“I know.”
“Do you know where you are?”
“The sea. Near the docks. A fishing wharf, from the smell. On a small boat.”
Fienna gestured to the side with her chin. “And you know who those two are?”
“Gladdis. I don’t know the name of the other one. The ex-legionary bodyguard.”
Fienna nodded.
“Good. Keep thinking. Don’t let your mind slip away.”
“I had to know who killed you. I… needed to.”
Fienna nodded and stroked his hair. He wanted to cry but the tears wouldn’t come.
“I know. You did well. So, did you find out?”
It took great effort to weave his thoughts to words.
“You were receiving money from Gladdis to help the Arlanders living in the Capital.”
Fienna nodded.
“You may have gone to her, or Gladdis may have had her own plans and come to you, but that was the gist of it. She probably wanted to create an Arlander dissident group in the Capital. So that they could have an ally. But Gladdis came up with a plan to destroy the Capital. With the Circuit of Destiny.”
“Yes.” Fienna’s voice was calm.
“I don’t know why she wants to do that. Or how you found out about her plan. But she does and you did, and you tried to convince her otherwise. Because it would mean the Arlanders here would suffer.”
“Not only Arlanders,” said Fienna.
“You were so against it that Gladdis was afraid you would leak her plan, so she silenced you. That’s what you wanted to talk to meabout that night, right? And she thought you were going to report her to the Ministry of Intelligence or whoever else.”
“But you could’ve reported the plan yourself,” said Fienna. “Why didn’t you? When you were introduced to not only one or two, butthreeMinistry agents. Why didn’t you tell them what you knew?”
“I don’t care about independence or freedom, but I don’t want to get in the way of those who do… I wanted to know for sure before acting.”
Fienna smiled. “Did you, really?”
At her smile, heat rose in his eyes. Somewhere, tears were rolling down.
“… No.”
“Then why?”
“I wanted to avenge you by my own hand.”
“Yes. That’s my Cain.”
Fienna leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. He trembled. Gladdis glanced his way and said in a low voice, “Did he just move?”
The ex-legionary woman stopped rowing and looked in his direction and shrugged. “Impossible. That man uses no ordinary poison. If he’s not dead by now, he must be very near it.”
“Is it so?”
“I brought you here because you insisted, my lady, but is it wise? Should you be seen—”
