Footsteps behind her. The quiet slide of feet through sand.
Ellina turned.
And it was as if no time had passed. Venick stood there, his face bleached of color in the moonlight, his grey eyes pinned to hers. He was quiet, his gaze searching, mouth slightly parted. Not angry. She had thought he would be furious, but he was…
What was he?
Stunned. Confused.
He seemed to shake himself. His surprise gave way to something darker. He crossed his arms, settling into a posture of determined nonchalance. “Well. This is a surprise.”
Ellina swallowed. She felt lightheaded. She wondered dizzily, almost giddily, what would happen if she fainted. Would Venick move to catch her? Step back and watch her fall? But of course she would not faint. She was the hunter in this story, not the princess, despite having just been hunted, and being a princess besides.
“What are you doing here, Ellina?”
His voice was as she remembered: deep, demanding. Behind Ellina, the waves washed, and folded back, and came again. “Nothing.”
“It doesn’t look like nothing.”
Her stomach jangled with nerves. When she spoke, her voice was all wrong: high and breathless. “I was just passing through.”
“Really.”
“Yes.”
“Forgive me if I don’t believe you.” He wore a tense smile, nothing like the one he had given Dourin in the tavern, nothing at all like the one he might have once given her. “Not that I expect the truth from you. But never mind, I think I can guess. You’re dressed in your scout’s uniform. And it wasyouwatching me through the tavern window. So, you were sent as a spy? Now that I might believe, though…” he took a half-step back, appraising her, “if you’re here as a spy, why would you reveal yourself to me?”
“I did not reveal myself. You found me.”
“Youletme find you.”
His words surprised her. Ellina realized only then that what he said was true. She was a legionnaire. An elite scout. If she had not wanted Venick to find her, he would not have.
But this made no sense. Ellina had fled when she saw Venick exiting the tavern. She had not wanted to be discovered.
Had she?
Ellina recognized this feeling. It was the same way she had felt on Traegar’s balcony all those months ago: like she was skating close to ruin. Venick had asked for the truth that final time and Ellina had been tempted to give it, despite the fact that they had been trapped in a city swarming with conjurors, or that Youvan had beenright there, or that admitting the truth would have undoubtedly led to a fight, and Venick’s death. Ellina could not have told Venick anything then, even if she had wanted to.
And now? What did she want now?
“It must be strange for you,” Venick said. His posture was stiff. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Coming to the place where your sister was murdered.”
These words were meant to be an insult, as if he wanted to shame Ellina by the mention of Miria, but Venick’s voice had cracked at the last moment, too sincere to do damage. Ellina was aware of his every movement, every taut muscle, every thought behind his face. She said, “It must be strange for you as well.”
“It is.” He threw her a swift look, as if waiting for her to mock him for it. “You two are so unalike,” he barreled on. “But then, you both had secrets. I bet you’re keeping secrets even now.”
“And what if I am?”
The words were out, she could not draw them back. Ellina held her breath, waiting for Venick to hear the yearning in her voice, to see right through to her hidden heart. But he only said, “I don’t care about your secrets anymore.”
“That’s not true.”
He gave a dry laugh. “You don’t want it to be true, maybe.” His tone was sarcastic. He didn’t believe his own words. Yet Ellina’s cheeks warmed, andthathe saw. Venick blinked. His eyes shone like ice, all sarcasm gone now as his gaze sharpened, picking her apart. Her heart scurried along. “Gods. You really don’t.”
He continued to stare. Ellina saw the quick rise and fall of his chest, the way his brow creased. He started to speak but stopped himself, pressed fingers into his eyes, frustrated. “What are we doing.” It wasn’t quite a question. “What areyoudoing? You said that you didn’t care about me. That you wanted me dead.” He dropped the hand. “You said it in elvish, and gods Ellina, I’ve tried to see a way around that.Isthere a way around it? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
The night swirled around them. It swaddled them thickly in its folds. Ellina felt distant here, as if they had traveled to another world, a world where their lives were their own, where there was no war and no secrets and nothing at risk. She had good reasons to hide from Venick, she knew that she did, yet Ellina could not quite remember what those reasons were. Back in Evov, keeping her secrets had seemed so vital. And yet…what if she could simply let go? What would happen, really, if she told Venick the truth?
