Blaine laughed hoarsely, finally letting go of Honovi’s braid to do up his trousers. “I couldn’t tell.”
He could feel Honovi’s hardness against his hip through the kilt, but Honovi seemed in no rush to tend to himself. If Honovi wanted to rub off on Blaine, he wouldn’t move from his spot, much like he never had in their narrow bunk on theSkyborne.
Blaine wrapped his arms around Honovi’s waist, holding him close, breathing in the familiar scent of him. “How did you get theComhairle nan Cinnidheanto agree to make you ambassador?”
“Lena’s term was up. I argued I should go in her place, because I could speak for theComhairle nan Cinnidheanwhen she couldn’t.”
“Why would you need to?”
Honovi let out a heavy breath, tickling Blaine’s skin. He pulled back just enough so he could press his forehead to Blaine’s, eyes closed, hands gripping Blaine’s hips hard enough to bruise. Blaine didn’t mind the pressure.
“Daijal recalled their ambassador in Glencoe over winter. They sent a new one after the crown prince married. They’ve been demanding E’ridia acknowledge Daijal’s sovereign right over Ashion.”
Blaine grimaced, thinking of Eimarille and who she’d become—everything a Rourke wasn’t. “Because of who he married.”
“Yes.”
“Ashion has its own parliament.”
“Whose laws more and more require approval from Daijal to pass. We’ve been having better luck in Daijal getting trade done than in Ashion over the last couple of years.”
“Is that why you’re here, then? For Ashion?”
“For you.”
Honovi finally pulled away enough for Blaine to look him in the eye. He reached up and cupped Honovi’s jaw, stroking his thumb over warm skin. “Mainspring won’t like that you came.”
“I don’t care about what that woman likes or dislikes. E’ridia needs me to be here, and so do you.”
“I need to care, because of what I’ve discovered.” Blaine paused, sighing. “WhoI’ve discovered. I was coming here tonight to report on it, even though Mainspring would rather I didn’t.”
Honovi’s grip got tighter. “You found her?”
His voice was barely louder than a whisper, and Honovi didn’t say her name, but his gaze was heavy in the dim glow of the gas lamp. It was as if he knew the risks of giving voice to a truth Blaine had hoarded for years.
Blaine nodded, a tightness in his chest that wasn’t easy to breathe through. “Yes, and that means I have to stay.”
He had a promise to keep, and he couldn’t do that if he stayed on the other side of the Eastern Spine. It was something that had become more and more apparent as the months drifted by since he’d first come to Amari—this duty he’d thought left by the wayside with his bloodline.
The encroaching cultural changes pushed by Daijal were causing friction in the populace that wouldn’t be contained forever. And Blaine doubted, with everything he was learning, that the borders between countries would be enough to keep Daijal in check.
Honovi touched his fingers to Blaine’s jaw. “Blaine.”
“There’s more. The Clockwork Brigade has uncovered rumors of a machine. Something that can turn the dead into revenants. It’s just stories, we think, but there have been more revenants in supposedly cleansed lands here in Ashion lately that it merits looking into.”
Honovi frowned, eyes narrowing. “Everyone burns their dead in every country. The star gods gave that decree when they first fell through the skies to Maricol. To disobey that is anathema to the Star Order.”
“I said it was rumors, not that it was true.”
“But you believe it could be.”
Blaine opened his mouth, then closed it, biting at his lip. “Who’s to say turning the dead into revenants isn’t impossible when spores do it already? New inventions are being patented all the time. Would this so-called death-defying machine be any different?”
“I’d ask what reason someone would need a machine like that, but I can see what Daijal would do with it.”
“Can you?” Blaine gently pushed Honovi back, giving them both room to breathe. Blaine shifted on his feet, grimacing at the way his trousers and underclothes chafed at his skin now. “I didn’t believe it at first, but the rumors are terrifying.”
“That isn’t the only concerning issue. TheComhairle nan Cinnidheanhas been discussing Mainspring’s warning since you left. The majority think the Eastern Spine will be enough of a barrier to keep anyone out if the worst comes to pass. Some don’t believe they would even try.”
