The journal was half-filled with barely legible annotations, the later pages blank. The rest of them appeared to be full of thesame, detailing the flow of supplies and soldiers in and out of the garrisons. ‘Teleth’ at the top of one of the later pages caught his eye as he skimmed and he paused, reading closer.
Teleth was the last raid he’d ever gone on, though he hadn’t known at the time that it would be the last. The city where he’d saved that Vaetrean specialist and killed Prince Vonyers, unintentionally sparking the revolution that had left him here, married to a man he despised and living in a country he hated. Killing that asshole was worth it, though, if only because it directly led to the death of his father, Viyeri, and freedom for Canjir. Or at least a chance at it.
The journal detailed how quickly the city had replenished their stock after Eiri and his raiders escaped with less than a quarter of what they’d come for. While the people of Teleth likely hadn’t even noticed the loss, Eiri’s people had suffered. Parents went without to feed their children, who still went to bed hungry because it wasn’t enough. It was the same all across the island. Hunger was the defining memory of every Canjiri’s childhood.
Disgusted, Eiri put the journal back, stacking it exactly like it’d been before to make his snooping a little less evident.
The drawer beneath it held more of those same books, so he went to the other side of the desk, still sitting cross-legged on the floor. The bottom drawer was the deepest and held what looked to be letters, all in their open envelopes with the sender’s name scrawled on the back in Syrus’ hand.
He’d just pulled the first one out, the name ‘Than’ written on the back, when the distinct click of a lock opening came from the living area. Eiri froze, listening, and a moment later, the door to Syrus’ suite opened.
Fuck. There was no way he could explain how he’d gotten into the desk without revealing his magic.
As quickly and silently as he could, he slid the letter backinto the drawer and carefully closed it, the locking ward automatically activating. That still left him sitting on the floor of his husband’s office, but at least that door had only been locked with a key, not a ward.
“Where is he?”
Eiri frowned at the unfamiliar female voice. He knew it wasn’t Queen Delia, but who else had a key to Syrus’ rooms and could pass the guard?
“He’s supposed to be locked in, but you know how his kind are,” a man replied. That one sounded vaguely familiar, but not enough for him to put a face to the voice. Something about his accent pricked at the back of Eiri’s mind, though. It sounded Vaetrean, but something about the inflection bothered him.
“Take a look around, just in case,” the woman ordered and a moment later, heavy footsteps approached the open door to the office where Eiri still sat on the floor, hidden behind the solid wood desk but only if the man didn’t come inside. He tucked himself down as much as he could, making himself as small as possible.
The steps came closer, closer, setting Eiri’s heart to racing. Rationally, he knew he didn’t need to be afraid. Annoyed, perhaps, but hurting him would mean the disintegration of the contract between Vaetreas and Canjir. He knew that, but his instincts were screaming at him to stay hidden, that getting caught by these two would be the worst thing that could possibly happen.
The man kept coming and Eiri pulled on his magic, ready to fight if it came to it, but at the last moment, the footsteps stopped just short of the desk. The seconds ticked by, the silence nearly overwhelming. Eiri held his breath, waiting, ready to attack, until finally the man turned and walked out, his footsteps receding into the main living area.
“Nothing,” he said to the woman. “He must have found a way out.”
“Fucking Canjiri gutter trash,” she cursed. “I thought you had her ward all the windows?”
“I did. There must be another way we missed.”
“Wonderful. Now we have to start all over again. Come on, we need to leave while Barten is still on guard duty.”
Eiri didn’t let out his breath until he heard both of them walk out the door and the guard on duty, Barten, lock it behind them. Heart racing, he sagged against the desk, panting quietly to catch his breath. Minutes passed before he could calm down enough to get to his feet, his limbs shaking with leftover energy.
He crept back into the living area, just in case, but the two were gone without a trace. If Eiri hadn’t been in the office, he’d never have known they’d been here at all. They’d been looking for him… but why? They clearly hated him, or what he was, but he had no clue who they were. The only thing he did know for sure was that they weren’t looking for him so they could all become friends. Neither had threatened him, not exactly, but his gut told him they would have hurt him if they found him.
Whatever was happening, whatever scheme was going on around him, it was over Eiri’s head. He needed Kien and to get to Kien, he needed to get out of this room. Fuck Syrus, fuck the contracts and political games. He was done.
Chapter 11
Syrus
Syrus knewhe was many things, but a coward was not one of them. At thirty-five years old, he’d been serving in the military for seventeen years, working his way up the ranks. His last name might be the reason he’d achieved the rank of general so young, but he did his best every day to ensure he earned it. As a young soldier, he’d helped hold the Vaetrean-Gavarrian border after the Gavarrian civil war ended and traitors attempted to flee south. He’d traveled the coastline of his country from end to end, holding back raiders and helping rebuild after attacks. Nothing scared him anymore.
And yet, he stood in the hallway outside his own bedroom, hesitating, debating the merits of tactical retreat. The guard standing outside, a man he’d sparred with several times, tried to hold back his amused smirk, but failed. He knew, just like everyone else in this damn palace knew.
That, more than anything else, forced Syrus to abandon his half-formed plan. If he didn’t face Eiri now, he’d have to do it later. May as well get it over with while his mother was occupied.
“Anything to report?” he asked, and the guard immediately sobered, standing at attention.
“No, sir. No one has come or gone from this room all day.”
“Good. You can go.”
“Sir, my orders are?—”
