They looked at one another, and for the first time Marith looked away first.
‘So, Marith Altrersyr,’ Tobias said at last. ‘Or do you want me to call you Lord Prince, now? I think now perhaps we need to talk about some other things, too. What happened yesterday, for a start.’ Marith smiled encouragingly at him. Heard it all before, from his father, his stepmother, his brother, his father’s friends. They’d even drafted in his old nursemaid to lecture him. Do you think I care? he’d laughed back at them. Do you think I don’t know?
‘Some lads in the troop liberated a keg of firewine a few years back. Didn’t know what it was. Three of them, there were. Big, strong blokes, probably twice your size. One died, one went blind, one pissed blood and screamed he had insects crawling inside his head for two days. Skie had to slit his throat in the end to shut him up. You, on the other hand, seem to have drunk several bottles of the stuff and come out with shaking hands and a slightly green face.’
Marith toyed with the coins on the table. ‘I can handle it better than most people, I suppose. Something in the blood. Minor benefit of my august and unpleasant ancestry. And a lot of practice.’ He looked down. ‘And I would appear to have ruined my new coat.’
‘Stop it.’ Tobias spoke very carefully. Anger radiating off him. He trusted me, Marith realized suddenly. For a little while, he trusted me. ‘Lad, if I’m to believe you, you’re a prince with a lineage so high and mighty I shouldn’t be able to look at you without someone locking me up for disrespect. Your family swims in gold. You’ve got a face so pretty, you’re considerably better looking than most women I’ve met. You’re clever, and you can just about use a sword. You killed a bloody dragon, for gods’ sake. And yet last night I had to drag you unconscious and covered in vomit out of the most depressing hole I’ve ever had the misfortune to set foot in, after near drowning yourself in something that burnt holes in the table-top. You’re serving as a foot soldier in a rough mercenary troop a month’s wages away from being brigands, on what’s probably a suicide mission. You’re about to be whipped for misconduct after stealing Company money. From the smell of you, at some point last night you pissed yourself. As far as I can see, you’ve fucked your life up more thoroughly and absolutely than anyone I’ve ever met. So whatever the hell is going on with you, I want to know. Prince of the line of Amrath you might be, but right now I’m your commanding officer. If you’re inclined to go off on firewine binges, I’d quite like to know about it. Before you die, or get us all killed.’
‘I’m perfectly fine. As I said, I can handle it better than most people.’ Marith rubbed his face absently. His eyes were starting to itch again already. He realized Tobias was looking at him and forced himself to stop.
‘We probably ought to talk about that, too, don’t you think?’ Tobias said in a cold voice. ‘Now I’ve been looking, I’ve seen a number of people round here with a habit of scratching their faces like they’re bloody flea-ridden. Except it’s not anything as wholesome as fleas, is it?’
Might as well tell him everything now. Everything except the one thing he couldn’t say. ‘No. Unfortunately, it’s not. Hatha root. Something else I’m inclined to go off on binges on. Lovely stuff, even more fun than firewine. Rips your mind apart for days at a time. Stop taking it, however …’ His mouth was dry with longing: he took a long sip of water and tried to imagine it was something else.
Tobias looked thoughtful. ‘Skie knows, I assume?’
‘That I’m an Altrersyr Prince, or that I’m a maudlin, hatha-addicted drunk? Why else do you think he let a green boy without a sword of his own join your select ranks? He didn’t believe me at first. I’m not really surprised, given the state I was in at the time. Gave me a silver mark, I’m not sure whether out of pity or cruelty. Then told me that if I stayed alive for the next three days, he’d let me join the Company.’ The air shivered, cold as despair. Shadows moved on the walls, blocking out the light. Help me. Help me, Carin. Please. ‘Maybe I only lived to spite him. I crawled through the town on my hands and knees to get to your camp. I have absolutely no idea why joining up seemed quite so necessary, but it was apparently very important at the time that I did. So here I am. Traipsing around penniless with the likes of you. Fortunately, it turns out I quite like killing people.’
The darkness faded. Beautiful lordly thing who got whatever he wanted without even having to raise his voice. Marith drained his cup. ‘Thank you for this, Tobias. Very thoughtful of you. And as you were also so kind as to remind me, I’m covered in vomit and look like hell. Do you think you could get a bath fetched for me?’
Chapter Twenty-One
Two young men, boys really, lie dozing side by side on a bed hung with red velvet, hands touching, smiling with tired eyes. One is slim and dark-haired, the other stockier and fair-blond. The room is bright with sunshine, light dances in through open windows bringing air that smells of salt and the sea.
‘Good night,’ says the fair-haired boy.
‘Was it?’ The dark-haired boy rubs his eyes. ‘Where did we go in the end?’
‘We didn’t go anywhere. Stayed here in your room.’
The dark-haired boy rubs his eyes again. He doesn’t look entirely well. ‘Didn’t we?’
‘You didn’t want to. Said you were perfectly happy where you were.’
‘Oh. Was I?’
‘Hard to tell, really, what with you being mostly unconscious. But I think so, yes.’
‘Oh.’ The dark-haired boy thinks for a while. ‘Good.’
The dark-haired boy gets up and goes over to the open window. Looks out over the sea that breaks on dark rocks below the room’s walls. The sun sparkles on the water. Choppy, white-capped waves. Seals’ heads bob about looking up at him. Spray blows up into his face.
‘It is beautiful here,’ he says. ‘You’re right. The most beautiful place in the world.’ He goes over to a table, pours himself a drink. ‘My head is killing me.’
The fair-haired boy laughs. ‘I’m amazed.’
The dark-haired boy picks up a small clay vial. ‘Some left.’ He contemplates the vial for a moment then drains it, washes it down with the drink.
The fair-haired boy shakes his head. ‘Gods, now that’s making me nauseous. Kill or cure, is it?’
‘I can hope.’ The dark-haired boy sits down on the bed again. Rubs his eyes. Blinks. Sighs. ‘You’re kind to me,’ he says to the fair-haired boy. ‘Kind. It’s so beautiful here. Thank you for showing me. We could go out riding tomorrow. Swimming.’ He takes his friend’s hand. ‘Tomorrow. All those things. Don’t you think?’
The sun shines in at the window. The water sparkles. The waves dance. Warm gentle afternoon sunlight. The smell of the sea.
The dark-haired boy sleeps again. A look of peace on his face.
The fair-haired boy sits and strokes his hair. Kisses him.
Weeps.
Chapter Twenty-Two