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“I’m not in shock anymore,” said Aurelius.
“Aurelius-”
“I had hours to think while we rode.”
“Who’s Corvo?” demanded Este.
“An ass-kisser of King David’s who liked young teenage boys. He held me prisoner during those two years when I was supposedly sick, and Eurig lied about me being in isolation due to my poor health. David allowed him to do whatever he wanted to me, so Corvo did.”
“Does Darlim really know what kind of King he was working with?”
Este glanced at Jari. “He never said anything about Corvo.”
“Of course, he wouldn’t blab about that!”
She pursed her lips. “I know who I can trust to deal with certain…delicate tasks and keep their mouths shut. We’re going at dawn.”
“I’m not going back there,” said Aurelius. “If you try to force me, I’ll make sure you stay young and pretty forever.” The nasty tone made Este tense beside Jari. “If you betray me, I’ll gild the entire damn army.”
“If I intended to, I'd have already attacked. I wouldn’t be standing here.”
“It’s a warning, so if you fuck me and Jari over, you’ll never be able to run fast enough to get away from me. For now, I want a bath.”
Chapter Eight
Jari couldn’t relax even once they were in a tent to one side that had been set up so Aurelius could have a bath. The water in the tub steamed, and once they left, Jari wasn’t sure if he’d be able to sleep in their own private tent.
“Do you think we can trust her?” asked Jari.
“She could have already tried to kill us when they came up.”
“I know that, but she’s committing treason, and I can't quite relax.”
“Maybe she has some fucking morals unlike her Father. I bet her Mother is ten times the fairy Darlim is.” Aurelius pointed at the sack. “Pour that in the water.”
Jari stood and undid the small sack. An army will always carry plenty of salt. Besides cooking, it could be helpful if someone grew dehydrated. He poured most of the coarse grains into the water and stuck an arm in to swirl it around. He wasn’t sure if about four total cups were enough to equal ocean water. He’d never tasted it before, so he couldn’t say how salty it was.
He didn’t know Aurelius had been getting undressed behind him.
“Er, do you want me to leave?” asked Jari. Even though he’d had the Prince’s cock in his mouth during their frantic, lust-fueled episode in the Hall, he figured Aurelius would want privacy now, not that Jari would go far. He’d wait outside the tent, and woe betide anyone who tried to disturb the Prince.
“No.” Aurelius held onto the side of the tub so he could step in. Without hesitation, he sank into the hot water, and the locket bobbed before it settled against his bare chest. The ends of his hair drifted around his shoulders, and he dunked his head under the water to wet it all.
“Well?” Jari asked impatiently after Aurelius lifted his head and wiped at his eye.
“It’s better.” Aurelius’s cheek fluttered as he rubbed the bottom of the tub where some grit must have gathered. “It’s like when you put it on my hand. I can think. It’s not so…encompassing.” His stoic face suddenly crumpled into tears. “I’m still broken.”
Jari’s chest tightened. “No, you’re not.”
“I am. I c-can’t live like this. Even with the salt in my locket, I still wanted to gild everyone out there. It’s a part of my head now, Jari, and I can’t run away from it. It’s deeper than ever.”
“Aurelius-”
“Nothing’s going to fix this. Melting the items, dropping them in the ocean, filing them down to nothing-” Aurelius covered his face. “It won't cure my insanity. I didn’t know touching the rose would be like this. I think David was right when he said having the key in me for so long did something. It didn’t make me stronger. It allowed it to get deeper in me, and I didn’t even realize it. It lurked like a snake holding back and waiting to strike, and once I touched the rose, that was it.”
Jari got on his knees by the side. “Listen, we’re going to figure this out.”
Aurelius swiped at his face and gave Jari such a derisive look, he almost seemed like his old self except for the gold in his eye. With the fact that he was crying, which tore at Jari’s chest, he had to stop himself from getting into the tub to crush him in a hug and try to keep him together.
