Kalindra found my reaction amusing. “We’re usually in a festive frame of mind after a Maevanos. Most of us find looking Death in the eye rather intoxicating, not to mention arousing.” She handed me a glass of mulled wine.
“They weren’t in any danger during the ritual, were they?”
“You saw the Cup?” I heard the capital letter in her voice.
I nodded.
“Teraeth fills it with poison for the ritual.”
The drink paused against my lip. I thought of Darzin and his parties and other poisoned cups. I stared at her.
“If the supplicant is pure, the poison is nullified. If not…” She shrugged.
“You people seem fond of that theme.”
“It allows little room for argument,” Kalindra agreed. “We are brothers and sisters, bound in life and death to each other, each chosen and re-chosen by our goddess. We trust each other because we know, as others can only hold on faith, that we are loved. We hold no fear of Death because we know her caress. Freed from that fear, we find joy in life and all it holds.”
“Then why do people view the Black Brotherhood with such dread?”
“Because,” Teraeth said as he walked up behind us, “nothing is more terrifying than a man who has no fear of Death, and is happy to die if it means killing you.”
“In other words, we’re paid murderers,” Kalindra said.
I glared at him. He had changed clothes, and now wore a pair of sea-green silk drawstring pants and a green wraparound shirt spattered with golden seashells. He wore a chipped, carved black arrowhead between rows of black shark teeth around his neck.* The shirt opened at the chest, and though the lighting was erratic, the flesh above his heart looked tender and new.
He was so pretty I wanted to hit him, just so there would be something about him that wasn’t perfect.
“How long did you have to wait before I gave you a good line for that entrance?”
He grinned white teeth at me. “Not long at all.”
“It’s rude to eavesdrop.”
“Add it to my list of sins.” He turned to Kalindra. “How was he?”
I blinked.
Kalindra laughed. “Ah, Teraeth. Don’t be crass.”
A flush of anger came over me. Had this been some sort of jest? A friendly wager made at the expense of the new kid? Probably it had all been just one more way to try to get their hooks into me, to find out where I was vulnerable.
Which I’d certainly shown them. I felt like an idiot.
“How am I being crass?” Teraeth laughed. “Maybe I wanted a recommendation before I made a pass at him myself.” He winked at me to show he was joking.
Then he saw the look on my face.
I didn’t think it was funny. Worse, as he moved, I caught the flash of silver from my gaesh, hanging around his wrist. He must have taken back the tarnished silver hawk from Khaemezra.
If he decided he wanted me, there was nothing, nothing, I could do to stop him.
So much for being allowed to say no.
“Excuse me, Kalindra, but would you mind? I’d like to talk to Kihrin privately.”
“Of course. I should finish my rounds anyway. I’ll see you later, Kihrin. Behave.” She smiled at me before walking back into the jungle.
“Come,” Teraeth said. “Sit with me by the fire.”
I did, although I wasn’t happy about it. I sat as far away from him as I possibly could while still technically sitting “with” him.
At least it was warm.
I pointed at the piece of jewelry containing my gaesh. “That belongs to me.”
He unwrapped the silver chain from his wrist and handed it to me, hawk medallion swinging between his fingers. “So it does. Mother wanted me to give it back to you.”
I swallowed, staring at the necklace as if I couldn’t quite believe it was real. Finally, I took it from him. My fingers shook as I fastened it around my neck. I felt the warm throb of energy from the metal. I inhaled, feeling like I could breathe again for the first time in weeks.
I didn’t say “thank you.”
We didn’t say anything for several minutes. The silence dragged out for long enough that I looked over at Teraeth to see that he was studying the flames. He looked for all the world like a man caught in the middle of an epic bout of brooding.
Except he was smiling. Just an upturn at the corners of his mouth, but enough to turn his expression from harsh to glad. His eyes were far away.
“What’s her name?”
Teraeth’s attention snapped back to me. “What did you just say?”
“What’s her name? You look like a lovestruck puppy.” I raised an eyebrow. “Is it Tyentso? It’s Tyentso, isn’t it? She’s a little old for you, but I’m not one to judge. Although I should warn you that she really only seems to get romantically excited about books. If you can disguise yourself as a collection of first-edition Grizzst’s Encyclopedia, you’re all set.”
He laughed. “It’s no one you know. I was thinking of my wife.”
“Wait, what? You’re married?”
“Not now. I was married in my last life.” He waved a hand, preempting the flood of questions I was about to ask. “Yes, I know. No one’s supposed to remember their previous life after they’re reborn. I just got lucky that way. What about you? Why the hell didn’t you sleep with Kalindra?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “You’re changing the subject.”
“Damn right.”
“It’s none of your business whether I did or didn’t. And how do you know what happened? Were you spying on us?”
He pointed a finger at me. “That answer is how I know. And I wasn’t spying, I just know Kalindra.”
“It’s still none of your business.”
“It’s a little bit my business. Kalindra and I are lovers.”
I narrowed my eyes. If he’d meant that Kalindra was this “wife” he’d been pining over, he’d have said that. “Well, nothing happened. Anyway, she doesn’t belong to you.”
“She doesn’t belong to anyone. It’s part of her charm.” Teraeth glanced sideways at me. “I encourage you to remember that when she leaves you one day—which she will.”
I rolled my eyes. “Nothing. Happened.”
“So you tell me. You weren’t worried sleeping with Kalindra was going to get you into trouble, were you? Believe me, that’s the last thing we care about here.”
He was not taking the hint, so I changed tactics. “Kalindra says that Relos Var is interested in me because of a prophecy. Is that true?”
“You’re changing the subject.”
“Damn right.”