Page 177 of The Amber Sunburst

“He’s martyring himself for you!” Alexander yells.

“He’s not martyring anything,” she says, getting up in his face despite her height. “They think he’s a spy. They’ll treat him as such.”

“And when they don’t find us on the boat?” Alexander asks. “What do you think they’ll do when they realize he lied for us?”

“He’s smart. He’ll figure it out.”

“How could he possibly⁠—”

“You’re being an idiot⁠—”

“Guys!” Zeno yells, pushing in between them. “This isn’t productive.”

“It’s hard to be productive when you’re arguing with a selfish bitch.”

Zeno inhales sharply. “Alexander⁠—”

“You are such a shortsighted asshole, Alexander. He did this for you! Are you really going to waste it by dying in a suicide mission to get him back?”

“Yes!”

“Forms give me strength.” Eudoxia sighs explosively.

“You don’t know what they do to him there, Eudoxia,” Lazarus butts in from where he sits on the floor. “We can’t leave him.”

Alexander’s head snaps to Lazarus. Emotions flit across his face in quick succession. “You knew?”

Lazarus winces.

“You knew this whole time and you didn’t tell anyone?”

“Who was I going to tell?”

“Me!” Alexander shouts. “You should have told me!”

57

LAZARUS

If looks could kill, Lazarus would be dead a hundred times over.

You should have told me!

Yes, he should have. But he’s a coward.

He’s known about Kallias since they were fifteen. About what he is to the Educator. And even though Lazarus was far under the Council’s thumb, it still felt wrong.

“What the Forms are you guys on about?” Eudoxia yells.

“Why don’t you tell us, Laz?” Alexander spits the nickname like a curse. “Since you’ve known for so long.”

“He wouldn’t want me to.”

“Well, he’s not here to stop you, is he?”

Lazarus sighs. It takes effort to push the confession out. “Lykos has been… infatuated with Kallias since he was a child.”

Lazarus wishes someone would gasp or interrupt him, because if they do manage to get him back, Kallias will kill him for spilling his secrets.