Everyone she passed along the halls stopped and bowed in greeting. Nheera didn't acknowledge a single one of them. Her eyes remained fixed ahead, and the only sound that followed her was the steady rhythm of her footsteps echoing through the silence she left in her wake.
Azul fell into step beside her just as she pushed open the doors and stepped into the courtyard.
"You just left Father's chambers, didn't you?" Azul drawled, easily matching her brisk pace. His gloved hands were tucked neatly behind his back, his posture relaxed, eyes sweeping across the grounds with a kind of detached disinterest. No guards followed. They had made certain of that.
Nheera didn't slow and her tone was curt. "Why do you ask?"
"Because you're always in a foul mood after speaking to him," he answered smoothly.
Nheera both admired and resented how observant Azul could be. Nothing ever slipped past him.
