Not until two nights ago. But I sure do know about them now.“I’ve heard a little about them, yes. Why?”
“Supposedly they made up a large part of the treasure,” he says. “When I was a child, we pretended we had relics as weapons. That we had marvelous powers and could tear down buildings and defeat whole armies of Blackcoats.”
“Did you grow up here? In the Lashing?” I ask.
He nods. “Sort of.” He looks at me intently. “I’ll tell you what I know about them. Ophir relics aren’t just mere antiquities. They’re reliquaries. Holy objects. Spirits that allow the bearer to channel the power of the gods.”
“Sounds incredible.”
He nods. “If these rumors about the heist are true and our relics have been found, then whoever holds that power…” He shakes his head. “They could rule this world or build a new one. I cannot imagine…”
“Could they remake Ophir?” I ask. “Bring back the Kingdom of Waves?”
He nods again. “The relics hold power that could conjure a hundred cities on the water. We could have a real home for our people instead of this floating tent city.”
My breath catches in my throat, and I say nothing. Is it truly possible? I feel the relic tucked away in my robes and press it close. I wish I could tell Darius that I have one of the objects, right now, but I don’t know him well enough yet. Would he take it from me? What would he do with it? I have no idea. And Eban’s right, I know better than to trust strangers. But Darius has been nothing but kind and welcoming since we arrived. We are nothing to him, and yet he didn’t turn us away. He welcomed us as kinsmen just because we are Ophir. It’s not like that in the Sleeve, where the only thing that unites us is misery.
“These relics could do much for our people, much good or much harm. If the high houses were to take possession of them, they would use them for their own gain,” Darius says. “Although only an Ophir can wield a relic.”
“So what use are they to Lacon?” I ask. Then I gasp when I realize the answer. “The servants. They’ll make the Ophir who serve them use the relics for them.”
“Exactly,” says Darius. “Some Ophir would probably even choose to do it voluntarily. People crave power. So it is crucial that we control it. Don’t you agree, Gineth?”
I feel a little thrill when he says my full name like that, though I try to push it away immediately, ashamed. Yes, he’s handsome, but I think of Rollo and a wave of guilt flushes over me.
Darius continues without waiting for me to answer. “Are you sure you and Eban don’t know anything about that heist that just went down a few days ago?”
I want to trust him, but trusting him means betraying Eban and, somehow, I feel bound to him. I know Eban wouldn’t want me to tell Darius what happened, and my instinct is to trust Eban. I hate lying but I do anyway. I shake my head. “Nothing. I wish I did. I wish I could help you.”
“Well, if you do hear anything, promise you’ll tell me? The Lashing is a temporary home for our people, but we need a real one, a permanent place to call our own. The relics could help us make it.” He looks me in the eyes.
I hold his stare. His eyes are deep and dark. “I would like that,” I say.
“Good.” He breaks away. I feel strange, like he ended a kiss. “I’m setting off for Lacon tonight,” he says. “I have contacts in the Great Houses. They might know more about what happened that night and where the relics ended up. The highborn are terrible at keeping secrets. They brag too much.”
“You’re leaving? So late?”
“It’s the best way to avoid pirates or Blackcoats.”
“How long will you be?”
He shrugs. “Not long.” He looks at me thoughtfully. “Care to join me? I’d appreciate the company.”
“Oh,” I say. “I don’t think I should leave Eban…”
“You’ll be safe with me,” Darius says.
“Won’t I be safe in the Lashing?” I ask.
He considers that. “Of course.”
He stands, and so I do as well. I almost feel like he might reach out and hug me, but he doesn’t. Instead he asks me a question. “Tell me, why did you come to the Lashing?” he asks.
“A friend sent me here,” I say truthfully. “He said it’s the only place I could be safe.”
“A friend,” he echoes. “He must have been a good one. Do you miss him?” he asks gently.
I shrug. “I suppose.” I look down at my teacup and remember all the nights Rollo and I spent drinking tea, solving puzzles, and talking late into the night.
