“I stayed because I didn’t have to listen to you tell me how I wasn’t fast enough, or strong enough, or smart enough to follow in your footsteps, how I would be nothing more than a plain merchant with no prospects for a wife and give you no grandchildren.
“When I realized what would happen to Kumi if she fell pregnant, I tried to help her. I tried to get her away, and I tried to keep her infertile. I realized that he was desperately trying to get her pregnant so he could kill her. He was bored with her.
“I poisoned my own sister to make sure that Savion never got her with child. I gave her all kinds of drugs and herbs and foods to make sure that her body could never take a child.
“He sent me on an assignment that lasted six months. I returned in time to see him hoist her pregnant body over the blood fountain and take her head. He made sure that I saw it. He made sure that I heard her plead for her child and for her life.
“The very last thing she saw was me standing there, and the very last words out of her mouth were,Forgive me, Aiko. Not ‘Tell father I’m sorry.’ Not ‘Tell mother I love her.’ She asked me to forgive her.”
Reo stared at him. I knew that he didn’t see his wife’s distress, right next to him. She had finally found out how her firstborn had died, and it was crushing her—but Reo just stared at Aiko.
“And did you?” he asked.
“I took an oath that day that I would see Savion dead. I would watch his head roll as far and as fast as my sister’s had. From that day, I worked against him. I helped the rebels. I made myself valuable to the future of S’Kir and would have died to see our land free of him.” He cocked his head and stared at Reo. “Not once, during those two hundred years, did I think aboutyou. Not once did I consider how you would feel or think about all of this. You became inconsequential—a footnote in my life. I realized I would never please you, and you would lay my sister’s death at my feet as you have.
“And oddly enough, though I dreaded this confrontation, I don’t care what you think of me.”
Reo shook his head. “And still, you failed at your own oath.”
Aiko stood. “I didn’t, though. I never swore that I would be the one to kill him. I wasn’t that foolish. I knew how many enemies Savion had and how many wanted to be the one to make sure his head rolled.”
“Here you are, with these druids, having missed the whole event,” Reo said.
“Wow, really?” Belshazzar said, leaning forward. “This is exceptional.” He looked at Aiko. “Has he always been like this? Anything to discredit you?”
“Yes.” Aiko nodded.
Reo snorted. “How could he ever prove that he was there—”
I slammed the flat of my sword on the table. “This is the blade that took off Savion’s head while he and most of the court watched me.”
There was a collective gasp again as everyone turned to me. I stood slowly and leaned forward. “I am not going to listen to this degradation of someone who has been nothing but kind and good to me.”
“You expect us to believe a woman, no—a child killed King Savion when so many have failed for thousands of years?” Reo rose from his seat. “Do you even know which end of that to use?”
“You’re a real asshole,” Belshazzar stated.
“Would you like a demonstration of how much the Lady Raven knows about her sword?” Dorian asked, following a bored yawn.
“I would be delighted to give her a lesson,” Reo nodded.
I pulled the sword off the table and pushed my chair back. “Lead the way, High Master Elkthorne.”
Standing and pushing his chair back, Reo walked from the table and out the door without another glance at me. I guessed I was supposed to follow, so I marched out behind him, into the courtyard of the house.
A servant in livery came running up with his sword. I stood at the other end, feet together, hands clasped behind my back, chin up. I could hear my father’s voice in my head.Never give them a preview of what you know.
I watched him, though. He went through a series of warm-ups, then a collection of moves used in fighting. I could see he was using a technique that my father had warned me about, an old and dirty form that, as long as you knew they were using it, was easy to defeat. It also mimics a perfectly legitimate fighting style that had a few key differences.
I kept the smirk off my face.Never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake.
And showing Lady Stormbreaker, Bright Sword, that you fought dirty was most definitely a mistake.
Thank you, Daddy.
He removed the fancy jacket he was wearing as the rest of the guests funneled out into the courtyard. I took six steps forward and resumed waiting in the same position, just watching.
“Child, you should always warm-up,” he chided.
