It was a lie, but Maicu hummed, and then his hand slid from her wrist to her forearm, his long fingers splaying against her trembling skin. “No need to be nervous,” he whispered sweetly.
Nina was so nervous she felt sick. She carefully placed her hand back against Maicu’s chest to steady herself. His heart beat just as hard as hers. It was difficult to restrain herself, but already his threads were diffusing beneath her careful attention. She had to calm down.
The sleeve of her dress had slipped back, and Maicu’s steady hand traced a path until he cupped her elbow. Nina slipped her fingers underneath the cord once again and slowly lifted the stone from his chest. It hung between them, swaying slightly, both their eyes following it for a moment.
Nina could feel its presence, the chill that felt like both life and death. It made her want to drop it and run. She fought against that instinct and pushed closer to Maicu, her body practically covering his, and brought her other hand to slip underneath the leather cord. All she had to do was slip it up and off his head. It was easier than she thought—
The pressure of his hand on her elbow increased, his fingers digging into her skin and holding her in place. “Wait,” Maicu said, his breath warm against her cheek. “What is this?”
Nina froze, heart in her throat. She had been caught. Emperor Maicu would have her killed and then he would replace her with sweet Sacha, who would have to navigate this den of secrets and the threat of kukuchi and—
Maicu twisted and lifted her arm so that he was peering closely at her elbow. “What happened?” he asked, his thumb running over her skin.
“What?” she said, confused. She tilted her head to see a jagged scab right above her elbow. “Oh, that’s nothing. Just an old wound.”
“It will scar.” The words were quiet but dangerous, and then his head snapped up to meet her eyes. “Are there others?”
“Other... wounds? No,” Nina said quickly. “It was a small accident. It’s not—”
“Was it Kasik?”
“What?No, of course not. Kasik would never—”
“Then who?” Maicu’s words were fevered, his eyes hard with determination. He stood and towered over Nina. “The only other walla who have guarded you were Taruc and—” He must have seen the flicker of recognition in her eyes when she finally realized why the walla was familiar. Taruc had been one of the walla to escort her to her room the night she had arrived. They had dragged her down the hall and she had fallen and scratched herself on his scabbard. A small accident that had turned both walla white as smoke.
Maicu stalked past her to the door. Nina scrambled off the chair and reached out to him. “Wait,” she said. Her fingers wrapped around his wrist. He whipped around, his eyes on their joined hands before lifting to meet hers. “Where are you going?” she asked frantically.
They’d barely had any time together. The food was still steaming on the table. That stone was still around his neck, mocking her as it soaked in the dim light and winked with every one of the emperor’s movements.
“To teach a lesson.” His voice was a murmur as he snatched up Nina’s arm and tugged her closer. “I should teach you one as well. Make you remove this,” he said, plucking at the fabric at her waist, “and inspect every inch of your skin. It’s what you wanted, is it not? Totestme?”
Nina hadn’t been testing him, and if he knew her true intentions, he would kill her on the spot, but all she could do was continue the lie. Her attay was useless to her, still cowering in the shadows beneath the weight of uncertainty and the achilla. She had to soothe the manic fervor in Maicu’s eyes.
“I’m weak.” She lifted her other hand and placed it on his chest, remembering another time when her hand was pressed against another chest in willing defeat. “I was craving your touch, and I let my desires get the better of me. I’m sorry, my Emperor. It will not happen again.”
There was a heartbeat of silence as he drew nearer and measured her words. Near enough that she could see the flecks of black swimming in the gold of his eyes. He placed his lips to the corner of her mouth, slid his nose along her cheek and to her ear.
Nina held perfectly still, bile in her throat to be so near and so utterly powerless to do anything about it. “Unfortunately,” he whispered. And then he pulled away and smiled, his demeanor softening. “If the mamakuna hadn’t assured me of your purity, I would have known by that performance. It was clear you had no idea what you were doing. It’s a shame I can’t teach you.” He reached up and tucked several strands of hair behind her ear. “Come. I will take you back to your rooms.”
Burning with insult, Nina nodded and allowed Maicu to tug her out of his room and away from a horribly squandered opportunity. If only she had been more aware of her own body, more careful. If only she had been able to capture his attention better. If only she had thought to grab a utensil from the table and stab it through his oddly bright eyes.
They walked through the halls as if they were on a leisurely stroll through the gardens, but neither of them spoke, and though his pace was normal, Nina could tell his mind was racing.
As was her heart. She had failed. Underestimated the emperor and the strength of his conviction and overestimated her own allure. But she had seen him falter for the slightest moment, his eyes darkened with desire, the stutter in his sharp inhale. It was a kind of power Nina was unfamiliar with, and she was determined to master it and wield it once more.
The night of the ceremony would be the perfect time. Once she was his wife and required to perform her duties, she could convince him tobare himself to her entirely. Then she could use her attay to diminish his will. Grind it to ash beneath her fingers. Take this godly gift and use it to control the men in power, so that she never had to fear them again.
No.The thought almost stopped her, but Maicu’s hand in hers was unyielding as it tugged her along. Nina was not interested in that kind of power. She was only intent on returning home. To her family. To freedom.
They turned a corner, and at the end of the short hall was Taruc standing before her door. “Emperor,” he said with a deep bow.
Maicu disentangled himself from Nina and stepped forward. “Taruc,” the emperor replied. Then he placed a hand on the walla’s shoulder and jerked forward.
Everything slowed, as if she were watching from beneath the ocean and the salt was burning her eyes. She heard Taruc grunt and saw the way his eyes went wide with shock. He coughed once and then inhaled sharply. Nina hardly understood what was happening, but her heart fluttered in her chest, and her hands shook as she placed them on the wall at her back.
Again, Maicu’s arm pulled back and slammed forward, and Nina finally saw the blood on the floor, drops that seeped and spread and stained. Each one like a drum beat in her chest. A flare of life that illuminated the hallway in a flash of golden light. Taruc’s will, there and gone between one blink and the next, brighter and louder than ever before.
Nina watched as that flare of light faded and then winked out entirely.
