“Bearing all of that in mind, you decided that it would be very convenient if something untoward happened to me through no fault of Solentine’s. You know, like the Butcher grabbing me off the street and then cutting off my fingers, shattering my kneecaps, carving up my liver, and so on.”
“You seem whole to me,” she said.
“Magic can do wonderful things.” I wiggled my fingers back at her. “They work like new. No stumps.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
“Then I became Solentine’s cousin. He told you to keep me safe, but he likely did not explain why. He probably said something like, ‘Assist her in all things. She is family, so if she tells you to do something, treat it as if it came from me.’”
Avaria’s mouth tightened. Yep. That was exactly what he’d said.
“Except that you don’t think I’m family. For no obvious reason, Solentine is giving me access to secret matters I have no right to be a part of and he is putting the Shears at my disposal. You view me as a threat. You can’t disobey Solentine directly, so instead you chose the path of quiet sabotage. You allowed a team of killers to enter the house. You took me to the Guard station and then recalled the carriage. You’ve dragged your feet uncovering the identity of the Butcher. You instructed the driver to leave us stranded in the Tangle.”
She smiled at me. “You do like the sound of your own voice.”
“Vasilianus would be proud, Despina. That’s a page right out of his book. He always preferred subtlety over direct violence.”
The dagger was in her hand so fast, it practically leaped into her fingers. One moment she was standing, the next she crouched on my desk, the dagger against my neck.
“Dramatic, but unnecessary,” I told her.
“How do you know?” she snarled.
“The same way I know a lot of things. Your name is Despina Lustina Rasteros. You were sold by your family to the Obsidian Veil at the age of seven and trained as a whisper. Your three masters were Kronia, Vasilianus, and Lakeros, and you preferred Kronia over the other two, because direct combat comes naturally to you. Also, your alchemy work is sloppy, and you kept poisoning yourself in Lakeros’s laboratory, so you fantasized about stabbing . . .”
She held her left hand up. “Stop.”
I gently nudged the dagger away from my throat with my index finger.
“Does Solentine know?” she asked.
“That you were sent here as a Crimson Empire spy and then defected? Yes. He figured it out years ago.”
“How?”
“You put milk in your tea. You’re supposed to be the daughter of a shoemaker from the Middle Fields. The Rellasians from that region drink their tea with honey and jam. You have to go all the way east, toward the border, before you start seeing milk served with tea.”
She sat cross-legged on my desk. “That’s all?”
I nodded. “He is sharp. He doesn’t need much. You trust him, and eventually you gave yourself away with little things. Too much nuance in understanding politics. Too much knowledge about the weakness of legionnaire armor. He accepts you as you are. He knows you will not betray him.”
“It was a horrible life,” she said.
“I know. I mean, I really do know, Avaria. The Hole, the killing of Sominia, and so on.”
The Obsidian Veil served as the Crimson Empire’s CIA. They obtained their trainees young and put them through a crucible of physical and mental conditioning so extreme it would make seasoned Marine Corps drill instructors weep. Avaria had been sent to Rellas to infiltrate Eagle Roost. Instead, she went AWOL. The Veil tried to kill her a few times, but she murdered them instead and eventually found a home with the Shears.
“Would you like to know how you die?” I asked.
Avaria pondered me.
“Within two years, the Crimson Empire pours over the border like a tide. Solentine’s father dies in battle trying to stop them. Solentine loses his grip on reality and refuses to leave Izarn’s body. As you try to drag him away, Theodoros of Gavalia, who rides with that legion, recognizes you and shoots you with his bow. The arrow takes you in the back, and when you fall, his horse stomps over you and crushes your skull. You knew he was a vindictive little shit when you ratted him out for stealing that knife from Vasilianus. He’s been waiting years for his revenge.”
She stared at me.
“I’d like to keep all of that from happening.” I picked up a stack of papers. “I have a list of names here. I need to know everything about these people. Who they are, what they do, what weaknesses do they have that someone with Ulmar Hreban’s resources could exploit. The High Court Session begins on the twenty-fifth this month. We must give this to them with some time to spare so we can all survive and live happily ever after. Do you think you could help me with that?”
“Yes,” she said.
