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“I don’t need to be sure, though, do I?” he said, wild-eyed. “Let’s fetch the witch and see if they’re lying.”
Sylvia rolled her eyes. “Do you know how much she charges me?”
Evemer stiffened, and saw Kadou do the same—a witch—a truthwitch. A satyota.
Any faint hope Evemer had had of surviving the night vanished like a ribbon of incense smoke.
“A wager! I’ll wager you for it,” Siranos said. His grin was becoming manic. “If it turns out the prince is trying to sell you a vineyard in Pezia, I’ll cover the cost of the witch telling us so.”
“What, with your little counterfeits? I think not, dear.”
“Honest Oissika silver!” he cried, rushing toward her and seizing her hands. “If it’s a lie, I’ll pay the witch. And if it’s true and that man really is a titled noble, then you pay, since you’ll likely make your money back anyway.”
“Sounds like a fair wager to me,” Azuta said.
Sylvia paused for a moment and shrugged one lovely shoulder. “We might as well be sure.” Another of those airy waves. “Go fetch the witch for me, would you?”
“She won’t be happy to be disturbed at this hour, ma’am,” said the guard. “Should I tell her it’s urgent?”
“No!” Siranos snapped. “She’s got a surcharge for everything, damn her! Just bring her here and don’t tell her anything!”
“Untie him, please?” Kadou said loudly. He turned to the guard who was making her way to the door. “Please, before you go. Please untie him. He’ll need to be able to write too—”
“Oh, all right,” said Sylvia impatiently. “There’s enough of us in here, and they don’t look stupid enough to try anything.”
His lord hovered nearby as the guards loosened the ropes around Evemer’s arms. The panic in Kadou’s face had settled into a determined terror. Evemer drank it all in—every second now was a gift. Every heartbeat was one more than he had been allotted by the gods.
As soon as the ropes fell away, Kadou was reaching for him again, and Evemer was helpless to do anything but take his lord’s outstretched hands. “Follow,” Kadou whispered, tugging him across the room.
As if Evemer had to be told. As if his very soul weren’t lashed to Kadou like a ship to the compass star.
Asatyota. There was a satyota, and she was here in the building, and Kadou had lied. Kadou had liedso much. It had all come tumbling out of his mouth as quick as the ideas had risen in his mind.
The ominous growl of the fear-creature in his mind was drowned out entirely by his heart, snarling ferociously over Evemer like a threatened she-wolf over her cubs—Evemer washis. He’d knelt at Kadou’s feet just that morning, and pressed his forehead to the backs of Kadou’s hands andswornthat he was Kadou’s. Evemer was not to be touched. He was not to be harmed.
That morning, Kadou hadn’t said the answering oaths correctly. He’d seen the disappointment in Evemer’s eyes. It had been cowardly of him, to only say, “Yes, I accept,” without enumerating his promises in return. Evemer had offered up his whole self and all his devotion, and Kadou should have given him so much more in return. He should have offered something of real significance, of realmeaningon his own side of the scales to bring it into balance, becausethatwas fealty, that was how it worked—Evemer gave his loyalty and his service, and Kadou was obliged to fight with everything he had to protect him in return.
And all he had left was lies.
Acount. A count! Why had he said that, of all things? He didn’t have the authority to raise anyone to nobility! Even if he had, the process took weeks or months, and there was paperwork, and bureaucracy, and if a land grant came with it then there was an even more complicated set of paperwork, not to mention the scholars and clerks who would spend days poring over the old books to assign the new lord their sigils and review all the particulars of the specific title, and all the other tedious minutiae of the process . . .
And then something in Kadou froze in a horrible, wonderful moment of epiphany.
There was one way to do it instantly.
One very, very stupid way.
One way.
Evemer was going to be appalled.
But there was no other way. It didn’t matter if Evemer never forgave him. It didn’t matter if Evemer chose to go to Eozena or Zeliha afterward and ask for a clarification of his orders so he could be quietly shuffled away from Kadou andkeptaway, out of his reach and rightfully so. It didn’t matter, because at least he’d be alive. He’d be alive, he’d besafe. Kadou had promised to keep him safe.
He dragged Evemer off into the corner of the room, as far away from the others as possible. He turned to Evemer, and looked into his eyes, as black as the night sky. Evemer was afraid and lost, but he was looking at him like Kadou had some kind of answer, like Kadouwasthe answer. Kadou would never see that look in his eyes again. He was going to destroy it.
He took a breath. “Evemer,” he whispered. “I cannot tell you how sorry I am.” There was no time. He couldn’t waste these few precious seconds on an explanation. “You have to marry me.”
You have to marry me,” Kadou said, as if he were telling Evemer that someone had died, and Evemer very nearly did.
