Arxis’s lip curled. “I’m still making up my mind.”
His eyes were cold and ruthless and familiar. She had been surrounded by eyes like that not so long ago. A primal fear rose in her: Irun’s hand pressing her face against the blanket. The gag in her mouth. The blade against her throat. She reached for the magic within herself, pulling it all recklessly into a ward, but it wouldn’t be enough. The assassins knew how to kill sorcerers now.
Her voice still emerged cool. Later, she would be impressed with herself. “The master will be quite unhappy with you if you do.”
Because she was used to assassins, she saw the tiny tic in his cheek. “I don’t believe you.”
“Why not? I am also part of the master’s plan. You’re an assassin on a mission—nothing unusual about you. I am far more important than that.”
Arxis grabbed her arm, so fast she didn’t have time to block him with a spell. His breath was hot and sour on her face. “Why would the master send you without telling you about the assets we already have here?”
His fingers squeezed painfully against the bones of her wrist. She lifted her chin. “Who knows why the master does anything?”
He laughed, short and harsh, and released her. Ileni pitched backward—she had been pulling back without realizing it—and slammed her arm against the stone wall to steady herself.
“True enough,” Arxis said. “Maybe he was testing you. And maybe you failed.”
Maybe I killed him. “All interesting possibilities. Here’s another: maybe you’re the one failing, right now. A plan you won’t change is a plan that will get you killed.”
It was one of the master’s sayings—one she had heard from Sorin—and she heard her voice drop into the rhythmic, reverent tone he always used when quoting the master. Arxis heard it, too. He regarded her intently.
“All right,” he said finally. “Tomorrow morning. I’ll arrange to go into the city with Evin. Get yourself invited along. After that, you stop interfering with me. Because if you prevent me from fulfilling my mission, I truly will kill you.”
He strode down the stairs, brushing hard against her—deliberately, she was sure; in all her time in the caves, she had never seen an assassin make a clumsy move. She couldn’t help shrinking away, even though she knew it was what he wanted. He could kill her as easily as he breathed.
But he probably wouldn’t. Not as long as he thought they were on the same side.
Which, she reminded herself, they very well might be.
CHAPTER
12
The next morning at breakfast, Ileni tried to figure out how to get Evin to invite her to the city. This endeavor was complicated by two factors: one, that Evin wasn’t saying anything about going to the city, and two, that he wasn’t saying anything to her. His remarks, which were solely about the food, were directed at Lis. Lis was in one of her rare good moods, which seemed to often follow close on the heels of her truly horrible ones (or upon Arxis’s visits to her room? Ileni tried not to think about that). Evin was teasing her because she was already on her third bowl of spiced lentils.
“Don’t look so intense,” Cyn said, and Ileni blinked at her. “I’m going to be your only sparring partner today, and I find it intimidating.”
Ileni tried not to appear pleased. It had been a long time since anyone had been intimidated by her. And here was her opportunity, practically dropped into her lap. Thank you, she thought at Cyn, before saying, as casually as she could, “Why will I be your only partner?”
“And now you’re overwhelming me with your enthusiasm.” Cyn propped one leg up on the bench. “Lis is . . . busy. And Evin’s going into the city with Arxis.”
Ileni looked at Evin—calm, mild interest, she coached herself—who shrugged. “Arxis has business in the Merchants’ Triangle. He needs someone to show him around.”
“Can I come with you?” Ileni said.
Everyone stopped in mid-motion and stared at her.
“I’ve never seen a city,” Ileni added, and watched Cyn’s suspicion fade into superiority. “I was thinking I’d like to.”
“Sure.” Evin shrugged and took another bite of fruit. “Cyn, you get the fun task of explaining to Karyn why we’re not at practice.”
“Don’t expect me to try too hard,” Cyn said. She pushed her bowl away. “By which I mean, at all.”
“Why don’t you talk to Karyn before you go?” Lis said. There was something smug and knowing in her expression; even when she was in a good mood, Lis always managed to be irritating. “I’m sure she’ll permit it. And then you get the job of keeping Ileni and Arxis from killing each other on the way down.”
“I am,” Evin said, “almost sure I am up to the task.”