46 Chapter Fourty-Six

Soren and I were quiet the whole walk from his chambers to what he called the Great Hall of the palace. With each step we took closer, the knot of nerves in my stomach tightened. It was a struggle not to lose what little I had eaten that morning. 

We stopped in front of a pair of enormous double doors. Soren gently patted my hand, then went to speak with an attendant standing off to the side. After a brief whispered conversation, the attendant bowed and walked away. Soren came back to my side and looked down at me. 

"Are you nervous?" His voice was gentle. He probably meant it to be a calming gesture, but his tone only made my stomach turn further. 

All I could manage was a nod. I didn't trust myself to speak at the moment. Maybe I shouldn't speak for the whole evening. The last thing I needed was to end up losing my breakfast in front of all of the Empire's nobles.