“This information,” he said slowly, “is not to be shared with anyone. But, the two were spotted in Korteria. Quite recently.”
Lyriana and Rhyan had been in Korteria? My stomach dropped. Had they been there for Brockton’s death? Was that what the Imperator was hiding? Was it … was it possible they had something to do with it? By the Gods.
“As I said,” the Imperator continued, “it is imperative when they’re found, that you bring them both to me.”
I nodded, my mind whirling, something clicking into place. This was why he was still here. Not to talk of peace. Not to ally with Ka Grey. But to assign me as his personal hunter. To play on my history with Lyriana. To bring her and the forsworn back to him.
All my years of hunting for him, and for the first time … I felt sick.
When I was just a boy, he’d visit the Villa. Back then, I looked up to him. He spoke often of how he’d captured vorakh, how he had them bound and shipped to Lethea for justice. How each time it was done, Lumeria was made safer. Every time he came, he told me again of how my story and what had happened to my parents had moved him to be even more vigilant. To double his efforts. He said he’d imagined he was saving me, and finding justice for my parents every time another vorakh was arrested, every time one was punished. I’d told him that I wanted to help, to learn. I wanted to fight the vorakh, too. I wanted my justice. I wanted to avenge my mother and father. He’d smiled, and his own Arkmage from Korteria arrived to train me the day after my Revelation Ceremony. It was brutal. I’d barely slept, practicing over twelve hours a day with my stave. A week later, I caught my first vorakh in the city.
Watching him now, I realized I no longer held the Imperator in high regard. Only disgust.
We all stood to bow as he made his way out, his personal guards close behind. Once the last soturion cleared the entryway, I turned to Bellamy, my personal escort. I needed him tosend word to Galen to meet me in the city. Forget sleeping. After all of this, I needed a drink. A real one.
But my grandmother rounded on me, her speed startling after she’d spent the night moving with almost painful slowness. A blast from her stave pushed me onto a velvet couch.
“Grandmother?” I asked, struggling to sit up. But between her magic and the deep cushions, I kept falling back.
“What is wrong with you?” she hissed.
“Wrong with me? What is wrong with him? You know what he did! The role he played in Haleika’s death! And yet you say nothing! You let him waltz in here and hold that over us all night! You don’t force him to take any responsibility for the pain he caused!”
“Oh, no? Tell me. What responsibility would you have me give him?” She shook her head. “He was not in charge of the borders on Valyati. He did not let the akadim inside. And, most importantly he did not slay Haleika! That fault lies with Arkturion Aemon. With Harren Batavia. And most importantly, on your precious Lyriana and that forsworn bastard she bound herself to. Be smart, Tristan. Put your anger in the right place. And do it quickly.”
“But—”
“But nothing! The business with Haleika is over. Done. We separated ourselves from that scandal as well as we could have. A Godsdamned miracle as it were. But then, on its heels, you cause another. How dare you let this get out!”
“Let what out?” I asked.
“The fact that you never bedded Lady Lyriana.”
My skin heated, unsure if I was more shocked at her words, or her boldness.
“Not even once!” she yelled.
“So? So!” I was on the verge of exploding. “That was no one’s business but ours.”
She laughed coldly. “No one’s business? You foolish boy. Everything you do iseveryone’sbusiness. You are a lord of Ka Grey! Or have you forgotten? We have a reputation.”
“A reputation?” I balked. “A reputation that I acted nobly? Are you not pleased that I lived up to the nobility’s prudishly moral inclinations? The morals you said yourself we espouse?”
“My boy!” she snarled. “I have not and never will care what you do or do not do in your lovers’ beds. But the Imperator cares, therefore the Empire cares. If this had remained between you two, it would have been of no consequence. But now? Now you look weak. Now you look indecisive. Unmanly. Especially after two years. By the Gods, tell me you bedded this one at least. Tell me you’ve bedded Lady Naria.”
“Grandmother!” I pushed myself to my feet at last. “This is hardly—”
“Tell me,” she demanded again, something dark and dangerous in her voice.
My chest heaved as I glared, my nostrils flaring. “How else do you think word got out that Lyriana and I hadn’t …” My fists clenched. “That we’d been … waiting.”
Fuck. I hadn’t meant to reveal anything to Naria. It wasn’t any of her business. But we were drunk, and I’d been … in need. One inebriated confession that it had been a while for me—a verylongwhile—and she put the pieces together. Told everyone in our circle. Which apparently meant everyone in my grandmother’s as well. I’d barely wanted to touch Naria since. All the public displays of affection had been like torture.
“Good. Doitagain,” my grandmother commanded. “And do it well. Lady Naria, it seems, likes to talk. Let her. Let it be known without a doubt that you’re together. That your actions will have permanent consequences. That we will betied without doubt to Ka Batavia by blood. We almost lost our proximity to the Seat of Power before. And by the Gods, we will not lose it again.”
“Almost lost?” I shook my head. “We’ve always been one seat away from the Seat of the Arkasva. Always on the Council.”
“And yet, Bamaria has never been ruled by an Arkasva Grey,” she snarled. “The minute that Julianna,” she spat, “revealed her vorakh, I knew it was over. Just a matter of time. And then in the midst of it all, we stumbled. The situation with your cousin could have been far worse. As it is, we had as great an outcome as we could hope for.”
