"The Princess of Yorali is leaving just as the Matron is revealed as a deathmage," I say. "I do not trust her. Or anyone in this palace, given the circumstances."
“Asharin.”
I turn to Colsar. "We stick to the plan. We push for Fiorakis to be named heir. It secures her claim and makes everyone let their guard down. They will think that is what we came for."
He exhales once, but it does nothing to soften him. “I want to kill him for what he has done. Not just for what he did, but for thinking he could do it again.” Colsar closes his eyes, his voice lethal. “Why the fuck is he having dresses made?”
“Colsar, focus,” I say quietly.
"I will not let my daughter inherit a kingdom destroyed by corruption," Colsar says. "I never cared before about the throne. But now I do. We will rule this country and fix it.”
“But Asharin, he must pay. He will pay. It is not negotiable. And if he provokes me, it will be difficult to restrain me.”
“Yes. But we must first be strategic." I pause. "The deathmages are Yorali. And it is Yorali magic that is required to open Morrath. It is all connected. We focus on learning what we can about Morrath and exploit its weakness when we find it."
I grab his arm. “I know you want to secure the throne now. I know you want revenge, but we must be strategic. We are not feeders. We cannot even enter a country full of creatures capable of killing us. He has a considerable advantage."
"He has been having dresses fitted for you," Colsar says again, his voice calm in a way that reveals he is not.
I grab his hand. “Do not get distracted. Do not be what he expects."
He pauses. "We are assuming Yorali only wants Morrath. But what if it is not Morrath they want. What if it is you? Or the children?”
"That would not make any sense."
“It would not. Except a deathmage found its way to Alarna. Then an army of them to Gyarin. Then, conveniently, to Matron Oramin of all the Matrons.”
I say nothing. He is not wrong.
“We must treat it as one threat," he says. "Yorali, Morrath, the deathmages. All connected. We tell no one what we suspect. Not yet."
"We learn first," I say. "Then we move."
He nods once.
Cambra and Saurin are shown their rooms. Wyn takes her position outside the twins' door without being asked, which tells me everything I need to know about her.
I take the children and tell Saurin and Cambra to rest. Both look as though they might argue. Neither does.
I spread a blanket on the floor near the window for the babies while I go to draw a bath, and I am still pulling the water when I hear it.
A small frustrated sound. Then another. I come back out. Fiorakis has pushed herself up onto her arms and is lifting herhead with the particular concentration of someone conducting very important work. She is trying to get somewhere. It is not entirely clear where. Ari lies beside her watching this with calm and complete interest, one hand open against the blanket.
I laugh before I can stop it. Colsar appears from the basin in the corner, still drying his hands, and sees them. Something crosses his face that I have not seen before, open and unguarded and entirely real. He crosses the room and scoops them both up, one in each arm, and stands there holding them with a pride so complete it has nowhere to put itself. He presses his mouth to the top of Ari's head, then Kiss's.
"Bring them when you're done," I say.
I get into the bath, ready to wash the day away.
CHAPTER 77
Herbs and White Fruit
The warmth arrives all at once as I ease into the warm water. I close my eyes and let it, the cold of the mountains, the road, the weight of the last several days all loosening by degrees. I stay there until I hear him at the door.
He passes Ari through first, then Kiss, and I take them both into the water with me, one against each side, and I wash their hair with careful hands while they look up at me with the particular attention of people who find everything interesting. Ari submits to it with solemn dignity. Kiss objects to the water temperature and makes it known at length.
“Will you attend the council today?” I ask without turning.
