“How?” Then after another second, “Why?”
His eyelashes lowered, “Why do you think?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I asked.”
He watched me as he took another sip, considering. “He reminds me a bit of myself, when I was younger and dumber.” I held back a snort. There was no way Zevrial was more than five years older than Henrik. “And it was a mistake on my part toleave the horn out where it could be taken by anyone when we left for Jakavra. I’ll admit, I was preoccupied.”
I tugged at the hem of my nightgown, trying to pull it down further. Zevrial’s gaze was drifting up my bare legs, making me self-conscious.
“And?” I asked, knowing there was more. He passed the bottle back to me. I downed what remained in three swallows. The room took on a delicious warm patina.
Dark eyes rose to meet mine. “He tried to steal from me after getting caught gambling. He’s your friend, but he’s an idiot. I figured I’d confirm my suspicions about him and spare you from having to watch anymore of your colleagues get maimed today.”
I sucked in a breath. “Is Rosa…?”
“Beyond Restoration’s ability to heal. Blind in one eye, when I went to collect her dagger,” Zevrial said. “She’s unlikely to become a Voyager now.”
I hugged myself, suddenly chilled. It was horrendous what Rosa had endured. And it could have easily been me.
Zevrial’s finger tapped against the edge of the chair. “Henrik doesn’t know when to quit. Neither do you.” Indignation sparked, I started to argue but stopped myself. He had a point. “Starshells are too large to easily hide. He was greedy enough to try to steal the horn, one of the biggest Starshells, and I knew he’d do a piss poor job of hiding it.” He shook his head. “He thought burying it underneath some dirty laundry would conceal it. Idiot.”
He hadn’t wanted me to see anyone else get maimed. He’d helped my friend, who he thought was an idiot. He’d even injured himself to lure the Sanguirs away from me, although his leg looked fine now. Must have gotten it treated when he went to collect Rosa’s dagger. My brain changed direction, resisting the impulse to examine things too closely.
I recalled the discolored stones I’d seen along the outer perimeter.
“How many times has the outer perimeter been damaged like it was today in the past year?” I asked.
He studied me, taking my measure. “Can I trust you?”
I raised an eyebrow. “CanItrustyou?” I echoed.
He drummed his fingers against the side of the chair. Silence pulsed between us, plumping up as the minutes ticked by.
“I didn’t tell anyone about the Skinscript on your…on you.” I finished. I didn’t know what would happen if I had reported the Skinscript I’d seen to anyone else, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t have been good for Zevrial.
“And I didn’t report on you or your friends for gambling at Haburi,” he countered.
“The Skinscript on our chests,” I reached up, touching the spot. “I haven’t told anyone about that either.
“Keep it that way.”
Feeling comfortable around him was a trap, and I was tripping it. Even with our heated exchanges, he had protected me on multiple occasions. And today, he’d protected Henrik too, simply because Henrik was my friend.
It was more than just caring about Zevrial. I trusted him, and I wanted him to trust me too.
Now there was a scary thought.
“So.” I cleared my throat as I stared at him. “The perimeter damage?”
“It’s happened at least thirty times in the last year,” Zevrial answered.
Shock struck me mute for several seconds.
“The miasma is rising, isn’t it?” My voice was quiet.
Zevrial’s eyes shot to mine and I saw a blink of surprise. He let out a drawn out breath, closing his eyes. “It is. Morecreatures are coming ashore as it encroaches, and they’re breaking down our defenses. We’ve maybe another five years before the miasma reaches the outer perimeter and begins to completely dissolve it.”
Miasma could melt almost anything, even stone, but it took longer to liquidize solid rock. Having the outer perimeter as a barrier would buy us a few months. Until it became melted slag and sand.
