I wish I knew where that left us. I suppose we’re in the same place. We need to convince Quilimar to start a war, to kill Joon, and then we’ll worry about the aftermath later. If it’s not a Baejkin ruler on the throne, the nobles will battle for the crown, and I can’t say Seok or Rune would be better than Euyn. The eastern count, Dal, is dead, and I swear on Gaya that Bay Chin won’t live long enough to see a regime change.
Stars, are there no good noblemen in Yusan?
I stare up at the sky as we ascend into the mountains. Gayans believe the stars guide us, but the snowy night obscures their light. I might as well be in Idle for all the constellations I can see.
As soon as I think about Idle, Tiyung springs to mind. Maybe Ty could be our next king. He is a nobleman with a conscience, and there are very few of those. The issue, of course, is that he’d have to survive prison first. And come out relatively sane, which is no easy feat.
Before we left for the temple, I received confirmation that he was alive, but things can change quickly in a dungeon. I will have to make arrangements to ensure his safety. When I first met Tiyung in Rahway, I never thought we would need him, but he just might be the one who saves all of Yusan.
I tap my fingers on the varnished wood of the sleigh as I think through the logistics.
Installing a new king means finding Joon and killing him first. Zahara is the acting spymaster, and she doesn’t know where he went, which means he told no one. The mystery haunts me. Where did he go and why? Qali is the safest place for him. Only one assassination attempt ever succeeded there—when he murdered his own father.
I searched for answers in the temple earlier, but who knows where to look for the motivations of a king? I read scrolls on historical Yusanian rulers. Generally, they only left the palace for diplomacy or war. There is no war, and I doubt it’s diplomacy, so what is Joon’s reason?
The only thing pressing enough could be the Sands of Time. And Lord Yama help us if he locates that.
I shiver, but it’s not from the cold wind. The crisp mountain air is refreshing. No, Joon acquiring any other relic would be disastrous.
When we reach Loptra, I will be able to gather more intelligence on Joon and send messages to my loyal spies. I also have another source there—Fallador’s cousin, Gambria. I’ll arrange a meeting with her before we leave.
I smile to myself—she’ll love that.
She decidedly will not.
Euyn keeps glancing over at me as we ride into the night. I’m sure he’s wildly confused as to the distance between us. He can’t fathom why I take issue with genocide or slaughtering a priest we promised to aid.
I sigh and shift on the padded wood bench. I won’t be able to change Euyn. I’m not certain anyone ever changes for the better. At best they alter themselves to fit the situation. So the question is—will he still love me if I don’t give him the throne? Or will it be one betrayal too many?
We ride until we see the telltale lightening of the predawn in the distance. Against all odds, we lived to see another day. There’s always hope with the sunrise that the new day might be better than its predecessor. I have to believe that, believe in hope, or there’s no point to living. There would’ve been no reason to survive the Festival of Blood. I made it through those horrors to put an end to all of this. Euyn was a distraction along the way who I wanted to believe was the solution. It is clear that he is not.
It’ll be time to wake Sora soon, and for Euyn to sleep—or at least pretend to. I’m about to suggest we stop, and then I hear it: a crack high above us. It sounds like a hundred branches breaking, but I know that’s not what it is. I hold my breath, hoping I’m wrong. But next comes the distinct rumble of snow.
I glance up at the mountains as the ground begins to shake. We’re going to die.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Royo
City of Vashney, Khitan
I wake up holding Aeri close. I don’t know how to feel about her, whether I should want her or run, but my body has an opinion.
Thick and imposing everywhere, she’d joked.
I adjust my hips away from her and lie still. I stare at the wall, thinking about hundred-year-old corpses, murdered priests, anything to take my mind off the fact that she smells good. Aeri has a gentle way of breathing, like she’s sipping air. Her long neck would look so pretty curled in pleasure. That mouth should be…
I groan. Maybe I should think about the fact that I can’t trust her.
After last night, though, I do believe her. Thinking back, she seemed as shocked as anyone in the throne room. Then again, I believed her the whole time in Yusan. So either she means it, or I’m the dumbest mark on the continent.
I must have moved, because she wakes up and smiles in that unnaturally happy way of hers. Warmth fills my chest like hot soup on a cold day. I missed this. I missedher.
“Good morning, Royo,” she says in a raspy voice. She doesn’t move her hand from where it rests against my chest.
I force myself to roll away, out of her reach. I throw my legs over the side of the bed and sit up. “Are you ready to go?”
“I will be soon.” She sits up as well and stretches. I like her wearing my shirt, even if it’s huge on her. The morning is gray because of monsoon season, but the light coming in from the window illuminates her just right. She’s so beautiful. Then she turns and glances at the sill. “Oh, my goodness, Dia!”
