He looked at me for a long moment, so long I felt my cheeks heat.
“One of your people, a warrior from Earsleh.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Idon’t understand,” I said, making an effort to keep my voice a whisper.Inside, I was screaming.“One ofmypeople?”
“He escaped across the border and—”
“Escaped?We are not a prison.”
“Is that why Gaz tries to keep you from leaving?”
“That’s different.”The words were out of my mouth before I could even think about what I was saying.Defending Earsleh was a reflex that would be hard to break.
He sighed.“Mara, it is time you learned the truth, whether you are ready or not.”
The truth.Was thereatruth?I’d grown up with contradictory truths and illogical truths and learned not to question them.Now Taio offered methe truth.His pale gaze met mine, and I saw no deception in his eyes.I’d never once seen deception when I looked at him.
I took a breath and swallowed my fears.“Go on,” I whispered.
“The Earslehen man did not want to be part of your warrior patrol.He’d been sent to the Barrier time and again.”
I shook my head.“No one is sent to the Barrier—”
Taio raised his brows, and I pressed my lips together.I supposed I should not be surprised that the rule about limiting how many times a cadet was sent to the Barrier was bent to serve my father’s purposes.“Go on,” I said.
“Your countryman traveled to Zleyval before I was born.After the revolt, my parents asked him to train me and the others.”
I let out a breath and sank back.Taio had been trained by one of my countrymen.This revelation explained so much—how he knew our language, how he’d learned to fight amongst a peaceful people, how he’d learned about the Claiming Rite.
“His name is Leed, and he taught us how to defend ourselves.”He touched his hammer-like weapon at his side.“He even taught us to fight the Twilight Men.”
“But I had to show you—”
“Our practice with them was...different.”
