“I’m apparently not a very good one. Too impatient.”
“One of your few weaknesses.”
“It is.” But that list seemed one item longer today, with his name squarely at the top.
“Do you want to talk about what happened in there?” he asked.
“Yes. Do you think the Eastern Prince is going to use his army to fight the Emperor Eternal? Or the other princes?”
“That’s not what I was referring to.”
Of course he wasn’t. But we couldn’t discuss that. Couldn’t think about it, couldn’t let the wanting of it rise up until I put my hands on his face and pressed my lips to his again. That’s what I wanted to do. But he was a guard for a damned Lys’Careth and I was a thief and it absolutely couldn’t happen again. It might be fun in the moment—no, it would bedeliciousin the moment. But I couldn’t afford him. Better to be clear about it now.
“That was a mistake, and it doesn’t need discussing. The army?”
He studied me for a moment, apparently debating whether to push. And decided to give in. “If that’s his goal, he should bide his time. Develop relationships with the army leaders and gain the trust of the soldiers. The Eastern Army is loyal to Carethia, to the Emperor Eternal, and to their former general. They won’t easily switch their loyalties to a prince who hasn’t served.”
“And is he patient enough for that?”
“I don’t know. We rarely saw him. The Empress Eternal preferred to keep him close.” He tilted his head. “Are you truly interested in this?”
“Wren and I don’t have many people to rely on.” And even that was an exaggeration. Luna wasn’t human, and the Lady supported us only because we brought in coin. “It’s safest to know what dangers may be coming.”
“War isn’t coming,” he said. “Not now.”
“We’ve got company!” Yue shouted out. “Riders behind us, coming up fast.”
“You jinxed us,” I said, and we opened the shutters again. Horses veered toward us from the south, golden in the fading light and haloed by a cloud of dust. They carried the white banners used by those on pilgrimage to important shrines.
“They’re moving awfully fast for pilgrims,” I said. And they weren’t moving toward the stronghold. They were moving toward us.
“Pilgrims don’t usually have fast horses. Or weapons.”
“Weapons?” I looked again, saw the hint of short swords and crossworn daggers. “Did someone in the caravanserai send them?”
“Savaadh wouldn’t,” Nik said.
“He wasn’t the only one there.”
“If they were from the caravanserai, they’d have attacked in Vhrania.”
“They were waiting for us across the border. Why?”
“If they’re thieves or mercenaries, they might have been waiting for anyone.”
“And they happen to catch a royal carriage with a handful of soldiers and good horses. How lucky of them.”
“I can hear your sarcasm, Fox.”
“I wasn’t trying to hide it.”
“Any pain?”
I shook my head. “No Aetheric.”
He opened the side shutters and gestured to Galen. He and Wren moved their horses closer.
“They’re moving fast,” Galen said.
