North pressed his lips together, putting far more thought into the boy’s state than I expected. Then he shook his head regretfully. “Not yet. He fears you and doesn’t trust me enough yet to push him. Give it more time.”
The knob in Harthon’s throat bobbed. Clearly, guilt from having to nearly kill the boy still ate at him. Knowing how Harthon related to him, it made sense.
“Does he have a name?”
“No. He’s still deciding on one now.”
If he hadn’t even been given a name, whathadthis boy been given as a child? Anything at all?
“Let me know when he’s ready.” When North gave his affirmative, Harthon turned to the others. “Anything else we missed?”
“Yes. But believe it or not, it’s something good.” Ana said, flipping her long, curled locks over her shoulder. “Princeps Aric from Sixth is on his way. His letter suggests he’s interested in allyship. He’ll be here in two days.”
Harthon leaned into the backrest, crossing his arms in satisfaction. “It’s about time he came around.”
“Seems like ourmagvischarade is working.”
“He might have ties to One. Securing him matters, though it won’t be easy. He’s smart, and he doesn’t want to play second to anyone else.”
Ana shrugged. “Allying with youisthe smart choice.”
It was easy enough to convince Ellan that I was themagvis, and even without me, Ellan valued Harthon as a partner. But if this new Princeps was smart and already resistant to aligning with ourTerritory, things were going to be problematic. “What happens when he finds out I’m not actually themagvis?”
North sat up taller, aggression stiffening his posture. “You planning to tell him the truth?”
I considered saying yes to his ridiculous accusation, just to see his face swell with anger. And then I looked at the wide muscles in his arms and thought better of it.
Addressing the others, I explained, “If he’s as shrewd as you say he is, he’s going to eventually realize that I have none of themagvispowers. I don’t think he’ll like that very much.”
“He won’t,” Harthon agreed. “But you bringing us into Centralis will be enough of a feat to convince him that you’re themagvisfor now.The eyes are hard to deny, too. You have a good point for the long term, but if Aric is our ally, he’ll benefit from the resources we glean under the Domus. If he ever uncovers the truth, he’ll hopefully be happy enough as our ally that he doesn’t turn against us.”
“Hopefully?” I wasn’t sure whenhopebecame an acceptable strategy.
“Things are too fluid to know what our future holds for certain. Sometimes, hope is the only option,” he clarified.
Maybe I shouldn’t be questioning him, considering he was the one who usurped a Princeps and has been a dominant leader ever since, but I was uncomfortable with the idea of hoping for positive outcomes. Even if it was the only choice.
“Make sure a wing is cleared for his arrival. There won’t be any pomp, but we need to treat him well,” he instructed Ana.
“Consider it done.” She wrinkled her delicate nose. “Now that we’re all set here, can you both please bathe? You reek.”
She didn’t have to tell me twice. I was desperate enough to be clean that I didn’t even mind the fact that it would come with seeing Felda.
Plus, after meeting Josenne, Felda was comparatively harmless.
As we all stood to file out the door, Harthon grasped my arm,holding me back. His fingers stayed there even after I stopped, their warmth branding my skin and sending my pulse into a frenzy.
He waited until the three had left us in privacy to speak. “I don’t know what it was that Josenne said to you, or what changed between then and now, and I won’t ask you. But thank you.”
I stared up at him, utterly trapped by the gratitude in his gaze and the mere presence of him. We were alone now, and a desperate part of me thought he might lean down and kiss me again. That part of me grew in certainty as his eyes tracked down my face, sweeping over my cheekbones and nose before tracing the curve of my lips. I refused to inhale, not wanting to do anything that might distract him from repeating what he’d already done but didn’t want to acknowledge. Maybe he’d ignored our kiss for the past few days because we’d been in front of his men. Maybe the privacy of this room was like that of the night, and he would act now as he did then.
But then Harthon abruptly stepped away, taking those fingers with him, and walked out of the room.
I stared after his hasty retreat, reality slapping me hard.
He really saw that night as a mistake, then. A moment of fleeting desire born from a tense argument. He had no intention of repeating it.
And why would he? Why would he desiremewhen he embraced someone as beautiful as Ana when we first arrived back today? During our short trip, I’d forgotten about the familiar way he looked at her.
