He whirled his head in my direction, a snarl curling his lips. “Is this what a truce is, then?”
I waved my hand. “I believed everything until you said you were good at hunting traitors. Because I don’t think you are.”
He reared back, his eyes blazing. But before he could speak, I did.
“Do you think I don’t know what it’s like to wear the skin of another animal so I don’t get mistaken for a kill? Or to sneak in amongst the wolves, in order to poison their water? You aren’t telling me everything, Kiyan, which is fine. But don’t think I don’t understand why.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, his throat bobbing. “What did you do?”
I inclined my head, confusion furrowing my brow.
He cleared his throat. “In the human world. What did you do to make you say that? And what did it cost you?”
I was quiet for a moment. “I stepped over people dying in the streets. I helped the Citadel build their power. I took whatever they gave without question and passed it to the people I loved. But I didn’t do it blindly, and I didn’t do it without plans. I may have worked for them, but I did it to protect my people.”
I did it so I could steal back the relics that were taken in the first place. So I could bring life magic back to Astola.I didn’t tell him that, because he might guess my plan revolved around the crown.
I didn’t tell him we were being starved. I didn’t tell him being cut off from life magic by both the wall and the Empire was killing us.
“And you? You didn’t do this job because you thought you were good at it, or you had nothing else to do. You did it because you have someone you want to protect. I heard you say it earlier—youhave some power, even if it is much less.”
“Protect is one way of phrasing it,” he said finally. “I want to protect all of River, if I can.”
“Even the rebels?”
“Especially the rebels—even from themselves.”
We were quiet after that, riding through the forest under a light rain, the droplets hitting the legs of my horse like drips from a leaky roof hitting a tin bucket below.
“Where are we headed?” I asked finally, breaking the silence between us where we both were taking new measure of each other.
Kiyan looked out over the head of his horse. “The map takes us to the edge of the lower mountains, but from there I am not sure where exactly the entrance to the vault is.”
“But once we head there, I might be able to narrow it down with my magic,” I said, sitting up straighter in my saddle.
I looked past the lower mountains and turned my head toward Tirich Mir, the Mountain that rose high above the low clouds, its snowy peak so high it seemed to touch the sun.
“Why is the Mountain cursed?”
Kiyan shot me a surprised look, then looked ahead at the Viceroy, whom we had gotten closer to. His voice lowered when he answered me. “When the royal family of the River Court saw what was happening, saw the destruction the Viceroy and the Salt armies wrought, especially with King Rusul’s crown, they fled to the Mountain, to unearth an ancient weapon hidden there. But much like all Queen Azari’s powerful objects, there are protections around them. They triggered a curse, with no real way to break it, at least not from the outside. You cannot even find the entrance to the Golden palace in Tirich Mir anymore.” He released a heavy breath. “Now instead of a palace, it is a prison.”
“And that’s why the Viceroy wants the crown?”
“I’m sure he wants the curse broken so he can take the weapon hidden in the Mountain and kill the royal family.”
“And you? Do you want the royal family freed?”
“My heart’s far too black to care about them,” he said and gave a bitter laugh. “They are protected. Those living outside of the Mountain are not.”
“But if you could free them, that might change everything.”
“If they’re free, they’ll be dead.” Kiyan said bitterly. “They’re no use to anyone.”
“And now, instead of fighting the Viceroy, you’ve accepted him. What’s more, you work for him.”
“As do you, scholar. As do you.”
“That’s different.”
