Rezkin was dumbfounded by her sincerity. The stone beneath his tunic warmed uncomfortably, and he realized the heat in his chest had dissipated. As he stared at Frisha, he felt a tug at the corner of his lips. Then, he chuckled, and the chuckle turned to laughter. Frisha and Wesson jumped, and Xa looked at him like he had lost his mind. Rezkin turned to Farson, who wore an inscrutable expression.
“She says the Jeng’ri is not responsible for his actions. The Jeng’ri, one of the most feared killers in Channería, is not to blame for locking her in a trunk or for putting her life in danger. He is not to blame for exposing the secret he was sworn to keep upon promise of pain and death. He is not responsible for his decision to defy me in undertaking actions he knew I would oppose. The Jeng’ri of the Order is not to blame for delivering the innocent woman widely rumored to be my future queen to the Adana’Ro.” His expression cooled to the icy gaze of the Raven, and he met Frisha’s startled stare. “This man knows exactly what he does, and I am sure it goes far beyond your innocent desires.”
Frisha glanced at Xa, who wore the same dark expression. He did look quite the assassin in that moment, and Frisha suddenly recalled the uncomfortable looks Ilanet had given him. The girl had been upset that Frisha had asked for his help, but she had thought Ilanet only concerned about going behind Rezkin’s back. She realized that Ilanet had known about Xa. Did she know about Rezkin, too?
Rezkin strode over to Xa. “Your life is forfeit.”
Xa said, again, “I did not know we were going to the Adana’Ro.”
“Ignorance is no excuse, especially in your case where it is unbelievable.”
“Then, let me help you. I will protect her.”
“You were supposed to be protecting Ilanet. Where is she? Do you have her secreted in another trunk?”
“No, she is in Cael. She does not need my protection. This one does.”
The heat began to return, and Rezkin growled, “Only because you put her in danger!”
Xa said, “I am too useful for you to kill over this.”
“No one is too useful for me to kill.”
“I serve the Riel’gesh,” Xa said as Rezkin raised a dagger to his throat.
“You defy me,” said Rezkin.
“I declare do’riel’und!” Xa lifted his chin toward Frisha. “For her.”
Rezkin paused as a trickle of blood seeped down Xa’s neck. “You would declare do’riel’und for someone? You claim to serve the Riel’gesh, yet you do not declare it for me.”
Xa met his gaze and swallowed against the blade. “You would not accept it for yourself.”
“Swear it,” Rezkin said.
The Jeng’ri reached up to grasp the blade tight enough to draw blood. The buzz of vimara filled the air, and Xa said, “I declare do’riel’und Frisha Souvain-Marcum.”
Rezkin spun the bloodied dagger around so that Xa could grasp the handle, then straightened and backed away. He glanced toward Frisha and said, “Your belongings have been delivered to the women’s quarters.”
Her mouth hung open. “You knew I was here?”
His gaze danced across the ceiling as the ship creaked. The rocking had slowed, and he hoped that meant the storm had passed. “I knew you were somewhere aboard. I admit that I did not anticipate this scenario.”
“But, you were upset with him for bringing me because it wasn’t safe. Why didn’t you stop me if you knew?”
“I discovered that you were aboard a few hours after we embarked. You are ro—innocent, unknowledgeable of the night that opposes your day. So long as you were oblivious to my darker endeavors, you were safe from the Adana’Ro, protected even. By exposing you to my secret, he has put your life in danger. How they judge ro is difficult to predict.”
Frisha looked up at him through puffy eyes and damp lashes. “So you were not upset by my coming? Only that I know who you are?”
Rezkin’s expression cooled, and she thought that on anyone else, it would have indicated sadness. She was no longer sure he was capable of feeling anything—besides anger.
He said, “You will never know me, Frisha. I am not something you can understand.”
He glanced at Farson, and it seemed some message had been exchanged. He turned back to her. “I am not your keeper. If you had told me you wanted to come, I would have explained to you why you should not, just as I did with Tam. You are intelligent. I think you would have made the right decision. If, however, you insisted, then I would have brought you. While you have never expressed your feelings of mistrust toward me”—he motioned to the trunk—“your actions show that I had already lost that trust. I have always been honest with you. I told you that I was keeping secrets.”
Frisha fumed. “Dark Tidings, the True King, the Raven, the Riel’gesh—these are not secrets, Rezkin. These are completely different lives. Multiple lives!”
“Oh! You are the Raven?” Wesson said, finally grasping that last clue to the conversation. He nodded slowly, “Yes, that makes sense now.”
Frisha looked at him aghast. “This doesn’t bother you?”
Wesson shook his head. “No, not really.”
She crossed her arms. “Please, explain why this does not upset you.”
Wesson glanced at the others. They were all staring at Frisha. It seemed they were more concerned about her reaction than his, so he obliged. “Rezkin has always been more and less than he says he is. He is a master of half-truths. We all think we know him, and yet none of us know all of him. Some, like you, might say that we do not know his true self.” He nodded toward Farson. “I believe the striker would say that he does not have one—that he is empty. The Jeng’ri believes him to be a demigod, a being incomprehensible to us. You are disappointed because he is not the person you thought he was. I cannot be disappointed because I never presumed to know him.”
“You weren’t supposed to marry him,” Frisha huffed.
Wesson said, “Neither were you. Your guardian rejected him, and Rezkin did not press the issue. Now, perhaps you know why.”
Rezkin interrupted the pointless exchange. “That is no longer a concern. Speak of this to no one. Assume anyone not in this room does not know.”
He captured Frisha’s gaze and nodded toward the Jeng’ri. “He is Xa. His life was forfeit and was spared only because he has sworn do’riel’und for you by mage oath. This means that his life is your life. If you die, he must kill himself—with that dagger, if possible. He has an interest in keeping you alive, so he is now your protector for the rest of your life. You do not have a choice in this unless you want him dead. Keep in mind that he is the Jeng’ri; and, therefore, difficult to kill. Like all good things, this comes with a drawback. If anyone finds out about his oath, they will know that to kill him, they must only kill you.”
Frisha’s face was pale as she stared at the Channerían assassin. Rezkin glanced at Xa and said, “He has also sworn to serve the Riel’gesh, which he recognizes as me. This means the only person from whom he will not protect you is me. I am bound by the Rules, which mean I am to honor and protect you as my friend, so do not make of me an enemy. Do you understand?”
Frisha gaped at him, glanced at Xa, and then back to Rezkin. “I think—”
“Good,” he said. “Journeyman, please come with me.” He ducked through the doorway, and Wesson followed with an apologetic glance.
Farson turned to the Jeng’ri. “You know he played you.”
“How so?”
“If he had wanted you dead, he would not have stopped to chat. He was giving you an opportunity to make amends.”
“Yes,” said Xa, “but he would have killed me had I not.”
Farson nodded and then looked at Frisha who was wide-eyed and shaking. He said, “I have never seen him angry. At least, not since he was a child and learned better. Was it fear for your safety? Anger that you had placed yourself in danger? Feelings of betrayal that you trusted Xa over him?”
Frisha winced.
He smirked. “I might think him sincere,” he said as his gaze slid to Xa, “but it is more likely he wants us to believe he cares.”
Frisha flushed in anger and embarrassment. “So, does this mean that he and I …”
Farson gave her a dubious look. “You would still marry him?” Her gaze quaked with fear, and he shook his head. “I thought not.”
“You were trying to protect me. Before … in the courtyard … what you told me.”
“I said as much.”