“Let it be done.”
None could ever say that Petra hesitated. In moments she could assess a situation for an opportunity and decide upon the best course of action. It was more than Cvareh could do in hours some days.
“I cannot keep you from this Court.” Her voice shifted slightly at the mere notion of him.
Cvareh gave the world a tired smile. “We knew this day would come.”
“I cannot stand for you.”
“I understand.”
Petra could stand for nearly anyone in House Xin, but not Cvareh. He was her brother and the chosen Ryu. All eyes turned to him to defend the House in her name and carry the title of Oji should she be felled in some form of misfortune other than a sanctioned duel. He would have to defend himself, or he would never be accepted as the Ryu again.
“How many could you kill?”
Cvareh considered it a long moment. The first time he’d really put training to application was on Loom, and that had been a failure overall. Though using any combat against Arianna was entirely unfair… Responsibility suddenly crushed him, the supports that held it over his head breaking the moment he awoke to the real truth of his standing.
“No more than three beads.” He put it in the perspective of the King’s Riders—a somewhat universal standard for the might of a warrior.
Silence was Petra’s way of screaming her displeasure. “You must work with Cain.”
“I will.”
“Daily.”
“I will.”
“Cvareh.” Her body was so tense he was surprised her muscles had yet to snap her bones from the strain.
“Petra.”
“You must not die on me. That is an order from the Oji to her Ryu.” The room was so silent he could hear her swallow. “We did not come this far together for you to fall to Rok scum. Go beneath the surface, find duels, gain practice killing.”
Unsanctioned duels were something the Oji should discourage at all costs. Yet here she was, doing the exact opposite. The ends would come before the ideals sacrificed to reach them. They were Xin.
“I will.”
A different sort of quiet passed between them. A comfortable separation of realities where Nova existed elsewhere and they were the only people in the world of Petra’s meditation tower. Cvareh played with Arianna’s name in his head, trying to figure out how best to broach the topic.
“Out with it.” Petra sensed his turmoil.
“Arianna and I… We went into Napole, and she wore the guise of a Xin.”
“Good. I could not handle dealing with the common populous knowing we harbored an odd Chimera.”
“I introduced her as an Anh.”
Petra didn’t move; she hardly seemed to breathe. “You are truly an idiot, brother.”
“I did not expect a Crimson Court.”
“No, and you wanted to make it known you had found a potential mate.” Petra’s tone was stretched between amusement, frustration, and exasperation. “She could have been nothing more than a slave, and yet you chose to give her a name of our House.”
Was that what it was? Cvareh wondered to himself. “I was merely trying to protect her.”
Petra broke the room’s stillness with unabashed laughter. “From what you tell me of our Chimera, you should be more worried about protecting yourself. I do not think the woman wants nor needs you to fight her battles.”
“You know her surprisingly well for someone who has spoken to her once.”
“Cain tells me things.”
It was Cvareh’s turn to tense. It was no secret that Cain delighted in his sister’s happiness. They weren’t a poor match, either. But Cvareh didn’t relish the notion of any man with Petra. Furthermore, the last one who had aspired ended with a few holes in unexpected places and a gouged out throat when he had ultimately displeased Cvareh’s sister. And Cvareh actually liked Cain.
“You’ve introduced her as your own. If she’s challenged, you’ll stand for her.” Duty pulled the command from Petra’s lips.
“She won’t be challenged,” he offered hopefully, not wanting to linger on the fact that Petra had just all but said that Ari’s life would ultimately be worth more than his. “Those who know she exists won’t care enough to interrupt the flow of the pit with all the duels we will be challenging in Rok. It would be against the spirit of the Court.”
Petra hummed in mild agreement, unconvinced. “Just make sure she stands out no more than she already will as the first by your side.”
Cvareh straightened away and Petra did the same. As comforting as it was to linger on one another, they both had work to do. Cvareh descended first, winding his way back to Arianna. His thoughts were gray and clouded, not unlike the Gods’ Line in the sun’s fading light.
He wandered back to the other woman who had given purpose to his days. Cvareh went straight to her room first, before even changing his clothes for proper evening attire.
He gave the door a soft knock, waiting for permission before entering. Arianna was positioned at her table by the Western facing window. He would’ve thought it would be too bright for anyone to sit in the sun like that, but there she was, day after day. For the first time, Cvareh wondered if she was even happy on Nova.
“Have you attended the Oji?”
“The Oji? You’re beginning to sound like a Dragon.” He closed the door behind him, crossing over to her desk.
She turned stiffly. He’d heard the sarcastic tone in the way she’d used Petra’s title. But Cvareh knew it would irk her more to play into it than make a fuss of it. The assessment seemed to hold true.
“What are you working on?”
“Hypotheticals,” she answered vaguely.
The schematics held a weird sort of beauty. Dark wound against light as ink on parchment. Seemingly chaotic conceptions became definite shapes punctuated with calculations that were a language all their own. And, if Arianna wasn’t going to decode their meaning for him, he was certainly not going to decipher it by himself. So Cvareh was left to quiet admiration, seeing the form before the function.
“You owe me an explanation,” she reminded him.
Cvareh caught her eyes, the demand in them apparent. “I do.” He sat back onto the bed and Arianna turned to face him. “The Crimson Court will be held here on Ruana in a fortnight. It is usually held on Lysip, home of House Rok and the current Dono. But Yveun has decided to have it here on Ruana.”
“This is significant.”
He could see Arianna trying to piece together the parts she’d been handed, but—likely to her annoyance—she had too many knowledge gaps still to truly comprehend the gravity of the situation. “It is. All named members of the hosting House must be in attendance. Usually, Rok is all too happy to have the advantage of their own turf and the inevitable outnumbering—”
“But this time they want to corner you.”