“She’s probably facing a noose there now,” Orrin agreed. He rubbed his neck. “Isn’t that how they execute their criminals?”
Tavish shot him a glare. “You’re not helping.”
“The girl loves you, boy,” Sven said. “Any fool can see she wants to be with you. Just tell her what you told us. She’s a girl of reason.”
Sven’s words cut the deepest. I turned away, pretending I was looking at a relic hanging on the wall. I saw her struggle every day. Some part of Venda still had its claws in her—and some part of Morrighan did too. Reason with her? It is hard to find reason when you’re being torn in two. Part of her heart was in both kingdoms and none of it was in Dalbreck.
“I heard her speaking to the clans on our last day there,” Tavish said. “That’s part of the problem too, isn’t it?”
I nodded.
“The one who was hunted…” Orrin mused.
Their moods darkened. I realized they’d all heard it, and it disturbed them as much as it did me.
Sven shook his head. “That claw and vine on her shoulder is the damnedest thing. The Vendan clans seemed to have a lot of regard for it.”
“It’s all that’s left of our wedding kavah. When we first met, she said the kavah was a terrible mistake.”
Somehow, I had to make her believe that again.
Be true, my sisters and brothers,
Not like the Chimentra,
The alluring creature
With two seductive mouths.
Its words flow luxurious, like a satin ribbon,
Binding up the unwary in its silken braids.
But without ears to hear its own words,
The Chimentra is soon strangled,
Caught in the trail of its beautiful lies.
—Song of Venda
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
KADEN
Lia argued with the guards posted at the door and finally pushed past them. She walked to the back of the barracks where I sat with my feet resting on the end of Griz’s cot.
The first thing she did was look at the empty bottle on the floor beside me, and the second thing was to hover over me and sniff.
Her upper lip curled. “You’re drunk.”
I shrugged. “Only half buzzed. There wasn’t much left in the bottle.”
“That bottle was for Griz. Not you.”
“Look at him. Does he look like he needs it? The surgeon’s plying him with his own special brew to keep him flat on his back. Him too,” I added, nodding toward Jeb. “The only company I have in here is their farts and snores.”
She rolled her eyes. “You have nothing better to do than drink red-eye?”
“Like what?”
“Anything! Go outside and get some sunshine. Explore the outpost.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, there are guards posted outside, not to mention I’ve had more than my share of the outdoors the last couple of weeks.” I lifted the bottle and let a few last drops fall on my tongue, then kicked Jeb’s foot to make sure he was completely out before I said more. “As for the outpost, I already know what it looks like. I’ve been here before.”
She looked at me, confused. “You’ve been—”
She paled, realization setting in. She pushed Jeb’s feet to the side and sat on the end of his cot, resting her face in her hands, trying to absorb this news.
“You had to know I wasn’t always hunting down princesses,” I said. “I had duties. One of them brought me here.” I told her the barest details of my visit two years ago, only one man as my target, but a key one. “If it’s any consolation, he deserved it. At least that’s what the Komizar told me.”
Deserved. The word had wormed through me all morning. The way Aster had deserved a knife in her heart? Maybe that was why I had picked up Griz’s bottle. There was no doubt that countless Vendans had died brutally at the hands of other kingdoms, and probably by the hand of the man I killed too, just as the Komizar had claimed. I had witnessed the brutalities myself. But there had to be others like Aster who were killed simply to send a message. How many of them had died by my hand?
The weight of Lia’s steady stare tore through me. I looked away, wishing the bottle of red-eye wasn’t empty. She sat quietly for a long while. Did she still believe I was a different person?
A hiss finally escaped between her teeth. She stood and began rummaging through supplies in the surgeon’s cabinet. For the first time, I noticed that the scarf she was carrying was wrapped around her hand.
“What happened?”
“Stupidity, and something that will never happen again.”
She unwrapped her hand and rinsed it in a basin, then began pulling out slivers with a tweezer.
“Here, let me,” I said.
“You?” she scoffed.
“It’s not surgery. I’m sober enough to take out a sliver.”
She sat down opposite me, and while I held her hand and worked out a sliver, she told me about Dihara and the other vagabonds being burned out.
“Natiya,” I said, shaking my head. “I knew she wanted your horse to kick out my teeth, but I never thought she’d slip you a knife. Most vagabonds know better.”
“Even vagabonds can put up with only so much. Especially young ones. She’s suffering now. She thinks it’s all her fault.”
“The Komizar must have believed you when you said you stole it. Otherwise they’d all be dead.”
“Well, isn’t that a consolation? The great, merciful Komizar!”
Her sarcasm stung. I rubbed my thumb across the top of her hand. “I’m sorry.”
Her expression turned earnest. “Is he dead, Kaden? You must have gotten a sense of something.”
I knew she was desperate for me to say yes, but I repeated what I had told her before. I didn’t know. He was badly wounded. He was weak. I’d heard some mumblings that didn’t sound hopeful for his recovery, and after that first day until we left I hadn’t heard his voice again.
Her hand relaxed in mine. It was clear she didn’t think any of those who remained in the Sanctum could manage the monumental task of leading such an army. She was probably right.
A shadow crossed the door of the barracks, and I looked up to see Tavish watching us, most particularly focused on Lia’s hand resting in mine. I let him look long and hard before I alerted Lia to his presence: “We have company.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
RAFE
I found Lia tucked up in the corner of the soldiers’ mess hall, her back to me. I uncurled my fingers, forcing them to relax. I promised myself I wouldn’t go in with accusations. I would forget it.
But no matter how I tried to block it, my encounter with Kaden in the surgeon’s bungalow pounded in my head. It was me she held on to when she needed comfort. My shoulder she wept on. Don’t be so certain of the position you now hold. It was me she slept beside every night, and trust me, she enjoyed every second of it when she kissed me. You’re only her means to an end. It was only a taunt, I told myself, that was all, and I didn’t let on that I gave it any merit. It deserved none.
The dining hall was mostly empty between meals, except for the five soldiers who sat at a table with her. I walked across the room slowly, the floor creaking beneath my boots. It immediately caught everyone’s attention. Except for Lia’s. One by one, the soldiers looked at me and laid their cards down.