These Hollow Vows (These Hollow Vows 1)

“Don’t leave,” Sebastian says. “We were just finishing up.” He pours a glass of water and offers it to me. When I shake my head, he tilts the glass to his lips and drains it. I’m captivated by the movement of his throat as he swallows.

The other male catches me staring and his chest shakes in silent laughter. He winks at me knowingly before pulling a dark shirt over his head. “He can’t keep up with me anyway,” he says. “The prince went soft while he was in the human realm.”

Sebastian grunts. “You lost three of five rounds. I wouldn’t be too cocky if I were you.”

“Before you left, I would have lost all five.” He shrugs and smiles as he offers me his hand. “I’m Riaan. You must be the captivating and heart-stealing Abriella I’ve heard so much about.”

My cheeks blaze—at that description and at the thought of Sebastian talking about me in those terms—but I manage a nod. “It’s nice to meet you, Riaan. Do you two train together often?”

Riaan shakes his head. “Not nearly as often as we used to. This one’s too busy for me. Preparing to be king. Choosing a bride.” He shoots me a meaningful look, then adds, “Though if you ask me, he should just grovel until you agree to take the position.”

I open my mouth, then snap it shut again, turning to Sebastian before I say anything incriminating.

“Riaan’s my oldest friend,” Sebastian says softly.

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Riaan says with a wink. He fills a glass of water and lifts it in mock salute before heading down the stairs and leaving Sebastian and me alone on the rooftop.

“I shouldn’t have interrupted,” I say, still thinking about what Riaan said. Maybe it would be easier to hold a grudge against Sebastian if I didn’t know he returned the feelings I’ve harbored from the day we met, but every reminder tests my convictions.

He waves away my concern. “We were finishing up anyway. My mother wants him to accompany her to the north this afternoon.”

“What’s in the north?”

“Another palace.”

I laugh.

“What?” he asks.

“You say that the way Jas might refer to another dress for my spoiled cousins.” I look around, taking in the view of the expansive grounds around the Golden Palace. “I can’t imagine having one place like this, let alone another.”

When I turn back to Sebastian, he’s frowning. “It’s absurd, isn’t it?” he asks softly. “So much excess here when so many suffer in Elora. I didn’t realize . . . not until I moved in with Mage Trifen.”

“Why did you do that anyway? You have magic—better magic than any human could dream of having. Why did you take an apprenticeship with a human?”

“Human magic is different, and I’m not arrogant enough to believe that I don’t need it.” He turns to the view beyond, and his gaze goes distant. “I know I’m going to need every advantage I can get if I want to be the best ruler for my people.”

“When will that happen? When will you rule?”

He shakes his head. “Only the old gods know the moment, but I want to be prepared.” He refills his glass and takes another drink, adding, “You didn’t come up here to talk about my apprenticeship.”

“No. I came about something else. But . . . it seems silly now.”

He grins, sensing my embarrassment. “What is it?”

I grab a lock of my hair and twist it nervously. “I’ve been thinking about how we can find Jas, and I remembered legends of this magical mirror that would show you anyone you wished to see.”

His eyes go wide. “The Mirror of Discovery?”

“I never knew what it was called.” I smile to hide the lie. “But when you look into it, you can ask to see someone. Maybe we could use it to locate Jas.”

“It’s hard to know what you’d see if you used it.” He frowns, thinking. “It can be unpredictable.”

I swallow. Please get it for me. Please. “But wouldn’t it be worth trying?” I blow out a breath. “Such an ancient piece of magic. I’m . . . curious.”

He laughs. “It’s the thief in you—don’t make that face, I mean it as a compliment. But I can’t have you breaking into my mother’s sacred sunroom to appease your curiosity. I’ll see what I can do.”

* * *

“Won’t the people at the palace think it’s strange that I’m gone so often?” I ask the next day as Pretha escorts me through the front door of Finn’s house in the form of Eurelody.

“They’ll think you’re studying with your tutor at her home. Finn paid the old scholar’s family well for use of the place.” She closes the door behind me, then shimmies her shoulders. The wings disappear and her body snaps back into the one I know as Pretha.

“Is this your . . . true form?” I ask, nodding at her.