River’s heart sank at the way Saros was looking at Kai.“Control is important, naturally,” Saros said to Jorah, “But knowing what talented spellcasters the Mahina clan has produced, I’d be well interested in hearing another opinion.”He patted Jorah’s hand.“You’ve done the best you could.”
Jorah’s shoulders relaxed.River had never seen someone so relieved to be fired.
By contrast, Kai straightened in his seat and cracked his knuckles.“With the wardstone sorted, I’ll have little to do,” he said loftily.“As Her Holiness represents the future of our people, it would be my honour to teach her everything I know.”
“Excellent.”Saros clapped his hands together.River imagined wringing Kai’s neck.“We’re counting on you, then, son.”
Meeting adjourned.
River stood mutely beside Saros’s chair, teeth gritted, as they all rose and shook hands and made a show of leaving.Foolishly, he did not wait until the last of them had gone before he opened his throbbing hand and inspected it.Fresh blood pooled on his palm; he winced, hoping Mikau was somewhere nearby.
He heard a scoff.“You’ve seriously just been standing here bleeding this whole time?”
River closed his fist.“It’s nothing.”
Kai hung his head back, sighing loudly before lumbering around towards River.“Don’t be an idiot.C’mere.”He grabbed River’s wrist, forced his fingers open.“Who hurt you?”he demanded dramatically, his other hand going to rest on River’s cheek; he laughed when River scowled and lurched back.
He felt Saros’s eyes on them; heard, in his mind, a gratingly-familiarBe hospitable.Jaw tight, River suffered silently as Kai held his hand, palm up, and summoned a wisp of water out of the air.
“Menon wept,” Kai muttered in the gods’ tongue as he washed the cut.“You people act like I’m gonna give you tetanus.What’dIdo?”
River’s eyebrows shot up.The gods’ tongue was not commonly taught outside of the priesthood.“Not tetanus,” he whispered back; Kai’s gaze flitted to meet his, surprised.“With your reputation, I’m more concerned you’ll kill someone.”
Kai’s eyes hardened, though his smile did not waver.“Careful, you might actually hurt my precious feelings.”
The water brightened at Kai’s fingertips, shimmering as he directed it into River’s wound.There was an initial sting, and then warmth, as the skin knitted back together; Kai narrowed his eyes as he concentrated, a curl breaking free from his pomaded hair and drifting over his forehead.His brows furrowed and he blew it away, only for it to fall back to where it was.
It was odd seeing him so focused.Thus far River had only seen two sides of him: smarmy and facetious, or exhausted and pissed off.He looked almost scholarly now, his gaze intense, his sea-blue jacket tailored close to his frame.If it weren’t for the feathery scars criss-crossing his cheeks and left eyebrow, or the telltale whisper of white powder beneath a nose that looked like it’d been broken once or twice, River might’ve forgotten that Kai was a lowborn hound.
Luckily River had a good memory.
“There.”Kai dropped his hand, his smile holding firm, though it had cooled somewhat.“Sorry it scarred.As you’ve evidently heard, healing’s not my forte.”
Scar it did, but it was so thin and lightRiver wasn’t sure why he apologised.“Thank you,” River said, with no small amount of anguish.
“Thank me by telling me there’s a music shop on this rock.”Kai looped an arm around River’s neck and jostled him; through fine linen sleeves he felt a hard expanse of muscle, the hinted threat of strangulation.This close, Kai smelled like cigarettes and an attempt to conceal it with mint candy.“And by not being such a prick to someone who’s only trying to help.”
Shame crept into River’s cheeks.He nearly regretted what he’d said.“You… need a music shop?”
He shrugged.“You play piano.I en’t had the chance to properly explore around here and I figured you’d know if there was one.”
River felt himself flush deeper and inwardly cursed Saros again for assigning Kai to the old room beside River’s.He’d grown so used to having no neighbours that he’d thought nothing of practicing piano whenever he couldn’t sleep.
“Two lanes over from the market.”There was no reason to lie.“You’ll see a sign.”
Brightening, Kai snapped his fingers and pivoted, heading out of the room with a lazy wave.River stared after him as the door snicked shut, feeling rudderless and irritated and not quite knowing why.
“New friends all around,” Saros teased, groaning softly as he stood.“Be kinder to him, son, and don’t scare Ione off of the poor lad.”Grimacing, he fished a handkerchief from the pocket of his alabaster robes.With no one but River to bear witness, Saros coughed wetly into it, his weight braced on one hand upon the table.
He was well, the healers promised.Just old.River refilled his tea, urged him to drink.
He followed his adoptive father to the window.Beyond the sparkling sea, Lodestone sprawled proudly across the mainland; and further, in the mountains, Caelos’s once-beautiful marble spires stood like the shadows of ghosts against the barren cliffs.
“Soon,” Saros whispered, tracing the shape of Caelos on the sun-warmed glass, “Soon, this will all be worth it.”He sent River a wistful smile, crimson painting the corner of his mouth.Feeling it, he dabbed it with the heel of his palm and smiled wider, a hint of embarrassment, like that was silly of him.“You were very patient today.You’ve been drinking that lavender tea, I’m sure.”
Saros had a tea for most things; his latest prescription for River’s chronic unfriendliness was lavender.Still, “I have.”
“Good.”Saros squeezed his shoulder.“And Ione?”
