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Callen glared at the knight.
“Apprentice Eudias,” Kassandra called.
“Me?” he stammered from behind the crowd.
Everyone waited while he wound his way from the back of the ship to Kassandra. Cassia made a point not to stare at him like the others. With so many gazes upon him, he straightened his hair and cap several times.
When Kassandra reached for his hands, he jumped. She pressed a small object into his hold. Cassia could not make out what it was, even from her position.
“Always remember who you are,” Kassandra told Eudias.
He stared at the gift, cupping it in his palms. “How—how—how did you know? Well, of course, you would know, considering your affinity. That is, thank you.”
“Thank you.”
He glanced up at her, looking confused. “Thank me? For what?”
“For what you have yet to do.”
His eyes widened, but then a look of determination came over his face. “You are most welcome.”
Chrysanthos swept up beside Eudias. “I cannot allow my apprentice to be exposed to Hesperine artifacts.” He reached for the gift Eudias held.
Kassandra caught the Dexion’s wrist midair.
The mage flinched as if burned by her touch. She held his gaze, calm and unrelenting, while his lip curled.
“Unhand me!” He yanked his hand back.
He met with no resistance. Kassandra simply let him go, and he stumbled backward with the force of his own movement. Eudias tucked his gift into his robes and sought refuge in the crowd near Cassia and her retinue, as far as he could get from Tychon. Chrysanthos glanced after him with a scowl that promised he was not done with the matter.
The Dexion straightened and smoothed his robes. “Somehow I have the impression I am not welcome here.”
“You are not. But you have more to learn from this voyage than any other man here.”
“No doubt you do have an inkling as to my purpose.”
“The lesson I have in mind for you is not the one you came for. For that reason, I tolerate your presence.”
“Rest assured, what diplomacy demands of us tonight is mutually excruciating.”
“There can be no diplomacy between us, Mage of Anthros. No need for your pretty, transparent lies. You have looked forward to this meeting since your arrival. You could hardly wait for your opportunity to ferret out any hints you can about the fate of the Akron’s Torch. How does your investigation progress?”
“You should be careful asking me for honesty. I might give you more than you’re prepared for.”
Kassandra laughed. “I have heard every word you can think of to say and every possible way this conversation might end. Your words have no power here. You have taken nothing from me, and you can take nothing from me.”
“Noble words from Prometheus’s grieving mother. Do you think I believe them?”
“The truth remains true, whether you believe it or not. You would do well to confront the truth now, so it does not take you by surprise later.”
“Your tactics will not work on me. My colleague warned me about your affinity the moment he detected it. I have known you would try to use prophecy to twist our thoughts. I will not heed you.”
She reached into her pocket, and the mage tensed. But all she withdrew was a heavy iron key. She held it out to Chrysanthos.
“What is this?” he scoffed.
“Something you will need in the future.”
