“He’s adorable,” Xan laughed, but it was fond, not teasing.
“Ellis? He’s twice your size, at least. I don’t think he’s capable of being adorable.”
“It has nothing to do with his size and everything to do with that puppy personality of his. That’s beside the point, though.”
“Right. We need to keep searching,” Syrus agreed. “We’re running out of time.”
“I guess it’s time to head outside, then. I can’t think of anywhere else.”
“I may know one more spot,” Syrus said suddenly. “I doubt he’s there, but I’ll check just in case. You can head outside and I’ll join you in a minute.”
Xan nodded and left, heading for the servant stairs that would take him down through the kitchens and outside. Syrus went the other way, back toward his rooms. The stairways and corridors the palace staff used were everywhere, usually behindthe walls to allow them to move unseen. He doubted Eiri had found them yet, but he couldn’t be entirely sure.
The entries to those hidden hallways were discrete, nearly invisible unless you knew where to look. Syrus had found all of them as a child, using them to escape particularly boring tutors. There was one in particular he’d used regularly and that’s the one he went to now. It was barely big enough for one person to push a cart through, the reason almost no one used it anymore. Even the floors were dusty with disuse, which made spotting the fresh footprints simple.
The tiny hallway split off in two directions from the door. If he went to the right, he’d travel the length of the corridor before coming to the stairs. Several doors out to the main hallway dotted the wall, most of them sealed to prevent unauthorized access.
If he went left, there were no more doors, just a hallway that ended in a steep staircase that climbed up instead of down. This wing of the palace only had three floors, so the staircase going higher had proved irresistibly tempting to him as a young teen. As he climbed them now, he was far less excited than he’d been as a youth, his knees protesting the sharp incline and narrow steps. At least there was no one else around to see him when he paused to catch his breath at the top.
In front of him, there was only a single door. It was sealed with wards as well as lock and key. The wards were nothing, of course. He was no mage, but he was a Vardor and the palace wards were all calibrated to allow the royal family access. The simple lock was the more difficult challenge and had stymied him on his first foray, but he’d long since disabled it, counting on the wards to keep out any unwanted visitors.
He didn’t need to use it here, though. The door was already slightly ajar, which confirmed what thefootprints in the dust hinted at. He’d found his recalcitrant husband. Now he just had to figure out how to fix this mess.
Chapter 9
Eiri
The rough tilesscratched at his clothing, but Eiri didn’t mind them. They were warm beneath his bare feet, and the gritty texture reminded him a bit of the sunbaked beaches of Canjir. It was the closest thing he’d found to home since coming to this accursed city and he needed the comfort. So far, it didn’t seem like anyone else used the roof access he’d found while exploring his new home. There were wards on the slender door, but those were easily bypassed. He’d only been up here a few times, but in that time, no one had disturbed his peace.
Everywhere else he went in the palace, there were eyes on him. The nobles and courtiers all openly stared, not bothering to hide their whispers and sneers now that it was clear he wasn’t welcome with the royal family. Guards watched him with barely veiled hostility, as though they expected him to start running up and down the hallways raiding bedrooms. The few times he’d come across members of his new family, they either snidely acknowledged him or completely ignored him. He preferred the latter.
He was only a few hours north of home, by ship, but it felt further. It never got as hot here as he was used to, though thechill in his bones could have been the lingering ache of knowing he was stuck here forever. The fight with Syrus was still fresh in his mind as he lay on his back, the noon sun warming his skin but doing nothing for that cold within him.
He’d known, of course, that Syrus saw him as nothing more than a barbaric raider, but hearing the familiar insult had still thrown him off balance. Kien had warned him, had told him to watch himself because Syrus wasn’t being nice for no reason, but even so, Eiri had nearly fallen for it, so desperate for a single friendly face that he’d ignored all the warnings.
At least now he knew the truth. He’d heard the words from Syrus’ own lips, the harsh reminder he’d needed that he didn’t have any friends in this country. The only one he could count on was Kien.
Sleep eluded him last night, and he’d made his way up to this sanctuary before dawn, watching the sun rise on a city that hated him. Far below, the people bustled about their days, running errands, going to work, greeting old friends, all too far away for him to hear or even truly see.
Eiri buried the dark thoughts trying to creep up on him and focused inward, drawing on the pool of magic within him. It felt weaker here, away from the ocean, but there was enough water in the air around him to create a small droplet, barely bigger than the tip of his finger. It glittered and danced in the sunlight, scattering tiny rainbows of color across his hands.
How did the Vaetreans stand living without colors like this in their lives? Their clothing tended toward blacks and browns and greys, with what color they allowed themselves usually in dark jewel tones. Here and there he’d spotted a few pastel colors, brilliantly bright when set against the dark background of everyone else, but it was nothing like the flurry of color he was used to.
Behind him, a hinge creaked. Eiri immediately let thedroplet fall and it soaked into the roof tile as he stood, turning to face the door. The roof wasn’t particularly steep, but it wasn’t completely flat, either, meaning he had to move carefully to keep his balance.
Seeing Syrus standing in the doorway wasn’t much of a surprise. He’d hoped no one else knew about this haven, but the way his luck had run lately, it only made sense that the person he least wanted to see was the one who found him.
Neither of them spoke, and Eiri kept his expression neutral, determined not to give anything away. Minutes passed in agonizing silence, with Syrus standing in the doorway and Eiri on the roof, ten feet and an entire world apart.
It was Syrus who finally broke the silence. “You’re not supposed to be up here.”
Again, unsurprising. Of course he’d come to take the one bit of comfort and peace Eiri had managed to carve out for himself here.
He shrugged in response, taking a bit of delight in how Syrus’ lips thinned at the rudeness.
“It’s past noon. You missed your history and etiquette lessons.”
Another shrug from Eiri and Syrus looked ready to blow up. It was all Eiri could do not to smile. The man finally left the doorway, stalking across the sloped roof and stopping just a few feet in front of Eiri. The pitch of the roof put Syrus higher, taking away the slight height advantage Eiri had and leaving them almost perfectly eye-level with each other.
