“Thank you,” I told him softly. “I know he did terrible things, and he almost succeeded in killing us, but... I still can’t forget the past seventeen years.”
“Remember the man he was, Sparrow,” Raithe said. His eyes opened, and he gazed at me once more. “Grieve the person you loved and hold those memories close. We all have to find our peace.”
My vision blurred. Bowing my head, I leaned forward, and his arms wrapped around me. I relaxed into him, listening to his quickening heartbeat, feeling the faintest shiver course through his body. A small part of me still recoiled, that innate caution of a street thief who had always kept her distance, who didn’t like feeling trapped or vulnerable. But it was getting easier to stifle her fears. I’d told myself that I would trust Raithe. I would not believe that he would betray me.
You wouldn’t have thought that of Vahn, either, the cynical thief whispered, even as I tried to shove her down.Raitheis anassassin who serves theiylvahnqueen. Where do you think his loyalty really lies?
Stumbling footsteps broke the silence. I pulled back and saw Halek’s bright form shuffling from camp toward a cluster of prickly bushes. He didn’t seem to notice us. I watched him lurch to a halt in front of the bushes and fiddle with his belt buckle, and I quickly looked away.
Raithe rose easily, holding out a hand. “Let’s get back to camp,” he said, and I let him pull me to my feet. “There’s still maybe an hour till dawn. You should try to sleep while you can.”
A loud yelp startled us both, causing me to jerk up and Raithe to put his hand to his sword. Halek was stumbling back from the clump of bushes, eyes wide and fixed on something in the shadows.
We rushed over as the Fatechaser finished buckling his belt and turned. His expression was caught between a grimace and a maniac grin. “Oh, that was close,” he breathed. “That would not have been a pleasant way to go.”
I looked over at the bushes and saw a ripple of movement beneath the branches, as something long and slender slithered back into the darkness.
“That was a dust adder,” Raithe said grimly, causing my stomach to turn. Dust adders were small, sand-colored serpents with one of the most potent venoms in the world. Way out here, miles from any city or antitoxin, a bite would be fatal.
“It didn’t bite you, did it?” I asked Halek, who gave me a sheepish grin.
“No, though it did try. Can’t say I blame it—if someonepoured a stream of piss on my head while I was sleeping, I wouldn’t be happy, either.” The grin turned into a pained grimace. “Thankfully, it missed what it was striking at, which was very fortunate for me. Dying from certain parts swelling and falling off would be a very inglorious way to meet my fate.”
I looked at Raithe and saw that even he was wincing.
“You were careless.” A sharp voice broke the silence. Kysa strode up with her spear in hand, apparently having caught the end of the conversation. “Everyone knows you must always watch where you put your feet—or any body part, for that matter—in the Barren Steppes.” She gave Halek a look of tired exasperation. “Attempt to use more caution, Fatechaser. None of us will be pleased if you die of your own idiocy.”
“Oh, trust me, I wouldn’t be pleased, either. Not with that fate.” Halek glanced at the clump of bushes and shuddered. “Though I will admit, that story would have been tragically hilarious. Times like this, I think Maederyss has a very twisted sense of humor, especially when it comes to Fatechasers.” He shook his head and sighed. “Sometimes I wish I could just ask her what my fate will ultimately be, you know? Get it over with.”
A ripple of horror shivered through me, as Kysa blinked at him. “You would want to know the moment of your death?” she asked incredulously. “You know you cannot change your story in the Weave. Every teaching says that those who try to avoid their fate just put themselves on the path to meeting it.”
“Hey, I’d be okay with that.” Halek laced his fingers behind his head and shrugged. “At least I could prepare myself. And if my fate was ‘you are going to be bitten by a poisonous snake inthe middle of the desert and die after your man parts shrivel up like a slug on a skillet,’ then at least I would know. I wouldn’t be happy, but I would know.”
Kysa shook her head and turned away. “I am going back to sleep,” she announced, striding toward the campfire. “Wake me at suns rise, if I am not already up.”
Halek scratched the back of his neck and gave us another sheepish grin. “I think our good rider has finally grown tired of me,” he said in a resigned, cheerful voice. “Ah, well. I suppose it’s my turn for watch. Probably for the best—I wasn’t going to be able to sleep after that little encounter, anyway.”
“Are you all right, Halek?” I asked worriedly. He grinned.
“Oh, of course. You two get some sleep, and don’t worry about me.” He waved a hand at the bushes. “If I see any more dust adders, you’ll definitely hear me scream.”
Raithe and I returned to camp and my pile of discarded blankets near the firepit. A sudden cold breeze hissed across the steppes, making me shiver and fold my arms to my chest. “Sleep,” I repeated, gazing at the smoldering embers of the fire. “I used to know her. She doesn’t like me much anymore.”
“Let’s see if I can’t convince her otherwise,” Raithe murmured.
He took his blanket from where it was lying on the ground and draped it around my shoulders. Surprised, I followed as he led me to the dying fire and sank down in front of it, drawing me with him.
“Raithe...” My heart pounded he settled close and curled his body around mine, shielding me from the wind.
“You haven’t slept since we left the Scarab camp.” His voicewas a low murmur in my ear. “You’re exhausted. I can at least provide some measure of security before we reach Irrikah.”
My eyelids were heavy. Between the blanket, the fire, and the assassin at my back, I was cocooned in warmth. I could see Halek’s distant figure, pacing across the sand with his shoulders hunched against the cold. Had he had dodged Fate yet again, or was he always meant to avoid death tonight?
“Raithe?” I murmured after a few moments.
“Yes?”
“Would you ever want to know... how you’re going to die? What your ultimate fate will be?”
