Free Eversworn: Daughters of Askara, Book 3 by Hailey Edwards

maintaining such a complex glamour from such a long distance. I couldn’t afford for someone to riffle through my bag and uncover the book while it was hungry.
    “Once the dust cleared, I had them taken to Dillon’s tent. I figured that’s where you’d end up one way or the other.” He tripped. “Not that I meant— I thought you’d want to check his leg.”
    “Ah.” I let him stutter. Let the back of his neck blush under my stare.
    He ducked his head and kept walking. “I’m sorry about that, Miss Isabeau.”
    “It’s no problem,” I murmured, smiling when his accent thickened. We passed a gap in the tents, and a blast of wind sent my skirt swirling. I swallowed my modesty and allowed it to flutter higher until bits of sand hit the insides of my thighs, my backside. I did smooth the front. I guess even I had limits. Besides, playing the part of temptress had lost its appeal the moment Phineas’s interest exposed Dillon’s curiosity. If he thought I was Evanti, he wouldn’t settle for having sex with me in glamour. He’d want to see me for what I was, and when I revealed myself, all he’d see was me…plus the black runes inking my forearms downward. Sereian slave bands were as distinctive as the Askaran preference for full-body ownership tattoos. A glimpse would tell him what I was.
    And if he realized my reason for being here first, well, I knew how Roland handled spies. “I drank a lot of tea before I left.” Fear lent me courage to expedite my plan. “It was a long ride here.”
    He shrugged. “You get used to it. Before long, you don’t even notice the miles.”
    “It was a lot of tea.” I fell behind once I found a likely spot. “The trip was quite long.”
    “Oh.” Mason glanced over his shoulder. “Gotcha.” He turned, frowning. “The thing is, we only have one, um, restroom is a stretch, but you know what I mean, that’s outfitted for females. There just aren’t enough females living here to warrant more than one facility. Can you hold it?”
    I was relieved to learn that was still the case. I smiled, embarrassed. “I don’t think I can.”
    “Give me a minute.” He glanced past my shoulder, no doubt considering whether or not Dillon should be bothered with what should be a simple request. I decided to give him a nudge.
    “It’s dark.” I pointed at a gap between tents. “Those don’t look like residency tents. They’re supply tents, aren’t they? Can you check to see if they’re occupied? If they aren’t…” I gestured toward the deep shadows behind them. “I can be finished in minutes if you’ll watch out for me.”
    His focus slid back over my shoulder. “I don’t know. The walk isn’t that far.”
    After a longing glance cast toward the tents, I said on a heavy sigh, “I can try to make it.”
    The ploy was a familiar one. Any parent would recognize it. Children were masters of manipulation, Sereian or not, and I’d learned from the best. All parents were given a similar education, but Mason lacked a tutor. Memories of an impish smile sliced open my heart. I fought the urge to crack open my locket and touch the worn mementos inside. Reminisce later. Act now .
    “Hold what you’ve got.” Mason darted inside the nearest tent then the two beside them. “It’s clear.” He passed me a few sheets of a papery material. “I’ll be right here if you need me.”
    “Thank you.” Stepping between the tents, I found a clear spot and squatted. A few tugs at my waistband and I slid the thin dagger I’d brought from the consulate from its hidden compartment. I scored a line across my hand and squeezed the cut until blood poured over my open palm into the sand. Once I’d made my offering to Zaniah, I used a dab of crimson on my fingertip and traced several runes into the sand. Before I finished the last side of the last one, the wind howled.
    I squinted as sand sprayed my face. The second phase of my plan had begun.
    Using the papers Mason had given me, I wiped