Her fingers run lightly down my arm. “You were brave and wise to refuse that marriage, but the king is not Tynan’s grandfather. It’s hisfather. The old man has died.”
“I wish I could say that I’ll mourn him.”
Surath chuckles.
“Tynan also hated his grandfather,” I tell her in case she doesn’t know. “The man was cruel.”
Surath nods.
“Why did you leave Tynan behind there?” I ask. She and Xendus called him a traitor, but it sounds as if they abandoned him.
“We didn’t feel safe in the castle,” Surath tells me. “I especially didn’t feel safe.”
I step over a large root in my path. “Even before the changes you mentioned, women were harshly treated in Khotor.”
She ducks under a tree branch. “We also feared that we’d be accused of having access to Darkness.”
“I understand.” The sound of running water drifts toward us, and we continue in that direction.
“When we arrived in Khotor, we found it swarming with those so-called holy men,” Surath continues. “One said he smelled Darkness on us. In the past, Saxon has told me about klericks—albeit mostly through his thoughts—” Stopping mid-sentence, she glances my way as if wondering how much I know about Saxon’s past.
“Saxon told me about his childhood,” I tell her. “He told me what the klericks did to him when he was a boy, and what they do to girls with magic.”
I feel no need to withhold this confidence from Surath. Saxon has been riding her knot for five and twenty years. She likely already knows as much as I do, or more. Saxon is proficient at hiding his thoughts and emotions, but could not have guarded all his thoughts, while on Surath’s pommel.
We come upon a stream of gently flowing water and sit side-by-side on its banks.
“You were right to leave. The klericks would have recognized your Darkness,” I tell her once we’re settled. “They would have accused you both—arrested Xendus, and had you killed.”
Her shoes disappear, and she dips her feet into the running water. “Xendus and I could have evaded capture by shifting, but that would have endangeredallof our people. It wasn’t fear that made me leave. That place repulsed me. I couldn’t spend one night in that castle.”
“But Tynan stayed.”
She nods. “He wanted to speak to his father before leaving, so we arranged to meet him in a specific valley. We agreed to wait for a week. He didn’t come.”
“What if he came after the week?”
“We waited an entire moon cycle. Tynan didn’t return.”
I draw in a long sucking breath. “Maybe he’s hurt. Maybehewas imprisoned.”
“Let me continue.” Surath shakes her head. “Since then, Xendus and I have ventured back to Khotor—many times. We’ve gone to that valley once a fortnight to be sure he’s not waiting for us. We never sought entry to the castle but spoke to several guards and servants.”
“And?”
“I’ll spare you the details.” She turns away from me. “But it’s very clear that your former lover is enjoying his return to royal life.”
I shake my head, unwilling to believe what Surath is saying. “Tynan only stayed in Khotor to learn more. He’s trying to help the enslaved women escape. He’s trying to figure out a way to help us all.” I have to believe that at least one of these things is true. I know Tynan’s heart.
Surath turns toward me and takes my hands in hers. “Rosomon.” She uses my given name for the very first time. “Tynan has claimed his place at his father’s side.” Her eyes fill with anger. “On top of that…” She glances down, and when her gaze rises again, pity has replaced the anger. “Rosomon, those enslaved women you hope that he’s helping? Concubines visit Tynan’s bed—every night.”
“No.” A rope tightens around my chest.
“We heard this, unprovoked, from many servants. All of their stories match.”
A knife stabs into my constricted chest, and pain shudders through me.
I shake it off. I can’t be jealous about him having sex. Tynan and I expressed our love, but we never promised sexual fidelity. The first time we were parted, Tynan swore he took no otherwoman in my absence, but I can’t expect him to remain celibateindefinitely. Also, since I was last with Tynan, I’ve been with my husband—many times.
