Eric held out the crook of his arm for her, and let her squeeze his arm fondly. As they strolled back to Aunt Geraldine’s, it occurred Eric quite suddenly that Petra might well be the only woman he escorted like this. There had been some small part of himself in delusion that one day he might find Lydia’s company… tolerable. And he might wed her and they would live respectably together in quiet prosperity, their joint lands granting them greater influence and security. That should havebeen his ideal, instead of living off Ix’s generosity, in his rooms and in his bed.
“Are you staying at the palace for good then?” asked Petra, swinging her case of drawing materials out of Eric’s reach as he tried to carry it for her.
“I think so. Ix made it clear his offer still stood. You’re welcome too, he has enough rooms,” added Eric. The other spare rooms didn’t even have obnoxiously sized portraits of Ix hung in them.
“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do less.” Petra made a disgusted face.
Eric looked at her in surprise. “What? Why? Has he done something to make you uncomfortable?”
“No, of course not. I would have told you something like that,” said Petra, looking equally surprised. “I just mean – well, it would be unbearable being around just the two of you all the time, wouldn’t it? You’re bad enough with each other in a group, I simply couldn’t cope if I had to put up with it by myself.”
“I have no idea what you mean,” Eric said, valiantly ignoring whatever implication Petra was making. He couldn’t manage to keep his face straight, he could feel the heat of the blush radiating straight off his cheeks. Oh gods, this was unbearable, he didn’t want to have this conversation with his twin sister. Perhaps no one would notice if he immediately dove into a bush, never to be seen again.
“Whatever he’s doing…” Petra paused delicately. “Well, it seems good for you. He’s keeping you steady, I think.”
“Hekeepsmesteady? I’m the one who has to keep him steady,” Eric immediately interjected with disbelief. No one who had ever met them for more than five minutes could seriously think that Ix was the stable one between the two of them.
“And King Ruben would probably be happy if you decided to have no heirs. No potential upstarts coming along in twenty years’ time seeking familial vengeance.”
“Please, stop,” begged Eric.
Petra patted his arm. “Fine. But I’ll be staying with Aunt Gerry, as you see.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE LAST PARTof this plan lay in the Allegreian temple, after Ceronzar’s agreement had been so easily secured. One of the largest temples in the city, it was prominently located only one road back from the main market square, with its doors open to all folk at all times. It was not one of the religious orders that preached austerity or abstaining from worldly pleasures so when Eric walked up, his footsteps echoed on marble steps.
“It’s almost as fancy as the palace,” Eric remarked as he passed through the ornately wrought gates and rang a tiny gold bell for a novice’s attention. He hadn’t been inside this temple before and he remembered why almost as soon as he’d stepped over the hallowed threshold: Ix had stopped at the door.
Eric joined him back outside. “Anti-demon wards?”
“I don’t feel them.” Ix looked grim as he took that final step into the temple with no trouble. Eric had never been in the Allegreian temple because the wards kept Ix out. If the wards didn’t detect his demonic blood, then Ix truly was completely human right now.
Any other time, Eric might have been interested in seeing more of the temple grounds. Columns soared over theirheads, melding into arches that created a vaulted ceiling, each decorated with exquisitely carved vines, flowers and animals. Tapestries draped across the wall depicted Allegra’s story, which Eric remembered vaguely from his religion studies. Something to do with being birthed from a rose to seduce some other god and then cause the downfall of some king, or some such. He could have paid more attention to religion.
But seeing Ix with a scowl leeched all that interest away from him. Ixthan had never looked so annoyed at not being denied access before. As they waited inside the entrance for someone to find Brother Ramsay, Eric lowered his voice to distract him.
“You could have told me about the manor. What’s your intention? Will you buy it?”
“I came up with the idea in the moment. No buying. That’s in the Accords,” Ix reminded him. Eric had forgotten that part of the Accords, the treaty with the demon queens that dictated that he and Ceron wasn’t allowed to own any land. Surely one single manor didn’t count as owning land. “But if I rent the manor from you, that doesn’t count.”
Eric sighed. “Your reliance on loopholes is going to get you into trouble sooner or later. And I’m going to get dragged into it with you.”
“As if you wouldn’t simply follow me, no dragging required,” said Ix with a sneer. Eric breathed in and back out. He was not going to let himself be goaded like that. He was not. It was just that the stained glass windows were exquisite craftsmanship and he was going to admire them for a bit.
Ramsay found them like that, Ix smirking and Eric studiously admiring the windows. He looked surprised to see them, but agreed to hear them out easily enough. And then glanced at Ix again. “My apologies, the Novice Brother didn’t mention that you were here, Your Highness.”
“I didn’t break your wards,” said Ix, somewhat testily.
“I did not mean to imply that you had,” said Ramsay hastily, with a deep bow. Eric kept his face blank, because he had the good training to do so; Ix had received the same courtly training and chose to ignore it by raising an eyebrow rather obviously. Priests weren’t required to bow to royalty the same way as non-clergymen did. It meant something that Ramsay had done it, Eric just couldn’t figure out what.
“Somewhere private, if you please,” said Eric when Ramsay made to sit on the pews.
“Oh, of course. Let me just think… Will a study do? I’m sorry, our accommodations are mostly communal. The only room suitable for visitors is the High Priest’s office,” said Ramsay apologetically. He took them down a corridor and opened several doors before finding a room not already occupied.
Studies in temples were only was meant for study, Eric discovered. The only thing inside was a desk and a bookshelf, although the corner had a cushion placed on the floor. For emergency prayers, he supposed. Ramsay insisted that Ix took the only chair, so Eric perched himself on the edge of the desk. He wasn’t meant to, judging by the look Ramsay gave him, but Eric ignored it. He was picking up bad habits from Ix.
Ramsay himself stood. “What is it I can do for you, Your Highness?”
