Quinn laughs. “It’s very appropriately neck-sized. You’re just not used to seeing it. You’ll get used to it, I promise.” She rubs at her own bare neck, her red hair always kept too short to reach it. “You’ll be happy you did this once you get to Faros. It’s already hot again there.”
“Thank you,” I say, giving her a hug. And then, biting my lip not to cry, I add, “Take care of him for me, will you?”
“I’ll do my best, if you’ll give your sister my regards.”
I’m too afraid to ask which regards those are, but I’m not given the opportunity anyway because Seth comes storming out of Taran’s room then, slamming the door behind him. “Let’s go,” he hisses.
“What happened in there?” asks Quinn, but Seth ignores her, pushing past to the cottage’s front door.
“Seth?”
“I said, ‘Let’s go.’” He throws the front door open, and it slams into the wall.
“Bye Seth, good luck to you too!” calls Quinn.
“Good luck, Quinn,” I say. “To victory.” I touch my hand to my chest and lower it in a Selaran salute.
“And to the victor,” she says, returning the gesture. “I’ll see you in the capital.”
I set out on the path into Pyka, unable to stop myself from checking to see if Ronan is watching from the window of our cottage.
He isn’t.
“What was that about?” I ask when I catch up to Seth, panting from my jog.
“You knew, and you didn’t tell me.”
“Knew what?” Are we still talking about the prophecy? Because I had known, but only for about a day.
“What he did. Taran. What he did for Ronan.”
Oh,gods. Did Taran just tell Seth that he was the one to kill our father in the duel at the end of the war? Why on earth would he tell him that? And why now? It’s the kind of secret that could ruin Ronan’s chance to retake the throne. If the Selaran people knew that Ronan had forfeited the duel, they might support Adria’s claim. Probably not all of them, but enough that it could make a difference.
I can’t imagine why Taran would tell Seth, though, and especially not now when everything is still at stake. Unless…
Unless he just couldn’t live with the lie any longer. Because he loves Seth, and he’s afraid he won’t see him again.
Fuck. I know I’m right as soon as I think it, but I refuse to give anything away in case I’ve misunderstood. “What did he do?” I ask, feigning confusion. “Something in Avaris? What happened?”
“What did I tell you about lying to me? I can always tell, Sylvie. You kept this from me, knowing who I was living with. Knowing there was something going on between us—”
“First of all, I don’t know that there’s something between you, nor do I want to know.” This is a lie, but I truly don’t want to understand any more about their relationship than what I’ve already learned against my will. “And second, I told you to stay away from Taran. Loudly, repeatedly, and at every possible opportunity. I told you to leave him alone.”
“You let me live in that house with the man who killed our father!” Seth roars. His yelling causes a flock of crows to take flight in a nearby field, but at least with the soldiers training elsewhere today, they’re our only audience.
“What does it matter to you? What do you care about honor? ‘It’s war, Sylvie. The rules don’t matter. The only rule is survival.’ Your own words. How is what he did any different from what you would have done?”
“He didn’t do it to survive. He did it soRonanwould survive. There’s a difference.”
“Yes, and that difference is called caring about something more than yourself. I know you may find this shocking, but it’s generally considered a virtue.”
“Is that what you told yourself when you left Ronan?”
I reel back from him. It’s an incredibly low blow. “Howdareyou. It’s not what I told myself. It’s the truth. I love Ronan more than I care about my own happiness.”
“Or his,” he says in accusation. “Are you certain that’s the reason? Or do I sense some fear in your voice? Did you get married and see your future together looming before you and change your mind? Did you get cold feet?”
I slap him, and he grabs my wrist. “Just because you’re scared doesn’t mean everyone is. Just because you’re latching on to this thing that meansnothingto you to give you an excuse to walk away doesn’t mean everyone does that. Youranout that door the second I asked you to.”
