“If one wants to live under the rule of law, one must accept both the good and the bad. I don’t pretend to have perfect solutions, but think on what I’ve said. About everything.” Malikel turned his attention back to the parchment on his desk. “You may go.”
It took a moment for Kyra to realize that she’d been dismissed. She managed a stately walk down the rest of the corridor, but once she got to the staircase, her nerves won out and she bolted down.
Outside, the Palace staff went about their business as usual. A contingent of Red Shields marched past on their way to replace the gate guards. A nobleman strolled behind them, dictating thoughts to a courtier who scribbled them down on a slate. Kyra slowed and pushed back a strand of hair that had fallen from her ponytail. Maybe she should tell Malikel the truth of what she was. He was a fair man, and she trusted him to look beyond her bloodlines to what she’d done for Forge. But the thing was, her actions hadn’t exactly been impeccable. Would they be enough to deem her not a threat? And even if Malikel himself decided he trusted her, the Council was something different altogether. There was no way they would be able to look past what she was.
It was with immense relief that Kyra spotted Tristam crossing the courtyard. She ran to him, desperately needing to talk this over. Kyra started to say his name, but the expression on his face gave her pause. Tristam stopped in his tracks, and Kyra would have sworn that he looked guilty. Belatedly, Kyra noticed the strange path he took. He hadn’t been heading to the building that housed Malikel’s study. Instead, he’d been walking toward one of the smaller administrative structures. And he wasn’t in uniform. Instead, he was once again in full court finery.
“I’ve not seen much of you these few days,” Kyra said. “Have you been busy?”
He paused for just a moment, looking very tired. “I’ve been performing some duties for my father.”
“Oh,” Kyra said. “Everything is all right, I hope?”
“They’re fine. I mean—” He wasn’t exactly avoiding her eyes, but he wasn’t looking straight at her either. “They’re not fine, but that’s to be expected. We’ve been having some troubles at our manor with Demon Riders. My father asked me to spend some time here negotiating on the family’s behalf.”
Tristam rarely mentioned his duties to his family. As far as Kyra knew, his older brothers bore the majority of the responsibility. “Do the negotiations have something to do with the Demon Rider attacks?”
“There’s a family from Parna offering to help us with our defenses.” He rubbed his temples. “How have you been? How is Idalee?”
“Idalee’s doing much better. Ilona says she might be able to come home in a few…” Kyra trailed off. Tristam’s thoughts were clearly elsewhere. “Tristam?”
“I’m sorry, Kyra. I’m a bit distracted.” He paused again. “I should go. There’s a courtier expecting me.”
He continued on his way before Kyra finished saying good-bye.
E I G H T
“How much do you hate me, James?” Kyra stood at the opposite side of his cell, shifting her weight from one foot to the other when she tired. She had no desire to lean against the damp moldy walls.
James looked slightly better this time. None of his wounds looked fresh. Perhaps everyone was too busy dealing with the Demon Rider threat to spend much time on him. “Were I free right now, I would slit your throat, though I’d regret having to do so.”
“That’s sentimental of you.”
“You let your talents go to waste. I’ve always thought that, even before I found out what you really are.”
She shifted uncomfortably. Insults and threats, she was prepared for. Praise, though, felt wrong. “There’s to be a war,” she said. “Willem wants to launch an all-out attack against the Demon Riders, and he’s conscripting soldiers from the city to do it.”
“Why tell me this?”