A bitter laugh rattled in Saress’s chest. “You vowed to see allaþasweres dead. Are we really supposed to believe you’re here for any other reason?”
Xaydin flinched at that questions. Because he was right. He’d spent years tracking downaþasweres. Taking pride in killing them and watching their contracts fade away with their lives.
But this was the first time he’d seen one of them surrounded by family, dying of natural causes. While he’d known they had families and lived similar lives to others, it was completely different when confronted by it.
And as much as he hated their species, he respected theaþaswere’s right to pass peacefully today.
But he did have one question. “What’s wrong with you?” Because it was obvious that theaþaswerewasn’t elderly. Just in a lot of pain.
“Ersi,” Asla said with a catch in her throat.
“What is that?” Gisela asked softly.
Asla drew a ragged breath. “It’s a horrible disease that afflicts us far too often.”
“Caused by taking on too many contracts.” Saress passed a meaningful look toward Xaydin. “The magic speeds up our internal aging. On the surface I might appear to be middle-aged, internally, I’m ancient.”
Xaydin scowled. “I’ve never heard of this.”
“We don’t talk about it,” his son said. “If word got out, some might think twice about using us for their deals.”
Saress took his son’s hand. “Although most of us pass the contracts on to our heirs before we go.”
“What do you mean?” Gisela looked at him. “They can do that? It’s not like what we saw earlier with the fake contracts?”
Xaydin sighed heavily. “No. They’re not the same. But I’ve heard of this. They can make binding copies of contracts appear on others, but those aren’t enforceable by the recipient until the originalaþaswerepasses on.”
“Which is what makes your friend so deadly.” Saress gave her a wan smile. “Prince Xaydin is exceptionally talented at ensuring we don’t have time to make copies before he ends us.” He met Xaydin’s gaze. “Or if there are copies, that he finds them and ends them too.”
For reasons Xaydin couldn’t begin to fathom, he felt a vicious wave of guilt go through him.
“May I ask you, Prince, which of my contracts has brought you to my door?”
“The one for Queen Meara and King Cratus that King Dash inherited.”
“Good.”
“Good?” Masakage asked.
“I feared it would be one of the marriage contracts. I’d hate to think that one of the couples I helped unite hated one another enough to kill me for my part in their union.”
Xaydin shook his head. “I would never take a life for something of that nature.”
Asla scoffed. “What do you care? You’ve assassinated us without hesitation.”
“Not true, my lady. I don’t care about the lesser contracts as most will never break them. It’s the contracts forced on others that I execute with extreme bloodshed. Those that have caused another to be killed or sacrificed needlessly.”
Saress placed his hand over Asla’s. “Don’t be so harsh, my love. The prince’s father was executed over something that shouldn’t have been enforced. I understand his fury at us and so do you.”
“We’re not all honorable,” Asla finally confirmed. “Some of us can be bought off. I’m sorry you were hurt, Highness.”
And he was seriously regretting his decision to intrude on their last moments together. “I’ll leave your family in peace. Forgive our intrusion.”
As he started for the door, Saress called out to him.
Pausing, he turned back toward the ailingaþaswere.
“Is it necessary to take my head to your king?”
