“Truly?”
Vorik hesitated. “She might have drugged the soup.”
“With a sedative?”
“Yes.”
“You saw and allowed it? What if it had been a poison that killed everyone?”
“I knew it wasn’t.”
When his brother didn’t answer, Vorik didn’t know if it was because Jhiton thought he was an idiot, or if his silence meant agreement. By now, Jhiton had to also be getting a feel for Syla’s character.
“You don’t expend that much energy healing people you’re going to kill later,” Vorik added, in case it was the former.
“You know her well,” Jhiton said.
“Yeah.” Maybe he shouldn’t have said more, but he wanted his brother to understand. “I think I’m falling in love with her.”
“I know.”
“Are you going to kick me out of the Sixteen Talons?”
According to the age-old rules, one could challenge a superior officer to a duel, but one couldn’t leap out of the woods and try to cut him or her down without warning.
“Do you want me to?” Jhiton asked softly.
The wind was dying down, and Vorik didn’t have any trouble catching the words. “No.”
“I can’t have you working against us.”
“It’s only where Syla is concerned.”
“Sylais the queen of the kingdom we’re trying to take over. She’s going to beconcernedwith every aspect of every mission.” Jhiton gave him an exasperated look over his shoulder.
“That’s notmyfault. She’s noble and wants to personally help defend her kingdom.”
Jhiton grunted. It might have been more like a growl.
“You’re the one who first sent me to seduce her,” Vorik pointed out. “You really have only yourself to blame for this.”
Jhiton scoffed. “I didn’t know she had magical lips and that her kiss would ensorcel you.”
“Her lips are very nice. Other parts are even nicer.”
“You’ve always been into boobs.”
“Oh, yes.” Maybe Vorik shouldn’t have grinned, since his brother sounded more disgusted than understanding, but he couldn’t help himself. Even if the world was chaos, Syla had gotten away, and his mood was lighter. “Maybe we can find you a nice well-endowed Kingdom woman with magical body parts capable of ensorcelling you.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Too bad. You need a woman.”
“I had one,” Jhiton said softly. “She left me.”
“That’s not your fault.” Vorik couldn’t bring himself to speak poorly about his brother’s ex-wife. She’d been a good woman, and they’d been a solid match for many years. It had just been too hard for them after all the miscarriages and then the loss of their only son who’d lived into boyhood.
“Are we going to have to fight again if we encounter Syla on Bogberry Island?” Jhiton asked.
