Page 460 of Eight of Swords, Part Two

‘Savannah looks like him,’ he says in place of a dozen other things.

Lachlan nods slowly. ‘They’re half-siblings.’

‘I know.’

‘How?’

‘I had his memories inside me.’

That makes Lachlan look at him. ‘Jules?’

‘Yeah.’

‘The whole time?’

‘The whole time.’

‘Huh.’

‘What?’

‘I thought I saw a little of him inside you sometimes. Just a glint. That was the Death Knot?’

‘The curse too, I think. To hide him.’

‘Sometimes,’ Lachlan says slowly, ‘we have to hide the things we love.’

‘Do you need anything?’ Lachlan shakes his head and goes back to staring at nothing. ‘I need you to come and tell me when you do, OK?’

‘Why?’

Riley gets off the bed, heading for the door, where he knows Vasily is waiting outside. He’s heard his heartbeat this entire time.

He can’t stay here.

Couldn’t even look at Kade.

‘Because I don’t think steak’ll do it for you anymore.’

Riley hears Lachlan get up, whisper something private to Kade and then follow him out into the ruined Tower of Iron Star.

✴

Rike has Blaire bound in the Stores lockup.

One thing Riley likes about Rike is that he’s not prone to emotional outreach. He’s one of the few who doesn’t fumble around Kade’s name, offering apologies. He’s efficient and cool-minded when need be, and his heartsong is much the same: slow, spare and disciplined.

Much as it turns his stomach to consider such things, Riley knows that when he appoints someone as second-in-command, it’ll be him.

‘She hurt?’ he asks Rike before going inside.

Vasily is behind him.

Lachlan is downstairs helping clear away the debris trapping two people beneath it, Hiru and Nora.

‘Not that I saw. She offered herself up. Even handed me the rope.’

‘Don’t let anyone else in here,’ Riley tells him.