“No one trusts anyone here, my dear, least of all the women, thanks to our dear queen Stacia.” A shadow passed over his expression, flitting away as quickly as it had appeared.
If Tressa hadn’t been studying him so carefully, it would have gone unnoticed. If the master of illusion couldn’t control his negative emotions about the queen, then perhaps Tressa really had found an ally.
“This queen,” Tressa imitated Leo as he bent at the waist, bowing low, “tell me about her.”
Leo waved a finger in the air and shook his head. “Let’s move on to another technique, shall we?”
“But, I –” Before Tressa could finish her sentence, Leo took her in his arms.
He bent her backward, his lips once again close to hers. “There are ears everywhere. Mention her name and they begin to listen.”
Tressa nodded ever so slightly, trembling in his arms. Anyone passing by the back alley or looking out a window would see a couple in a tender embrace. They wouldn’t see, or feel, the fear passing through her.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Tressa sat down on a nearby rock, the muscles in her arms sore and burning. She flexed one, impressed with the tone. It was amazing what a difference a month of hard training could do. She’d devoted everything to her mission, despite how much she longed to run back to Bastian. Knowing that killing Stacia would mean bringing down the fog forever and set her people free, Tressa was willing to risk a few lives to the plague to save the majority of them.
“Looking incredible, chouchou,” Leo said, tossing her a wink. “Pretty soon you’ll fool them all into thinking you’re one of them.”
She wiped the sweat from her brow, bringing herself back to the present. “How often does the Black Guard take on new soldiers?”
Leo brandished his sword. He stabbed her padded chest, prodding her until she stood up again. “Only once a year. On the summer solstice. The men compete in the games for a place in Stacia’s elite guard. Even current members must compete to keep their place.”
Tressa snorted. “So much for loyalty.”
Leo danced around her, his feet sending the dirt into tiny whirling tornadoes. “It isn’t about loyalty. It’s about Stacia’s safety.” He looked at Tressa pointedly. “If you were the queen and you knew everyone hated you, wouldn’t you only want the best surrounding you at every possible moment?”
Tressa nodded, breathing erratically. She couldn’t keep up with his quick movements. There was no chance she’d ever make the guard and get close to the queen. “Why haven’t you ever tried out?” she asked between puffs, her chest straining for air.
Leo stopped suddenly, pushing the tip of his sword into the ground. “Who’s to say I haven’t?”
She took the quiet moment as a chance to steal a breath. “You have?”
“I was a member of her highest guard for two years.” Leo bowed his head. “I left of my own accord after I saw atrocities I could no longer support. Stacia is a cruel woman. Far crueler than her mother ever was. I grew up wanting nothing more than to serve her mother. By the time I was accepted into the guard, Stacia was coming of age. Her mother let her handle more and more of the responsibilities. She behaved like the spoiled child she was. Men died on her whim.”
Tressa’s heart went out to him. She knew what it was like having her world torn apart because of others. It was why she was here. Why she was learning. Why she decided to take that moment to charge him.
Leo fell backward. Tressa landed on his chest. Straddling him, holding him down with the strength of her thighs, rendering Leo unable to move. He bucked, but she didn’t yield.
A smile graced his face. “Do this to another man and he might get the wrong impression.”
“Perhaps,” Tressa said, a smile on her face, “but you are not like other men. Besides, when I fight for my place in the Black Guard they will all think I am a man.”
“Even so, some men might be turned on by this from another man.”
Tressa rolled off of Leo and lay down on the ground next to him. “Are you one of those men?” Despite knowing it was none of her business, she was curious. In the last month, he hadn’t courted anyone – man or woman. Leo was strong and attractive. With a flick of his fingers, he could interest anyone.
Leo sobered up, the laughter that always accompanied his voice was silent. “Why?”
Tressa shrugged. “I don’t understand why you’re not coupled.”
“Why aren’t you?” he asked.
“You know why. I’ve told you about Bastian.” Her heart ached. She missed him so much. It would all be over soon, though. She was closer to achieving her goal. Confiding in Leo had helped soothe her pain. She’d told him only pieces of her life story. Enough for him to see her heart, but she never mentioned Hutton’s Bridge. Only a home she was forced to leave.