He waited for her to catch up as they’d reached the landing for their box. He blocked the way, forcing her to look at him. He lowered his voice, one hand braced on the wall. “For all my past, innumerable failures, I hope that one day soon you’ll believe me when I say I will not let them lift a finger against you. You will be safe from them.”
Aimilia’s hand brushed her side, so brief it was almost thoughtless, except for how quickly she dropped her hand. She opened her mouth, the same look on her face that usuallypreceded evisceration, and he was already bracing, becoming pure marble when her whole expression changed. She looked to the side, then back at him. “You know, I could say something here that would still only be half as cruel as you’ve been.”
He waited.
Then she gestured to the box. “So are you going to let me through or not?”
Nikias stepped back, eyeing her as she went for her seat. Huh. She never missed an opportunity to tear into him, and whatever one he’d presented, not only had she let it slide, but she made sure he knew she had. Why?
He took his seat next to her, rifling through his notes in silence and watching the stands fill up below. He ignored the glares of the displaced commanders in overcrowded boxes. The only acknowledgment he gave to anyone was a respectful nod to his parents when they arrived. Of course, the crowd below was sent into a tizzy at the first official appearance of King Nero since his health had started declining.
If his mother got onto him one more time about poison and suspects, he was going to lose his mind. Like he was going to actually investigate the circumstances that had made him regent and secured peace. He needed her to believe he was, just enough to keep her happy, and soon enough his father would be in the ground.
Aimilia sat up sharply at the change in the air, eyes locking onto his parents. If he hadn’t turned to catch her expression at that moment, he would have missed the flicker of alarm and hitch of her breath.
She might not want to admit to any perceived weakness to him, but she wasn’t an idiot.
Still, as they had several minutes to go, he cleared his throat and passed her a profile of one of the novices competing on thecommand track they were judging. “I trust your little spat with her older cousin yesterday won’t affect your judgment.”
Aimilia’s cheeks turned a violent red as she whipped around to face him. “Oh, so not only have you now lowered yourself to listen to gossip, you’re now listening to gossip about what goes on in the bathhouses.”
“Gossip?” Nikias raised an eyebrow. “I suppose you would characterize it as such. But frankly, you shouldn’t be surprised. If it’s about you, why wouldn’t I pay attention to it? Especially when you’re defending yourself and my selection of you as my wife.”
There. Sufficiently distracted.
Aimilia just shoved the page back at him, still blushing as she crossed her arms and stared out at the stadium below. “Say it as much as you like, that won’t make it magically happen.”
“I’m not counting on magic.”
Commander Livus’ voice filled the air and the final day was starting.
They went through round after round of healers first. None of it bothered him, but he could see Aimilia start to turn a little green during the third round of the children dissecting and healing the rats in the cages in front of them. Becoming a healer was not for the weak of stomach.
Nikias refused to let the sight of blood bother him. He’d had to get over any reservations when he’d begun improving his skills in healing after Faustina’s death as a matter of necessity. He was determined not to let her haunt him, so he would not let the sight of any blood take him back to that awful day.
Faustina was going to stay in her grave.
They paused for a brief break after the last round, allowing for the Runai staff to clean up the blood left on the arena floor. Aimilia then turned to him and asked, “So what happens next?”
He stared at her. “We evaluate the command track novices?”
Then she laughed, and there wasn’t the same sharp edge to it he usually heard. “I meant after the exams are over.”
Right.
He ignored the way heat crawled up his neck from the now obvious meaning of her question. “I haven’t fully decided.”
“Here I thought you had everything planned out.” Aimilia waved her hand as she leaned back in her seat. “Come on, now that your intentions are in the open, I know you’re not sending me off to a post, but you have to do something with me.”
“I have a few options that would be suitable for you and yes, that would keep you in Areator.” Nikias set his notes to the side so he could look at her. If nothing else, it was nice to be so straightforward about it all. “While I will admit there is a selfish component of that, being it’s much harder to win your affection if I can’t see or speak to you, even if I wasn’t still trying to marry you, I wouldn’t send you away. You being in Areator is a large part of why Gavril and Marcella are here. If you go away, so does Gavril, and then what do I have?”
Nikias knew the answer. It just wasn’t one he liked.
A huge palace with only Runai who would whisper about him the second he turned his back. A crown covered in blood. His parents.
Not a pretty picture.
The novices competing for the command track spots stepped out onto the stadium floor, and they both turned their attention back to their job. They had ten out of the fifty competing they would be evaluating together which meant they needed to be wholly focused.
