An awkward silence spread between them.
“Zeke?” Something crossed her mind. Perhaps it didn’t matter, but she was curious. His alliances might be evolving the more involved he became with the High King’s militia.
“Yes?”
“You have to report suspected witches, anyone suspected of practicing magic, worshiping the old gods, and whatnot, right?”
He raised an eyebrow. “I mean, technically, yes. I guess I do. Why?”
“No reason.”Definitely not because of some weird energy that exploded out of my hands in a fight against a monster from beyond the Border. Nope.
“Seriously?” He raised a brow in question.
Yeah, that was probably a stupid thing to say. Now, salvage this, Hazel, because telling him is out of the question.
“Not so fun when the tables are turned, is it? Well, you’re going to think I’m a stupid twit, but I was wondering…” she trailed off.Am I really about to ask this? What if he figures meout?She took a deep breath. “What if I was a witch? Would you turn me in?”That wassonot smooth.
He rolled his eyes. “You’renota witch. So, it’s a ridiculous thing to even ask me.”Erm… that was not an answer. Nice side-step, Zeke.She swallowed hard, considering her next words.
“And if I was?” she pressed, curious now that his answer was uncertain.
“We’d find a way out.”We?What ‘we’?He made it seem so simple. As though it wasn’t an act of treason to help a witch.
“You wouldn’t report me?” The question was pointless, because of course he wouldn’t report her. But hearing him say it aloud without any coercion on her part, she might be okay after all.
“How could I? If something happened to you because I turned you in, you’d surely haunt me from the Otherrealm.” She punched him in the shoulder. “Ow! Hey, you asked the ridiculous question, not me.”
She groaned obnoxiously. “Ezekiel Bertram, you take your job too seriously. You’re not special, you know. Every boy who comes of age gets conscripted to His Majesty’s militia. If anything, it’s his pretty little spin on slavery. He puts you in a fancy uniform, gives you purpose.” She shook her head. “Don’t lose sight of what’s really important.”
Hurt flashed across his face.
Okay, that might have been a little harsh. “What I mean is, don’t let them take advantage of you. You’re a good person.” She put a gentle hand on his arm. “I just don’t want to see one of the few nice people left in this kingdom be destroyed by the sadistic assholes who run it.”
“I know. I get it.” He withdrew from her touch. Then, clearing his throat, he said, “Say, not to change this gods-awful subject, but did you hear about the Tourney?”
“Prince Tristan’s birthday party, you mean? Of course I did. It’s what got me into this mess. I came to the market to grab some supplies for the tavern kitchen while Pa…” She faded off there, unsure how much she should share. Zeke was the only trustworthy person she could confide in. Running her hand through her hair, she continued, “Pa went off to see if he could track down Jonas.”
Zeke, to his credit, didn’t look surprised.
“He said it didn’t matter what people thought, but that the right thing to do was to find him.” She sighed. “He’s all I have, and he works too hard to have to go through all this trouble.”
“If anyone will find him, it’s your father. I just hope…” He didn’t meet her eyes.
“Hopewhat? What are you not telling me?” She grabbed his arm so that he had to face her.
“Right now, it’s not important. The only thing I can say is that it concerns the Border wards. My advice is to make sure you keep things locked up at night.”
Weird.“Thanks? I guess.”Does this have to do with the Striga?Gods, how she wished she could ask. But there were too many questions she didn’t want to answer.
He cleared his throat as if to shift the subject yet again. “So, speaking of Connall, who’d he hire in your place while you come check out the Tourney?”
Hazel stopped walking. “What? I’m not going. We have way too much work to do and if I leave, Pa will have to close our doors for the duration of the tournament. If I stay, we have the chance to serve as an overflow from King’s Crossing. There’s no way the inns and taverns there have enough lodging and food for everyone. Briar and Rose will have to be ready. And since I wasalsopromoted, I’m responsible for getting folks fed and passing out drinks. And cleaning rooms for visitors, and a whole host of unsavory things that out-of-towners will bring. I have to stay.”
He frowned and then laughed at her. “That is the most ridiculous thing you’ve said all day.”
Fair, I guess, since he didn’t hear what I said to that Slaide character.
“You’re going. This is the first tournament that has been held in years, and you can’t miss it. Plus, I’m competing in the Champions Tournament since I was promoted. It would mean a lot for you to be there rooting for me.”So, no pressure then, great.
