Dilys clenched his jaw. This was his fault. He’d made his cousin a target. Nemuan had taken him—tortured him—to get to Dilys. “I am so sorry, Ari. I never meant for this to happen. If I could take your pain and bear it myself, I would.”
Ari blinked in surprise, then smiled gently. “Do you think I don’t know that? What happened to me wasn’t your fault. The only person to blame is Nemuan.” His smile turned rueful. “And me for not smelling the stench of treason when it sailed right up to my ship and boarded.”
“Nonsense. He fooled us all. Even after I knew he was my enemy, I didn’t realize the extent of his treachery. He was the son of aMyerial,after all. Even grief-mad, he should still have the strength to uphold the honor of his House.”
“In a very twisted way, that’s what he thought he was doing. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Ari grimaced as he stretched out his splinted leg before him. “Nemuan blamed House Merimydion for the death of his mother and sister. He said the cave-in at the ancient temple—the one that killed Nyamialine and the others—was deliberate. He claimed your House orchestrated the disaster to put yournimaon the throne.”
“That’s absurd!” Dilys felt his temper shoot up, battle claws pressing against the tips of his fingers. He’d rip Nemuan to shreds all over again if he could. “Thatfarkingidiot betrayed his people, became a magic eater, murdered Calbernans, then kidnapped, tortured, and sold the Seasons of Summerlea because he thought my family murdered theMyerialand her daughter for the Sea Throne? Mynimanever wanted that burden! Blessed Numahao, ever since my father died, all she wanted was to join him. Every day was a torment for her! My uncle and I struggled constantly just to keep her from Fading! And that mad, treacherous, idiot of akrillothought House Merimydion would conspire to add to her burden by laying responsibility for the whole of Calberna on her shoulders?”
“I know that, and you know that, but he was convinced.”
“What about Nyamialine? Did he think my House conspired to kill her, too?”
“Ono,he believed her death was entirely accidental. She wasn’t supposed to be at the temple, remember? She was a last-minute addition to the group.” Ari shifted in his chair. “It was because of Mia that Nemuan thought he could get me to join him in his insanity. He thought that since Mia was my sister I would want to avenge her and take my own justice on your House. I told him to go eat whaleshoto.He told me I could either join him willingly, or he’d take over my mind and force me to his will.”
“That’s not possible.” Ryll protested.
“That’s what I thought. But to prove he could do it, he bespelled two of my men—drew some sort of runic symbol on their foreheads in red ink—and used his Voice to convince them I was responsible for theSirena’s capture. Then he Commanded them to torture me.And they did.” He gave a hollow, humorless laugh. “Most of these wounds, my own men gave me. Men I’ve sailed with for years. Men I trusted at my back. When he was satisfied he’d made his point, he Commanded my men to drown themselves.And they did.That’s how he killed Fyerin and the others, and why they were all branded. He used the brand to hide the spell he’d put on them. Then he put the same spell on me.”
Dilys looked at the bandage still adhered to the back of Ari’s neck. “The runic circle Gabriella told me about. The one you shredded your own flesh to remove.”
“Tey.” Ari started to reach for the wound, but drew back before he touched it. “I don’t know if the Commands he gave me still hold sway without the mark, so you need to take precautions. Lock me up where I can’t hurt anyone. Because the whole time he was torturing me, he kept going on and on about how he would use me to destroy your House, so you would know the pain of what you Merimydions did to his.”
“I’m not going to lock you up, Ari. The fact that you’re here, telling me about this, is proof enough for me that Nemuan’s spell is broken.”
“You should still put me under guard. Just to be safe.”
Dilys waved Ari’s suggestion away. “Why was Nemuan so certain my House was behind the deaths of his mother and sister?”
“He said he’d seen the proof of it with his own eyes. And considering that he was in league with Mur Balat, I think we can guess where the proof came from.”
“As if anything from Mur Balat could be believed.”
“Balat may have been many things, but no one ever accused him of being dishonest.”
“Probably because any who did ended up dead.”
“True, but information brokers who market lies to powerful people don’t tend to live long.”
“So you think Nemuan hired Balat to find out who killed his mother and sister?”
Ari shrugged. “Either that or Balat came by the information some other way and simply used it when it was useful to him.”
Dilys headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Ari called after him.
“To see my mother. If there really is a traitor in our House, she needs to know about it.”
Calivan Merimydion’s magical laboratory was quite impressive. While the Lord Chancellor busied himself gathering up several items and storing them in a small pouch hanging at his waist, Gabriella wandered the spacious room, inspecting the books, the crystals of every shape and color, the numerous shelves filled with labelled jars of potion-crafting ingredients, and what appeared to be an extensive collection of magical artifacts.
“You seem to have made quite the study of magic,” she said.
“Tey.It’s always been a hobby of mine.”
Calivan calling his interest in magic a “hobby” was a gross understatement. This was no hobby. This was an obsession.
“Why such an interest?”
