“Well, that’s a powerful recommendation.” Zaira snatched up her cup and knocked back a swallow. A variety of expressions crossed her face, ending with her eyebrows lost in her hair. “Hot,” she said. “But good!” She slurped more.

I nudged my cup. “I’ve heard it can be medicinal.”

Domenic laughed. “It’s all right, Amalia. They also serve wine.”

He called a server over and ordered me a glass, then turned to Zaira. “What did you think of the reception last night?”

She shrugged. “The food was good.”

“And the company?” His eyes gleamed as if he expected something interesting.

“Very pretty.” She took another draft of coffee, smirking at Domenic over the cup. “Very impressed with themselves.”

“That sums up most of the noble courts of Eruvia,” I said.

Domenic laughed, but his eyes never left Zaira. “You sound as if you weren’t so impressed.”

“It takes a lot to impress me. I’d be the same if the doge had rode in naked on the back of an elephant.” She tipped her chair, enjoying Domenic’s attention. “As a Tallows girl in a room full of half the Assembly, being unimpressed is my first weapon.”

“Must it always be a battle?” I asked.

“Most of us don’t get to choose, rich girl. I’ve been at war every day of my life.”

Domenic put his chin in his hands, staring at Zaira in fascination. “I never know what you’re going to say next. But it’s always the raw truth.”

“Sometimes a little too raw,” I muttered.

My wine arrived, and I took a sip, grateful for the distraction. When the server left, Domenic leaned across the table, extending a hand to Zaira as if in supplication. “As Amalia could tell you, I’m often a fool.”

“At least you admit it.” Zaira let him take her hand, a smirk tugging at her mouth.

“Still, I’ve rarely felt as great a fool as I do now. I didn’t realize until yesterday that not all Falcons went to the Mews willingly.” He grimaced at his own ignorance. “I’m appalled that happened to you.”

I hid my discomfort behind a sip of wine.

Zaira raised her brows. “You didn’t know the mage-marked have no choice? I’m a Tallows brat who’s never seen the inside of a school, and I know it’s in the Serene Accords.”

“I know the law, but I didn’t know any Falcons, so I thought it was always like the stories.” Domenic shrugged ruefully. “You know, the little orphan girl driven out of her village with stones, then discovered at last and whisked off to live like a princess in the Mews.”

“I’ll bet my front teeth mage-marked didn’t write those stories,” Zaira said.