. Poison in a prettier bottle.
Her final words from the Moonwell Hall rang in my ears. "Can't wait to see what other abilities you've been hiding.”
The word had slithered from her lips like a curse meant to brand
