Ren stood frozen, clutching the giant, waxy leaf to her chest like a shield. Water dripped from her hair, running down her back and legs, pooling on the stone floor.
"You shouldn't be in there," Lyssa repeated, her voice dripping with false concern that barely masked the venom beneath.
"The girls told me this was the bathhouse," Ren said, her teeth starting to chatter as the cool air hit her wet skin.
Lyssa let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. "And you believed them? This is the Sacred Source. It is for the King alone. To bathe here is to soil his holy water."
Ren's stomach dropped. 'Of course.' It was a setup. The harem hadn't just been mean; they had been trying to get her executed.
"Well, joke's on them," Ren muttered, shivering. "Syris was just here. He saw me. And as you can see, he didn't skin me alive."
Lyssa's eyes narrowed into slits.
