“I hope you do,” he said.“Because if you don’t, and I return to Highcastle without you, your father has pledged to send an army to attack Zulen and bring you back.”
“What?He would never—”
“He would and he will.”
I felt the mirage of Earsleh and my father waver and grasped at it with desperation.Gaz must have misunderstood.
He sneered.“How do you think your barbarian will like it if we come in and slaughter all his musician and artist friends?”
We both turned at the sound of a twig snapping.Someone was coming.
“Think about it, Mara,” Gaz said quickly.“If you love these barbarians so much, maybe you should sacrifice one to save the rest.Today is your last chance to change your mind.Tomorrow, I’ll kill them all.”
And then he was gone, and I was standing naked on the side of the pool.
The bushes moved and I braced for Nize or a Hollow, but it was Taio.His eyes landed on my face and then darted lower.The heat already in my cheeks burned hotter as I remembered I was naked.Taio immediately turned around, giving me his back.“I apologize,” he said.
“You have nothing to apologize for.”In fact, if I hadn’t just had my mind scrambled with Gaz’s words, I wouldn’t have minded Taio coming upon me.I might have wanted him to look a little longer before turning away.“I’ll be dressed in a moment.”
“I’ll come back.”
“No,” I said.“Stay.”I didn’t want Gaz returning, if he was still nearby.I bent and resumed washing my leggings, hurrying a bit now.But my hands were shaking from the shock of Gaz’s words, and I kept dropping my garments.My father would send an army...
“I thought I heard voices,” Taio said.
I reached for my tunic, but my hand froze at his words.I shook harder as I realized I should tell Taio that Gaz was here.I should have told Taio what Gaz had said immediately.Why hadn’t I?Why had I kept quiet and allowed Gaz to escape?
Loyalty?Yes.I’d been trained to protect Gaz for years, and now it was almost second nature.More than that, telling Taio about Gaz’s treachery—myfather’spossible treachery—felt disloyal to more than Gaz.It felt disloyal to my people.I didn’t want Taio to know about my king’s dishonor.I didn’t want him to think of my father like that.Icouldn’t bear to think ill of my father.
I lifted my tunic, dropped it, and lifted it again.Now was not the moment to reveal the truth.“I was singing to myself,” I said, hoping the lie sounded believable.I just needed time to figure out if what Gaz had said was true.I couldn’t tell Taio my father was sending an army if Gaz was lying to scare me.
“You sing?”he asked, sounding almost amused.
Oh, gods, I hated this.No, I did not sing.I knew one or two children’s songs, and that was all.My people did not sing.We fought and trained and kept quiet so as not to attract Hollows.“Sometimes when I am alone,” I said.
“I would like to hear one of your songs.I did not think the people of Earsleh had music.”
I finished with the tunic and began rinsing my hands and feet.“We are not a musical people, like you.We try to keep quiet, even inside the castle walls, so as not to attract Hollows.”I reached into my pack and withdrew clean clothing.
He made a sound of disbelief.“I could not survive without music,” he said.My arm caught in my tunic, and I flailed about for a moment before pulling it over my head.
“It means that much to you?”I pulled my leggings on.“You can turn around now.”
“Like Yung I play the guitara.”He turned and his gaze roamed over me, lingering on my wet hair.“I sing.”
I gaped at him.“Yousing?”
“Of course.All my people sing, but some of us have better voices than others.”
I smiled, rather liking that he was proud of his singing voice.Leaves rustled, and I braced, praying Gaz hadn’t returned.But it was Omira.“Did I hear my brother crowing over his singing voice?”
“He claims he sings,” I said, wringing the water out of my hair again.
“He does.He has an enviable voice.But then so do I.”
Taio smiled.Another smile!I wished he would smile at me more.He was so handsome when he smiled.“When we are home, we will sing for Mara.”
She nodded.“And dance.”
