“Talk about naive,” Marek continues. “I thought we were closer than ever the morning he asked for a ride south. Turns out he was just using me to leave the country.”
Sei’s eyes widen. “You helped him desert?”
“I didn’t know that’s what I was helping him with, but yes.”
“No wonder King Imrik was so angry the night we arrived.”
Marek has to laugh. “Yeah, I was already in troublebeforemy tantrum about the betrothal.” Guilt twists through him again. However trapped Marek feels, it must be so much worse for Sei. “I’m sorry you’re stuck with me for now. You would have liked Vana better.”
“I’m not certain of that.” Sei relaxes back against the carriage bench. “Isn’t Prince Vana on a boat? I strongly dislike boats.”
“Bad trip across the Jaws?” Marek grins. “If Vana was in Ostomar, he wouldn’t be on a boat.”
“True. But Osric says Vana already had…” Sei trails off and glances away. “I mean, Osric agrees that Prince Vana was very distant. I had enough distance in the guild.”
Suddenly, Marek wants to know everything about Sei’s childhood. How he was raised, how he was trained. How he grew into the infuriating, fascinating man sitting in this carriage across from Marek.
“What do you mean?”
Sei shrugs. “Just tedious guild customs. Nothing interesting.”
“I’m interested,” Marek says, and feels a pang of guilt that Sei looks so surprised.
“The guild teaches that greater intimacy forms a stronger connection between a mage and grail,” Sei explains. “Any sort of intimacy—physical, emotional. Sexual. We’re discouraged from being close with others, so we can someday be closer with our mage.”
The first part isn’t new. Everyone knows pulling magic from a grail is easier with familiarity. But the rest of Sei’s explanation disturbs Marek. He tries to sound neutral as he asks, “Were you allowed to have friends?”
Amusement tugs at Sei’s lips. “Most people fixate on the sexual part.”
“I don’t want to fluster you.”
“Very considerate.” Sei’s ears turn red as he continues. “I had friends, of course. My best friends were all chosen years ago, but I got along with the younger grails too.”
“Do you miss them?” Marek asks.
“Maybe I should, but I don’t,” Sei admits. “And Draskora’s not as bad as I expected either.”
The dread eases from Marek’s heart. He’s certain now that Sei and Vana would have been terrible for each other. Vana is too reserved. Sei is too sincere. They’re both far too concerned with duty. Marek can just imagine them throwing everything into this royally mandated arrangement. They would both try so hard to survive their marriage, never once considering that either of them deserved to be happy.
Sei and Vana would never have worked.
Marek can’t figure out why that realization is such a relief.
?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Sei
Afternoon light pours gold into the tower bedroom. Comfortably ensconced in warm fur and bedding, Sei flips the page. Osric sprawls across the top of Marek’s bed, forming the perfect giant pillow behind Sei’s back.
Over the past few weeks, Sei has started thinking of this as his bed. His room. Marek barely ever stops by the room, and he never sleeps in the bed.
Sei still doesn’t know where Marek sleeps, and he tries not to speculate. None of his business.
Marek has had important dragon corps duties all day today. The sort of meetings Sei isn’t allowed to attend. Sei doesn’t mind—relaxing in their garrison quarters is easier now that he doesn’t feel so trapped.
A full morning of leisure is something Sei never got in the Porcelain Guild. Extending that leisure into the afternoon is an unimaginable luxury. There were plenty of rest periods for guild grails, but those all had a purpose. Meditating to align body, soul, mind, and magic.
