“He gifted you a dagger.”
“Was the blade poisoned?”
“The sheath. He soaked the leather in a solution of powdered omaran, and the sheath felt slightly sticky. Once you handled it, you washed your hands, and the water activated the poison. Then you rubbed your face, getting it into your eyes and mouth.” I took a deep breath. “You bled from your eyes for three days, Ramond.”
“Killing me puts the entire northern border at risk,” Everard said. “I don’t have an heir, so the Dukedom would pass to my cousin. Her Fatefire is only a shadow of mine, and she is barely fourteen. That daft prick would risk his kingdom and his throne to kill me.”
“Sauven is afraid for his crown prince,” I said. “Every time he builds a coalition around his son, Kiel does something to fracture it. Sauven sees you as a threat that can end his line. He fears you more than he fears the Crimson Empire. And he hates you.”
“Because I look like my father? Because I refuse to tolerate his inane nonsense?”
“Because you are everything Kiel Savaric is not. You inspire people. They devote themselves to you. Kiel has his magic, his sword, and his glib charm, but his arrogance and rage keep him from truly understanding human emotions. He doesn’t form bonds of loyalty; he manipulates, intimidates, and uses people, and they recognize it. He hasn’t built a foundation for his throne, and he never will. Sauven knows it. It keeps him up at night.”
He walked around the desk and leaned his back against it, leaving me no room to get up off my chair. There was barely any space between us.
“Come with me to Selva.”
It was almost a plea.
“You know I can’t.”
“I don’t want to leave you here without my protection.”
“I have the Magnars and the Shears.”
“Come with me. I swear on the memory of my father I will bring you back to Kair Toren in twenty days.”
“I can’t. There are things I must do here. The future—”
“Fuck the future. If I come back here and find you gone, I will level this damn city. If you care for Kair Toren, come with me.”
I had to put some distance between us. I stood up. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close, and rested his forehead against mine. “Maggie . . .”
Oh, no. My whole body sang when he touched me.
“Don’t leave me alone. Let me take you to Selva.”
I had to break free of him, and not just because I couldn’t trust him or because he would use me. I needed to know if I could survive in Kair Toren without him. I’d been leaning on him like a crutch, first when he was Reynald and then again when he was the Sleepless Duke sleeping under the same roof. I had to find out if I could make it on my own.
“Let me go, Your Grace.” Against all odds, my voice sounded calm.
He raised his arms and took a step back. It almost hurt to be let go.
I was on the right track. It was time to stand on my own two feet.
“I can’t leave any more than you can stay. Let’s not talk about it anymore.”
Everard wasn’t used to hearing no. He had to be frustrated, but none of it reflected on his face. His control was ridiculous. It would’ve been so much easier if he was an open book.
“Promise me you will be careful,” he said. “Twenty days. Stay in the house, make soap, don’t do anything reckless.”
“I promise,” I lied.
The boat slipped along the dark sea, fast and nimble. I sat at the bow and watched the sky spreading above us, the stars glittering so bright, Prata waning, Drao in first quarter, and Broe a sliver of a crescent, almost an afterthought.
Solentine’s people came to get us, as promised. Everard and I boarded the small vessel, the sails went up, and a few minutes later we slipped out of the city and headed into the open sea. That was always the trouble with Kair Toren. You could lock the city gates, but blockading the harbor was a lot harder.
We reached a couple of islands, dark jagged tops of submerged hills thrusting through the water. At first, I thought we’d stop at one of them, but instead we passed them on our right and kept going.
