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Kadou felt Zeliha draw a sharp breath. “So it’s not an isolated incident.”
“No, Your Majesty. It’s a fucking conspiracy, right under my nose. Until I can swear on my life about which of your kahyalar are loyal and true,none of usare moving from this spot.”
Kadou was familiar with fear. It was an old friend. But there was something about being confronted with the idea that the people who stood behind you had blades that they could useagainst youthat went beyond fear. It was an open and barren wasteland so cold that it made merefearseem like a cool breeze off the sea.
The core-guard could go anywhere in the palace and barely be questioned. They could walk directly into Zeliha’s bedchamber, or Kadou’s. The kahyalar dressed them, bathed them, fed them, watched over them while they slept, treated their illnesses. Kadou had never once in his life even idly entertained the idea that they might turn on him. If they wanted to, it would be easy. It would beappallinglyeasy. He and Zeliha wouldn’t last five minutes.
“How can we possibly—” Zeliha stopped, took a breath. “That Inachan satyota we consulted about Azuta Melachrinos. Has he left?” Oh, yes, a satyota—a satyota, who could read the lie out of someone’s eyes—
“Weeks ago,” Eozena said tightly. “And even if he were here . . .”
“There are too many kahyalar,” Zeliha said softly. “There’s thousands of them. How can we possibly . . . There must be another satyota in the city. Theremustbe. We can have them summoned, we can—they could at least test afew—”
Except that satyota could lie. Except that perhaps there wasn’t one in the city, and even if there were, it would take hours to find them, and it would still bekahyalardoing the searching—
Kadou felt rather faint. There were two hundred kahyalar and cadets just to sort through theflourin the palace kitchens. In the whole country, counting ministers, there were more than ten thousand.
Kadou found himself looking toward the eight kahyalar standing at attention. Evemer was at one end of the front row. Surelyhewas loyal, wasn’t he? He could have let Kadou be killed by those thieves in the alley. He could have reached out and snapped Kadou’s neck whenever he wanted to. He could have—
But it wasEvemer. He wouldn’t. Not five minutes ago, he’d held Kadou’s niece in his arms, and Kadou had turned his back on them and felt perfectly safe doing so.
Kadou pulled away from Zeliha’s side. She clutched at his shoulder, but he pushed her hand away.
“Kadou,” Eozena said. “Kadou,stand.”
“Wait,” he said, walking forward. His life was not the most important—Zeliha’s and Eyne’s were. He was just . . . the spare. So many of his duties were asinine, ceremonial tasks that any decent automaton could have carried out. But this, this was something that only he could do.
He stopped in front of his kahya.
“Evemer,” he whispered. “At rest.”
Evemer fell into parade rest and looked down at him. “Highness,” he said.
Kadou took a breath. “Draw your sword,” he said gently. There was only a flicker of hesitation in Evemer’s eyes before he obeyed.
“Kadou,” Eozena said warningly, and then: “Kahyalar!Distance.”
Seven of them retreated. Kadou, trembling all over, held Evemer’s eyes. His kahya didn’t move.
“My lord,” Evemer said. “I am at your service.”
“Put your sword to my neck.”
“No.”
Kadou reached out, took the hand that held the sword, pulled it toward him—
Evemer jerked away and cast the blade aside, falling to his knees, pressing his palms and forehead to the grass even as he said, “No.”
“Look at me.” Evemer sat back on his heels and looked up at him. Kadou reached out, brushed a piece of grass out of his hair. “Are you true? Do you swear it?”
“My lord, I will not raise a hand against you, even if you order me,” Evemer said. “But if you ask it of me, I will cut that hand off for you.”
Kadou was no satyota, but Evemer’s voice rang like the touch-taste of pure gold in his fingertips. “What if Her Majesty asked you? Would you?”
“Yes, my lord,” Evemer said. His gaze didn’t waver from Kadou’s face. He didn’t even blink. His eyes were as black as the night sky, and as resolute and unwavering as the stars. “But first I would beg for mercy.”
Kadou held his gaze, yearning to see something that would make him beyond certain. He felt in his heart and his gut that it was enough, that Evemer of all people was the last one who would waver from his oaths. If it had only been Kadou’s own life, it would have been enough.
