At first, I thought it was water darkening his blue shirt, but then I noticed his pants. They were cream-colored this morning. They are crimson now.
“Oh good, you’re all here,” he says, looking at the four of us in turn. “I’m going to bathe and change. Do keep the door guarded until I knock again.”
I sigh. He’s so cool and casual. The thing is, it’s not even an act. I scan his face for a tell, but being soaked in blood truly doesn’t bother him.
Mikail turns to leave, and I take a step closer. “Wait, are you hurt?”
He shakes his head. “Only my feelings. I thought I was on better terms with the spymaster general of Khitan.”
The side of his shirt is torn, but I don’t think he’s injured. He isn’t favoring a leg or holding any wounds. On second thought, I don’t think any of the blood is his. It’s not a surprise, of course—we’ve all seen him fight—but that much blood is shocking.
My stomach twists, and I grip the back of the chair as Mikail leaves. I knew this mission would be dangerous, but I didn’t think we’d be attacked the second we stepped foot in this realm.
“We should order food,” Aeri says. The three of us stare at her. She lowers her gaze to the floor. “Euyn, you haven’t eaten in days, and we’ll have to wait on Mikail. Also, it’s lunchtime.”
I suppose it is.
Aeri being the king’s daughter makes a certain amount of sense. She is younger than she claimed—just about Daysum’s age—which explains some oddities about her. It also explains her disappearance in Capricia, how she was able to escape in Oosant, and the murder of the assassin in Aseyo. The palace assassin must have been protecting her and mistook my window for hers. And then she killed him to keep the secret.
Of course, there are still things that don’t quite add up. I don’t understand how she is such an experienced thief when she is a princess. And why, in the end, did she betray her father?
Mikail, Euyn, and Royo continue to stiffen in her presence, hands moving toward weapons whether they realize it or not. They distrust her for setting us up, but I can’t be too angry about that. I would’ve betrayed everyone if it had helped Daysum. But the men aren’t as forgiving of the binds put on women. Ty would understand, but he’s…not here. My shoulders sag, and my breath catches. He is in Idle Prison. I hope. At least that would mean he’s still alive.
I inhale and push him from my thoughts. It doesn’t do me any favors to think about what must be happening to him—or to worry that he’s dead. But I can’t seem to help myself. I thought about him every day aboard the ship and doubly so since we arrived in Khitan.
I force myself to shrug. “Lunch would be good,” I say.
Aeri’s lips turn up in a small, grateful smile.
“I’ll get a boy to fetch it.” Royo finally unfolds his arms, and he begins to lumber toward the door. He must be hungry, too. That or he wants to get away from Aeri.
“Here, tip him well.” She holds out a silver mun. They use paper money here, but gold and silver always translate.
Aeri’s fingers brush Royo’s palm as he takes the coin from her. He stares at their hands for a second too long, then recoils and leaves without a word. Aeri visibly wilts, and my chest tightens. She must truly care for him.
Around half a bell later, there’s a knock at the door. We all exchange glances. Royo returned a while ago, and Mikail’s signal is two knocks close together, so it’s not anyone we know. There’s another knock. And then again, louder. Euyn carefully takes the traps down, creeping toward the door with a loaded crossbow in his right hand. I shift the dagger hidden up my sleeve to my palm.
“Who is it?” Euyn asks in Khitanese.
“Your lunch, sir,” a boy’s voice answers.
Royo’s broad shoulders fall away from his ears; Aeri takes her hand away from her cloak. I return my dagger to the hidden compartment in my dress.
The boy comes in, puts the food out on the table, then leaves. Euyn immediately begins to help himself.
“Wait,” I say. “Let me check for poison.”
He drops his hand so fast his knuckles smack the table. Aeri and Royo pause, blinking at me.
I wouldn’t normally suspect poisoning, but someone already attacked Mikail, so I take small bites of each dish in between sips of water. Although I wouldn’t be devastated if Euyn died right now, the others will be eating the food as well. We can’t be too careful in a foreign land.
The noodles, steamed pork buns, chicken thighs, and soup dumplings all seem fine, but some toxins are slower acting, so I wait for aftertastes, running through my recollection of dozens and dozens of poisons. I roll my tongue, but there is nothing—just traces of soy, peanut, and honey.
“Lunch is clean,” I say.
“But…wouldn’t you be all right no matter what?” Royo asks. His brow is lined as he waits with his empty plate.
“I wouldn’t die,” I say. “But there are still effects from the stronger toxins no one can escape. Plus, nearly all poisons have tastes or smells that give them away.”
