“Youhelpedmy brother do this?Why?” Pyetar’s voice was a growl. “Do you have any idea what you’ve helped him do?”
Iryana closed her eyes to find red, blood pouring over the floor. Her voice was a strangled rasp. “I didn’t know what he was going to do.”
Pyetar shook his head. “I don’t believe you’re that naïve. You just helped my brother start a war. The only person keeping Karvek in check is now dead, thanks to you.”
“He was already in charge here, so it can’t be that different,” she said weakly. She couldn’t help the twist of her stomach, though. Karvek had killed so easily, no hesitation. Controlled her in a way that left her feeling sick.
She had done what she had to do to earn Karvek’s trust. Even if she had known what he was doing, she would have played along, right? She couldn’t worry about the soldiers when the future of her family was being threatened.
Pyetar shook his head. “You are so blind. For all the things you’ve called me, you’re the one that helped a monster. You think the drug operation is mine? It’s always been Karvek.” Pyetar stared at her, the look somewhere between pleading and desperation. “He won’t stop. I was trying to—no, it doesn’t matter.”
Iryana reared back, trying to keep her voice quiet enough to avoid drawing attention. “Why would I expect anything but the worst from you, after all you’ve done to my family? You beat up my cousin! Threatened my grandmother, myentire family! I’ve seen the way you discipline the soldiers here. That’s been allyou!”
Everything about him was tense. “I never claimed to be a good man. But my brother is worse, I assure you.”
Even so, what did it matter? Pyetar clearly wanted people to fear him, so why would she bother looking for whatever motives he supposedly had beneath that? It wasn’t even worth arguing with him.
“What do you want from me?” she asked wearily.
“I want you to stop helping my brother.”
An uneasy feeling twisted into her stomach, but just being against his brother and his schemes didn’t make Pyetar good. Didn’t make him worthy of her trust.
She wanted to pull her hair out. “You’re asking me to choose you as the lesser of two evils? Why? Canyoumake me a soldier of the 18th? Canyougive me a place here?”
Pyetar’s eyes shuttered, his jaw tightening. “Is that really more important than the atrocities Karvek will commit?”
For her, yes. It had to be. “If you don’t have another option for me, we’re done here.” She moved to step around him.
“There are other brigades. Further south, I know the—”
“No,” she cut him off. She couldn’t go further from her family. “Not going to happen. It has to be the 18th.”
Pyetar pressed his palm against his forehead as if a deep ache was building because of her. “My brother loves power, and now he can operate in the open. You have no idea what he’s been doing. He wants more territory; he wants influence. And he’s going to start a war to get it.”
She sucked in a breath. She’d been so distracted by the poppies that she had forgotten that part of Karvek’s speech. “That can’t happen.” If it did, things would only be worse for her clan. How was she supposed to show the duchess they could control their post, with a war going on beyond their wall?
“You should go home to your family.”
“I can’t.” For so many reasons, she couldn’t, especially now.
She needed Karvek on her side; it was the only way to the metal well—but she was so out of her depth. There wasn’t much time left if Karvek was truly going to start a war. Did she even have until winter?
Pyetar watched her, and she thought she saw a flicker of understanding. Her anger faltered for a moment. Perhaps he was as trapped as she was.
She couldn’t take back what she had helped Karvek do, wouldn’t dare give back his approval even if it were possible. But maybe Pyetar wasn’t as much her enemy as she’d thought. Maybe they could be on the same side in wanting to prevent a war. She just couldn’t under any circumstances let Karvek find out.
“We’re both stuck here,” she said carefully, watching his reaction closely. “And neither of us want a war.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He sighed and shook his head, then spun on his feet and stormed off.
Iryana leaned against the barracks wall beside her, the sun-warmed stones soothing.
Everything was a mess, and she had no idea if she had made things irreparably worse. She just had to hope she could fix it before she had to tell Hadima what she’d done.
Iryana slipped into her room that afternoon, only to freeze when she saw Vaneshta sitting on her bed and staring at the wall. It was the first time she’d been alone with Vaneshta since she’d gotten back that morning. Iryana hadn’t been avoiding her, but she certainly hadn’t been looking for her either.
“Uh, hi.”
