King of Mist (Steel and Fire Book 2) by Jordan Rivet

orchestrated to keep Fenn in the castle if things went poorly. Dara had to be cautious with her trust.
    “Can I come see your room, Dara?” Selivia asked. “Please!”
    “I don’t think—”
    “I’ll end up sneaking over there anyway. Better for you to take me now than when there are a bunch of new guardsmen making them all smelly.”
    Dara chuckled. “You might have a point.”
    “Excellent. Fenn, don’t tell your brother.”
    “Yes, my lady,” Fenn said, her tone surprisingly indulgent.
    Dara led the way down the corridor leading to the back courtyard, which separated the castle from the guard barracks. It was strange to have the run of the place. Dara had been able to see this castle from the window of her room in her parents’ home for her entire childhood. She had never imagined she would one day live within its walls.
    When they were almost to the back courtyard, a dark-robed figure loomed into their path. Selivia gave a little squeak, and Dara put a hand to her blade.
    “Evening,” said a dry, papery voice. It was Zage Lorrid, the Fire Warden. He stared down at them, his face egg white and grim. A bit of silver glinted at his throat.
    “Oh, Warden, you scared me,” Selivia said.
    “Where are you going, Princess?”
    “Dara is showing me the Guard barracks,” Selivia said.
    Zage frowned, his dark eyes glittering. “I don’t think that’s wise in light of the tragedies your family has faced of late.”
    “I’m tired of sitting in my room,” Selivia said. “Dara will protect me, like she did before.”
    Zage looked Dara up and down. “I suppose she did.” He kept staring, and Dara wasn’t sure whether to look away or not. She got the sense that Zage knew every thought in her head and every worry she’d ever had. She shivered. Did he know what had happened with Farr? No, that was impossible. No one had been around to see it.
    Dara remembered what Berg always said about making eye contact before a duel: the first person to look away lost. She held Zage’s gaze. The Fire Warden didn’t blink, didn’t waver, but neither did Dara. This was the man who had killed her sister. Over ten years ago, he had unleashed a surge of Fire through the mountain that had burned right through Renna as she was learning to Work. Zage’s name had long been a curse in Dara’s household. She couldn’t forget it, even though they were supposedly loyal to the same family now.
    “We’ll be quick, Warden,” Selivia said, apparently not bothered by the staring match. She tried to edge past Zage to reach the outer door. “I’m finished with my lessons for the day.”
    Zage finally turned from Dara and looked down at the young princess.
    “Perhaps I should accompany you,” he said, his expression softening unexpectedly. There was affection there. And concern. He didn’t want the princess to be in danger. The realization threw Dara off balance.
    “I’ll show you the barracks another time, Princess,” she said.
    “But—”
    “I promise.”
    “Fine.” Selivia sighed dramatically. “Let’s go to the kitchens, Fenn, and see if they’ve made any special desserts for Lady Tull’s visit.”
    Zage waited until the princess and her bodyguard marched off toward the lower level of the castle before he swept away in another direction. He didn’t give Dara so much as a backward glance.
    Relieved to be rid of him, Dara headed out to the barracks, a sturdy building at the edge of the back courtyard. A few practice weapons leaned against the wall, but the quiet of evening had already settled over the grounds. She mulled over Zage’s intervention as she climbed the steps to the simple portico outside her room. He clearly suspected Dara was a danger to the young princess. Siv respected Zage as a teacher and maybe even a mentor, but the man had never warmed to Dara. She had every reason to mistrust him—or at least she had until she’d thrown her lot in with the Amintelles.
    Zage was her parents’ longtime