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“Fine.” She rested her chin on one hand, eyes narrowed. “What do you like to do when youaren’tdoing the thing you won’t confess to?”
Treason,Keris thought even as he said, “I like to ride.”
One of her eyebrows rose. “Ride…?”
“Horses, Valcotta. Get your mind out of the gutter. Fast horses.” He paused as the proprietor set a platter of food between them, all of it unfamiliar. “I like climbing and gambling and reading.”
“Reading?” She leaned forward. “That… I didn’t expect that.” Then she frowned. “Or maybe I did. What do you read about?”
Her reaction eased the tension that had formed in his shoulders, because he was used to the admission eliciting sneers and derision. Which he’d long since stopped caring about, but from her… “I like to read about what other people think.”
“Think about what?” She picked up a piece of what appeared to be a fried bread of sorts, taking a delicate bite.
“Anything. Everything.” He examined the food, feeling disarmed by her question, though he didn’t know why. “If one only knows one’s own mind on things, does one really know anything at all?”
“I’d never thought of it that way.” Her brow furrowed. “When I was a girl, I read a great deal. But it’s been an age since I’ve picked up a book.”
“Why did you stop?”
“My mother died.” She gave a sharp shake of her head. “I… When she died, I dedicated myself to becoming someone who couldn’t be hurt like she’d been hurt. And I suppose part of that was setting aside anything that didn’t help me achieve that goal.” She hesitated. “My aunt encouraged my dedication, facilitated it, so all my time was spent learning to fight. And perhaps that was to my detriment.”
Keris didn’t comment, sensing that she was lost to her thoughts on the matter, and instead sampled some of the food. They ate in silence for a long time, and only once the old woman had taken away the trays and refilled their glasses did he say, “All the books didn’t disappear from the world because your young self decided to abandon them. They are still waiting for you.”
“I wouldn’t know where to start.” She sipped at her ale. “Or where to find the time.”
“What about right now?” Unfastening his coat, he reached inside and pulled a small volume from the inner pocket.
“You have onewith you?”
“Always.” He dragged his chair around so that he was seated right next to her, deeply aware of how her leg brushed against his, feeling the heat of her through his trousers. “This is a book about stars.”
She frowned. “What about them?”
“What they mean. Or groups of them mean, I suppose is more accurate. It’s a translated text from one of the nations north of Harendell, where they believe the stars tell the stories of their ancestors.” Pulling the candle in front of them, he held the book behind it so that the tiny script and sketched diagrams were illuminated. Flipping through the pages, he paused when the sight of a constellation in the shape of a whale caused her to lean forward with interest. Smiling, he read the story to her.
And as he read, Valcotta leaned into him, her knee brushing his and her shoulder resting against his chest, the scent of her hair ensuring that none of the words he read registered in his mind.
None of this would be happening if she knew who you were.
The thought caused him to stumble on a word, and he snapped the book shut. “If I read any more in this bad light, I’ll blind myself.”
She looked up at him, her eyes searching his and making him profoundly grateful for how the darkness turned everything to shades of grey. “You read well.”
“Practice. I’ve a number of female relatives who enjoy stories.” As soon as the words slipped his lips, Keris cursed himself for the carelessness that came with too much drink, but she only asked, “You’ve many?”
More than I can name.“Enough that Nerastis seems peaceful by comparison.”
Valcotta laughed, her eyes shining with delight, and then she froze, her gaze going to the entrance.
And that’s when he heard it.
The solid thump of a large group walking with purpose, and then a female voice shouting, “We’re conducting a roundup, loves! Show us your faces, and if your faces be Maridrinian, you better start running now!”
Fuck.
“Goddammit!” Valcotta dumped a handful of coins on the table, then grabbed his hand and dragged Keris across the space. “Is there another way out?” she demanded of the proprietor.
“Through the kitchen.” The woman smirked. “Better run fast.”
