Page 52 of Bride of Ash & Dust

He leads me past the row of open bins, then stops in the far corner. There is a series of sheds here, presumably for gardening tools. The wall here is much lower, and it’s crumbling in places, giving glimpses of the city sloping away below us. The last of the light spills across the red-tiled roofs of the city, and for a moment, I’m struck by the realization that Vsenrog is much lovelier than I’d expected.

“Tell me about your brother,” Zarek says in a low voice.

I almost laugh. He used that same tone in the nasty pub when he asked about Blayne. I open my mouth to ask him why in the nine hells he wants to know about Elrick, but something entirely different comes out instead.

“Where are you sleeping?” I ask.

I clamp my mouth shut in horror. My damned smart mouth, as my father would say. My cheeks burn, as if anticipating a smack for saying something so brash.

Zarek’s lips curl, and he looks away. If he’s surprised by my question, he doesn’t show it.

“I’ve been seen entering the Golden Rose brothel every night,” he says.

Something inside my chest pinches. I pull myself up a bit straighter. Of course. That’s not a surprise; I assumed he had other partners. For some reason, I remember the look Acelina gave me when she saw the bruises on my arm. Sympathy. No, pity.

“I leave the Golden Rose through the back door,” he continues. “Once it’s dark. And I sleep in a hayloft in the stables.”

“But, why?” I ask, before I can stop myself.

He’s still smiling, but in a way that makes him look sad.

“It’s safer this way,” he replies in a low voice. “Trust me. You don’t want to be associated with me.”

My laugh comes out as an unladylike snort. “It’s a little late for that,” I mutter.

Zarek runs his hand through his dark hair, then glances at the setting sun like he’s checking the time. I wonder if he’s late for his appearance at the Golden Rose brothel. What a stupid name.

“Please,” Zarek says. “Tell me about your brother.”

My hands twist together at my waist. I can’t imagine why he wants to know about Elrick. But then I remember the way he looked at me in that dirty little pub, when he said he was going to be clear with me, that he’d share everything with me.

I take a breath, then turn toward my husband, the snake of Vsenrog.

“What do you want to know?” I ask.

Chapter 29

Zarek

STUMBLE THROUGH THE DARK

Lilias watches me with wide eyes. Damn, I wish I had some other place I could bring her where we wouldn’t be overheard, somewhere that wasn’t the stinking manure piles. I wanted to bring her back to Bertha’s pub, but I don’t dare push my luck. Acelina visited her earlier today, and that probably means Malrik has taken some renewed interest in the princess of Marion.

Which makes this discussion even more pertinent. Nothing good comes of Vsenrog taking an interest in smaller kingdoms. My hand brushes the metal cylinder around my neck.

“What kind of man is he?” I ask, wondering how far I can push her.

She frowns and looks at me like she doesn’t understand the question. I take a deep breath. This is the woman who refused to cry during our wedding. And she held it together even after discovering her lover betrayed her.

“I need to know what kind of ruler he would be,” I say. “Is he competent? Does Marion’s Council of Mayors respect him?”

“Yes,” she says. Her frown deepens. “The Council respects him more than they respect my father. He’s been negotiating with them for years. In most ways, he’s already the ruler.”

“Shit,” I hiss.

I didn’t realize until this moment how much I’d been hoping her brother was incompetent, the sort of spoiled fool who would take a prize stallion or some bauble in exchange for whatever it is Malrik wants. Then, at least, he’d stay alive.

Gods. I should have known better. Of course, her brother isn’t an idiot. There’s steel in this family.