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“How is the story told? You said people assume me dead.”

“Yes,” says Elric. He shifts in the chair. “You were flogged in public. Many saw how badly you were hurt. I was there. You were unable to stand.”

“I could stand,” Damon says bluntly. “I stood at the justice.”

“I suppose. Many more people saw the flogging. And it was assumed by most people that exile on a deserted isle, injured as you were, you would simply perish. It was made public that you were to be left with only food and water for forty days and nights and no boat and none from Azuria were to assist you.” Elric pauses. “How did you survive?”

“I expected it,” Damon says. “I knew what the empire would do to me. I had made plans to survive on Sanvicta for longer. Although I was also helped. But Atticul came to get my leave to marry Inez. He saw me there living and he took Lyr back to Attar.” Damon narrows his eyes. “I take it the Rose Court do not know of this.”

“They don’t,” says Elric. “I doubt anyone knows. I never heard that Lyr was brought back to Attar. And I knew many things.” He sucks his bottom lip.

“So why would Atticul keep that a secret? If I was alive on Sanvicta? Keeping that a secret has protected me. Why would Atticul ever protect me?”

Elric thinks. He tips his head back a moment and looks up at the panelled wood ceiling. “I can guess. I think,” he says, looking back to Damon. “there are things you do not know. Or I do not think you know. When you were exiled your father was distraught. Quite dramatically. After the period of official mourning for Endrew, he commenced one for you. He wore his black and ashes on his face for another moon’s turn and then, last winter, he announced that he would be leaving Attar. The story was that he could not forgive Selim for exiling you into death.”

“Someone told him I was dead?”

“It seems rather that Atticul told him he found you dead on Sanvicta.”

“Why?”

“Vindar.” says Elric bluntly. “Your father did not just move his household to Ceruleum, to the Ivory Palace. He abdicated his place in the royal line. I’m not sure if that has been officially announced, but all the Rose Palace knows. Atticul will be named Crown Prince. It may have already happened. That’s one more person who was standing between Vindar’s son and the throne out of the way and,” Elric nods at Damon, “if the throne passes directly from Selim to Atticul there is no chance of Rafus legitimising his bastard sons. It would be easy to persuade Atticul that to ensure his birthright it would be better if his father’s grief were leveraged to ensure he never sat the throne.”

“I see,” Damon nods. “That does sound like Vindar’s scheming. It is certainly useful for me that the empire considers me dead. Although, we must not forget that both Atticul and Vindar know the truth. I am sure that by now Vindar has sent men to see if I returned to Sanvicta after we took Lyr from the dungeons.”

“I would be more wary than that,” says Elric. “The Thousand Eyes will know people in Luxoria. He may already have sighted you. He has people everywhere.”

“Weren’t you one of them?”

“You do not trust me? People change. Weren’t you the most fearsome General in the Imperial Army?”

Damon gives a single curt nod. “One more thing.” he says. Elric sees him swallow. He is certain this is something Damon wants to ask him more than anything else. Something he is scared to ask. “Lady Inez,” he says. “is she betrothed to Atticul?”

Elric shakes his head and he sees the relief on Damon’s usually impassive face. “Doroth Zain said it was against the will of Zai for a woman to marry a man if she had lain with his brother. Many people consider this an odd reading of the Book of the Rules, but Atticul could not stand against it.”

“Does she remain in Swen? With her family?”

“Oh no,” says Elric. “She is in Attar. Atticul gifted her Sanglora when he was wooing her. He claimed it was meant as a wedding tribute and must be returned. But Inez’s father backed her claim that as he had no right to marry her in the eyes of Zai it could not be tied to her making a union with him. Doroth Zain agreed. Atticul tried to challenge it, but he could not find a way. It was quite the scandal.” Damon smiles and Elric cannot help echoing. “An unmarried woman being mistress of Sanglora.”

Damon shakes his head slowly from side to side and then he starts to laugh.

Elric grins back. “The Rose Court debated the subject for some time but in the end Selim granted that as she had been wronged by you and your perversions, the Darek bloodline should allow it.”

Damon laughs even harder.

13

TOBI

Tobi lies in Harok’s big bed and stares at the ceiling. Like his own adjoining chamber, Harok’s own room also has a ceiling covered in intricate carvings of leaves and birds and Ambolk symbols with coupling figures twined around them.

Tobi feels strange and sour that Harok took his leave so abruptly. He had expected to wake to a repeat of the night before. A morning where Harok would have covered him again, perhaps prepared him with that warm wet tongue. Or perhaps not. Perhaps it would also be thrilling if Harok simply rolled Tobi onto his belly and used his body for pleasure, or demanded he slide to his knees on the floor to give suck.

He tries to tell himself that he ought to have expected Harok to be a busy man. To take his leave without explanation. He is king. Irgo. He had spent all of the previous day attending to Tobi, bringing him here, anointing him. Not to mention riding like a demon to save them from the Exceli. When Tobi thinks of that, the feelings that rise up inside him are a strange mixture. It had been terrifying. Arrows whisking past as Harok protected him with his body. Tobi had been shaking with fear. But like being owned by Harok and kept as kushir to warm his bed, it is strangely exhilarating to consider. And last night in Harok’s bed had been so, so sweet. Tobi cannot help from smarting about not having Harok’s full attention this morning too.

Because Tobi likes attention. Particularly from his lovers. He enjoys obsessive, even controlling, interest. It had worked well when Cyrus had felt that way about him and stung for many moons when Cyrus moved on to find himself a more youthful bed warmer. But that kind of obsessive attention would be even sweeter if Tobi could win it from Harok.

Strong, handsome powerful Harok.