Words escape me in an angry stream. “You keep threatening me, but in the end you don’t do jack. You can’t touch me because I’m your king’s Page, but you taunt me anyway because it makes you feel important. I can’t imagine the beating your ego’s taken, being ignored by the very Scion you swore your life to!”

Shocked silence. From both of us.

Then his voice is at my ear. “There it is. The self-righteous rage of demonkind. Pathetic.”

“Not as pathetic as you.”

“Mmm?”

I pause, just in case he tries to rush me or something, but he doesn’t. I can’t even tell if I’m still facing in the right direction. Undaunted, I keep going. “Let’s say you go over Nick’s head and report me to Lord Davis or the Regents. They’ll put me on one of your trials. Ask you for proof of whatever it is you think I am, and that’s the thing, Merlin. You have none.”

Silence. Then, “Is that so?”

“Yeah, that’s so.” I’m bold now, and running with it. “My dad had a dog like you once, when he was little. His family lived out in the sticks and that dog raised hell over cars driving down the road, howled at every stray cat. Made it a useless guard dog, so his father gave it away. If you run your uchel hunch up the chain without evidence, the Regents will question your ability to do your job. And that’s a risk you can’t afford. You don’t want to be that ole country dog, do you, Kingsmage?”

Silence. Then a low, slow laugh in the darkness.

“You have a silver tongue, mystery girl.” A pause. “I feel a sudden urge to tear it out.”

My pulse leaps in my throat.

“Lucky for you, I’m used to being baited.” A whoosh of air, and then his voice finds me from overhead. “Maybe another time.”

The moment he leaves, a fine tremor starts at my fingers. By the time Nick jogs back to me through the woods, both hands are shaking, my chest tight with fear.

“Okay, I think they’re ready for you in the arena.”

I nod, swallowing around a gigantic lump—and the tongue I’m still thankful to own.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

I give a wobbly smile. “Your Kingsmage stopped by for a little pre-game inspiration. He still thinks I’m a demon and threatened to out me, but this time I told him off. Now he wants to rip my tongue out of my head.”

Nick makes a frustrated sound. “That’s why I didn’t feel him.”

“You can feel Sel?”

“Lifelong perk of the Kingsmage Oath. He can feel when I’m in mortal danger, and I can feel his murderous intent. It’s how I knew he was close before he attacked you last night.”