AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Are you saying you are not usually honest?” I bite my lip and rush to add, “Wait, no. That’s not my question. Where are you from?”
“The Veiled Rock.” Nameless One brings his glass to his lips and murmurs over its rim the answer to my other question, “No one can afford to be honest in this desert.”
“This will be too easy,” I say and lean on the bench, the cushions sighing under my back.
That scarred brow of his rises again, and I can’t stop a blush from heating my skin. “There are only three of you. Bonar, Nazar, and Aaron.” And I remember now that Tylea’s suitor’s name is Nazar.
“Aren’t you counting Rusad?”
“As the Governor of The Veiled Rock, and a father of three sons and a daughter older than them all, I doubt there would be so little silver in your hair and no wrinkles creasing your skin.”
“I don’t have gray hair.”
“Keep telling yourself that, Nameless One.”
He shakes his head with a chuckle on his lips. “What if I’m not of noble roots?”
“Then, there wouldn’t be ‘Household of the Governor’ stamped on the tags.”
I lean closer, trying to read the name, but the server distracts me with a bowl of pumpkin mousse and a cup of steaming tea for each of us. He takes my empty plate and Nameless One’s untouched soup, but before he can take the cutlery away, I give into temptation and swipe my unused knife. I won’t spend the rest of this month-long trip with no weapons, even if dull silverware might not count as one.
When I lift my gaze again, the Nameless One observes me with his tags safely tucked under his shirt and a smile dancing on his lips. “You showed impressive deductive skills, so it’s my turn,” he says. “Ishta and Kayala married some five or six years ago, and we haven’t seen them since.”
I try to hide my frustration and wrack my brain for any detail the tutors tried to drill into me about the noble houses of Usmad. If only I had paid attention, I would have more information to help me decide if it’s Aaron or Bonar sitting across from me. The only thing I remember is that they both have black eyes and black hair.
“We haven’t heard of Sumari since that incident at the Shattered Night…” he trails off.
“Bonar,” I say, gripping my spoon too tightly. I’m not sure if I’m right, and my companion’s face doesn’t betray a single clue. I open my mouth, ready to change my answer to Aaron, but the Nameless One tilts his head, and I remember the gossip I’ve heard from Tylea. Bonar was the one who had disappeared for a month when he was nothing but a child of five and returned with no memory from his time away from his household. He came back with a deep wound across his neck. The same wound that would have left the scar running from the man’s right ear and disappearing under the collar of his shirt before it could reach his left shoulder. “It’s nice to meet you Bonar of the House of The Veiled Rock.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Neylan of the House of Our Sun and Light. And it’s your win.” He takes the last sip of his tea before fishing a few coins out of the pocket of his trousers and dropping them on the table next to his untouched dessert. “But after this meal, maybe we could drop the titles.”
I chew on my lip, unsure of what to say. I must have broken every single one of my mother’s rules in the presence of this man so easily amused by a silly game over a meal he hasn’t even touched.
“Or if you insist on keeping them, I would rather have the one you’ve attributed to me.”
“Nameless One?”
“At your service, Princess,” he says, standing up and offering me a small bow.
“Nel.”
I slide my hand in his outstretched one, and he puts a kiss on my knuckles, my name echoing from his lips.
We walk back to our compartments in silence while men and women with ringed fingers and jangling bracelets enjoy their meals and pretend that they don’t observe us through the haze of smoke and glimmering eyelashes. Back in our car, Rev still lingers by a window at the back, as if he hadn’t moved since we left. Bonar walks across the corridor, paying no attention to one of the most powerful men in the desert, and stops next to the door with the jeweled willow.
“It was a pleasure to share this meal with you. If you desire any company before we reach my hometown, I would be happy to oblige.”
“I might take you up on that.”
With one last bow, Bonar drops my hand.
No sooner than he retreats from my side, Rev pulls away from the window, but I duck into my compartment. There is no place to hide from the captain able to turn the tides of history, but I’m too stubborn to give up without giving it a try.
8
Before I can settle in the armchair, a knock brings me back to the door. I don’t even bother to feign surprise when I find Rev on the other side and only cross my arms over my chest, waiting for him to say the words he came here to utter.
Seconds stretch into minutes. Neither of us is eager to break the silence. I still haven’t forgotten about what happened back in The Shadow City, and the anger bursts into a simmer under my skin.
