Page 11 of Revealing Fate

Santhe took her time going through her nighttime routine. By the time she had scrubbed her body with rough soap and the cold water by her nightstand, brushed and braided her hair, donned her sleep clothes, cleaned her teeth, and turned down her bed, she had a pleasant humming in her skull. The buzz was just enough to drown out the sound of her unwanted thoughts.

Santhe lifted a leg to crawl into bed when a knock sounded at her door. She froze.

Had she imagined it? She waited, one knee on her mattress, and listened.

There. The soft knocking came again. Three raps in quick succession. For a brief moment, she nearly panicked that soldiers had come for her in the dead of night, until her foggy mind stumbled to the realization that they wouldn’t have tapped so politely. King Domitan’s men would have either pounded or burst through uninvited.

She scrambled to retrieve her slippers and crept toward the entry. She had no windows in front, but she did have a small peephole. What she saw had her tearing at the locks and wrenching at the handle.

Cinah stood on her threshold and slipped inside before Santhe had the door fully opened.

“Oh, my gods, Cinah!” She almost wept from relief. The door was closed and bolted behind him, and she threw her arms around his neck. The feel of his own winding around her waist undid nearly all of the stress and strain she’d experienced over the past week.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner.” He stood back to look at her, hands braced on her arms. Worry pinched his dark brow. “What’s wrong? Has something happened?”

What hadn’t happened? Santhe bit the inside of her lip to keep from chewing her fingers. Between the stark concern in Cinah’s gaze, the feel of his gentle touch, and the alcohol swimming through her system, Santhe felt herself begin to crack. Her lip trembled.

“I’m just…so relieved to see you. I have been so damn worried.”

She felt an unfamiliar burn behind her eyes. Damn it.

“Santhe, are you drunk?”

She sniffed. “Maybe.”

Cinah’s expression softened. “Come. Sit.”

Santhe let Cinah lead her past the table with its single chair to the bedroom. They sat on her mattress. She’d known this man for decades, and this was the first time he’d ever been in her room. In reality, anyway. Santhe was suddenly aware that she wore only a flimsy nightgown and threadbare slippers.

She began to fidget. After a moment, Cinah stilled her hands. His long fingers were soft and warm against hers.

“Cinah,” she said. “Why are you here?”

“Because I need a favor.”

Santhe’s eyes shot to his. She noticed then that the worry she’d initially seen in them went deeper than she realized. His smooth brown skin seemed stretched. The darkened grooves under his eyes told of sleepless nights. His lean shoulders sagged a little more than usual. He looked thinned out, his clothes fitting a bit looser than she liked. Gods, and she thought she’d had it rough in her solitude. What had this gentle soul endured in that time?

“Anything,” she said. She’d do anything to lessen his burden.

Cinah’s brow softened, but he didn’t smile. “I need you to pack your things. Enough for several days’ ride. Anything of value.”

Her heart jumped into her throat. They were leaving?

They were leaving!

This blasted man had finally come to his senses. Given up this horrid, never-ending life of serving that awful, evil, rotten king.

Santhe jumped up and ducked under the bed to drag out a pack. It was already prepared. Filled with a week’s worth of supplies, clothes, and rations. There was nothing else she needed to bring. She could walk away from this dilapidated shell of a house right now and not miss a single thing.

“I cannot tell you how long I have waited for you to say those words,” she said, somewhat breathless. “When do we leave?”

Cinah watched her, something unreadable in his expression. “I have a man. A trusted member of the guard who can provide safe passage. It is not without risk, but I don’t think we can wait any longer. I need you to get out.”

Santhe was only half listening. The combination of blissful inebriation and her sudden elation at finally escaping this godsforsaken city muddled her attention.

“Kal must be found. He⁠—”

Her eyes flew wide. “He’s alive?”