It was hard to parse his mood. A little punch-drunk, maybe, like I’d been the night before. He was often the least serious when he felt most under threat.
“Both of us could cook, actually, and I’d be happy to remind you how. So that you won’t have to steal every dinner.”
“Where’s the fun in that? Skyfather’s priests know how to cook but not how to secure their kitchens, and that’s good enough for me. Besides, of all your hidden talents, I don’t think cooking is the most relevant one, hm? Didn’t I ask you once which blessings you knew?”
“And I did offer to set you on fire,” I replied, realizing that I feltcomfortable strolling toward Taran’s rooms with his arm around me. “You used to know more than I did. Certainly Death’s first blessing.”
“Not anymore. Though I’m certain I was more circumspect about calling other gods’ blessings than you just were.”
“You taught me that one. It wasn’t like we had a death-priest handy.”
His stride barely slowed. “But you had at least one acolyte of Genna, to teach you her blessing of healing? I suppose your betrothed wasn’t as devoted to nonviolence as those priests back there were.”
“Not very, no,” I said with a snort. “Did you know that if you sing a rest instead of a triplet in every fourth measure of the blessing that repairs a leaky mitral valve, you’ll stop the heart instead of healing it?”
“I still think you’d have more luck with Skyfather’s priests. The ones who know how to call lightning.”
I absently rubbed my hands together. “Lightning takes at least five minutes of chanting, and the clouds have to be there already or it takes even longer. Genna’s blessings are faster, but I’d forgotten the vow of nonviolence. I’ll have to think about that.”
Taran quietly laughed.
“What?” I asked.
“You. Thinking about your next war.” It was dark, but his face was rueful and almost tender, his eyes crinkling at the corners when he looked at me.
“Aren’t you thinking about it?” Wasnotthinking about it an option?
“I told Genna and Diopater what happened. Most of what happened. I tried to keep you out of it, though one of the priests back there will probably inform on you forthwith.”
I didn’t stop walking.
“And?” I asked. I didn’t have high expectations, but I did hope they’d look out for their own priests, if nothing else. They had to remember that they hadn’t defeated Death in the Great War, only bought the Summerlands a ceasefire with Wesha’s hand in marriage.
Taran stroked his neck with his palm. “And nothing. I don’t think they believed me.”
I closed my eyes and kept walking, borrowing a little of his gallows humor for a moment that needed it.
“Why? Are you considered an untrustworthy person?” I asked sweetly.
“By the Allmother, you’re such a brat. No wonder Wesha foisted you off on me,” Taran said in his most loving voice, squeezing my shoulders until I squeaked. “No, we didn’t actuallyseeNapeth sacrifice any immortals on that altar. If he did, the Allmother will handle it herself. And I could just be making up wild stories to cover for Wesha or Marit’s deranged attacks on the more respectable Stoneborn, which are things I have done before. I wouldn’t take a vow that I was telling the truth.”
“No?” I said, struggling a little to keep up the light tone of the conversation with the accusations that had been flung at Taran.
“As you are the primary beneficiary of my ability to lie to Skyfather, my darling little rebel, let’s not second-guess that one,” he said.
“So they’re not going to do anything?” I asked, discovering that I was still able to be disappointed by my gods after everything.
“Well, Skyfather reargued his plan to invade the mortal world and demand sufficient sacrifices to restore order in the Summerlands, which he thought might appease Death as well. Genna wants to wait and confer with the Allmother, once she’s calmed down and let loose the children she just dragged into the Mountain. Perhaps one more party will do it.”
“You told them one of the Stoneborn was murdered, and a second one wants to launch a war to conquer the world, and there’s not a single thing they’ll change about what they’ve been doing?” I repeated, appalled.
“I suppose I could probably convince Diopater’s daughters, the Winds, to go to the Mountain and investigate. They were alarmed at my story, and they despise me a bit less than everyone else in his court,” Taran said.
There was something in the way he saidconvincethat made me look at him sharply.
“Convince them how?” I asked.
Taran pursed his lips and looked away as though I’d asked an indelicate question.
