“There are things to be done,” Andros said.
“And we don’t all have a fresh new bedwarmer waiting around, watching us like we’re great heroes,” one of the soldiers added.
“He’s not a bedwarmer,” Theos corrected. “Well, he warms my bed. But that’s not hisjob.”
“But he doesneeda job,” Andros said with a smug smile. “And it’s too late to make much of a soldier out of him. He’d likely be a good advisor, though, of the sort that might be needed by the man leading the Sacratiandregular army. Seems like he could really make a place for himself with that, if only there was a leader elected who would give him a chance . . .”
“You could do it,” Theos said hopefully.
“No, I couldn’t. Nobody cares about me. I didn’t yell insults at the warlord and fight off his thugs.”
“I don’t think I yelled insults.”
“You said his word was worthless,” a Torian regular contributed. “That’s insulting.”
“Well, I didn’tyellit.”
“I heard you, and I was at the back of the crowd.”
Xeno snorted. “That’s funny. I didn’t thinkanyonewas at the back of the crowd that day. The stories I’ve heard, everyone was so close to the front they got sprayed with blood and could see exactly what the warlord looked like the second before he turned to run.”
“And everyone was the first onto the stage too,” Andros said with a grin. “Amazing how it happened.”
“It was a group effort,” Theos said.
“See?” Andros nodded in satisfaction. “Look at you, being diplomatic. You’re ready for this. Absolutely.”
“I’ll think about it,” Theos said, pushing away from the table.
Andros grinned at him. “You mean you’ll ask Finnvid what to do. And I’ve already talked to him, and he thinks it’s an excellent idea. So . . . congratulations, Theos! I’ll see you at the temple first thing tomorrow morning to second your declaration. Don’t be late.”
“Sometimes I question why it was so important to get you out of the prison,” Theos said. “My life would be easier with you locked up.”
“It’s not about being easy,” Andros replied.
Theos left without answering, and headed out of the building and across the yard, then inside his barracks and up the stairs. He supposed Andros was right. Sometimes he needed to do things that weren’t easy. But sometimes? He smiled as he opened the door to his small room and saw Finnvid lying shirtless on his stomach on the bed, reading one of the books he’d borrowed from the library in the city. Sometimes, the easy thing was the only thing to do.
“Shove over,” Theos ordered, pulling his own tunic over his head and dropping it on the floor.
“Make me,” Finnvid retorted.
“Do you really think I can’t?”
“You can.” Finnvid rolled over and sat up. “But I want to talk to you. If you lie down, we won’t talk.”
“We might talk alittle.”
“I want to talk about something other than fucking.”
“Oh.” Theos sighed and thought about pulling his tunic back on. But that felt like an admission of defeat, so he just sank onto the end of the bed and said, “What do you want to talk about?”
“You’re going to be interim leader, right? You’re going to do that?”
“Andros wants me to. Some others. Maybe I’ll run.”
“If you declare your candidacy, you’ll be elected. I’ve been talking to people, and I don’t think anyone else will even run if you declare.”
It would have been easier if he’d been able to believe there was still an element of uncertainty to it all, a chance for fate to step in and find someone better for the job. But Finnvid was good at uncovering information; he probably wasn’t wrong about this. “So, maybe I’ll do it. Is that all you wanted to talk about?”
