“I’m a hunter,” he replied. “It’s our job to be keen-sighted.”
Ethenn rested his arms on top of his knees, leaning forward. “How many men have you turned down in your lifetime?”
A wan smile crossed her face. “Not as many as you’d think, perhaps,” she said self-mockingly. “Three? Maybe four.”
“All Warriors?”
“No.” She angled forward, a sly glint in her eyes. “Now, you asked a question out of turn, so I get two. Why didn’t you want to be a Warrior at first?”
Ethenn averted his gaze, staring at the tall grass around him. This was the first question where he had to lie, even if only byomission. Once he’d decided on the selective truth, he met her gaze again. “Because it’s not the life I imagined for myself.”
“Be more specific.”
“You weren’t specific when I asked why you put on a façade or if all the men who’ve propositioned you were Warriors.”
She gave him a perturbed look but conceded. “All right, then here’s my second question: You told me you have an uncle, but do you have any other family?”
Ethenn stretched his back, shifting on the ground. “No,” he lied.
Ilain’s gaze narrowed. “You’re an orphan?”
“It’s my turn to ask a question,” he countered. He watched her closely as he asked, “Do you really want to rule Allund, or is it just what’s expected of you?”
Her expression remained unaffected. “I won’t rule Allund,” she said matter-of-factly. “I, along with my husband—that’s you, by the way—will govern Doorstunds Reach, which is only a small portion of Allund. And yes, it’s what I want even as it’s what is expected of me.”
Ethenn gave an understanding nod, accepting her answer.
Ilain’s head tipped to the side, a cunning glint in her gaze. “How did you really get those burns on your arms?” she asked.
The urge to rub the scars tingled in his fingers, but he managed to quell it. “I told you. I got them working in my uncle’s smithy.”
“Tell me the truth.”
“I am,” he said, and he was, though it wasn’t the whole truth.
“I can tell when you’re lying,” she said.
He forced himself to hold her gaze. “Can you?”
She smirked and reached forward to brush the hair off his forehead. Her touch sent a wash of cold magic across his scalp. “You maintain eye contact when you lie,” she said. “As though you’re trying to prove your innocence. But the thing is, I can seeit in the hardness of your gaze, Ethenn. You shut off when you lie. Like a doused flame, all emotion fades from your eyes.”
Wary of her insight, Ethenn refused to look away.“Only cowards shrink in the face of adversity.”
Ilain tipped her brow up, hands back in her lap. “You lied for the last three answers you gave me. Why?”
Jaw tightening, Ethenn sniffed in the cold night air. “It’s not your turn to ask a question,” he said.
“You’ll get two next time.”
Knowing she wouldn’t let it go, Ethenn shook his head, dropping her gaze at last. “Because I don’t want to tell you the truth,” he said flatly. He stared at her hands, the jewels of her rings glittering in the golden-red light of the orb. “And before you press me, know that I won’t give you any more insight than this: I don’t want to be a Warrior because I don’t want the life it brings, but I’ve chosen to accept it anyway. Yes, I have family other than my uncle, but I won’t be telling you about them. And regardless of whether you believe me or not—”
He met her stare once more then, glaring at her with his final response. “I did receive these burns while working in my uncle’s smithy. And that’s the end of it.”
Ilain watched him with a knowing, determined look. “You’re a damaged man, aren’t you?” she asked softly.
“More than most,” he admitted freely. “That’s three questions I get now.”
She dipped her chin in assent.
