herself they were having a conversation. Or maybe a piece of him knew who he was, or at least knew this wasn’t what he was supposed to be.
She’d promised him freedom if he won the races.
Maybe he didn’t know who he was, but she thought he knew exactly what that meant: freedom from what he’d become.
If that was what he wanted, then she would do everything in her power to ensure he had that chance. “We will win,” Raia promised. “The killers—” She stopped. It felt so strange to refer to her parents that way, but that’s what they were. By now, they would be on their way to a jail somewhere, charged with trying to interfere with the championship race. Or maybe even treason. She wondered if they were behind the poison attempt, or even the loose latches in the stable. Her parents could have orchestrated all of it, some convoluted attempt to “save” their daughter. It might have had nothing to do with emperors and successions at all. If so, we’re safe now.
“The killers have been caught,” she said to both the lion and herself. One good thing had come out of this: “No one can stop us now.”
Chapter 26
Standing at the edge of camp, watching the wind blow sand across the desert dunes, Tamra told herself she was not worried.
“You’re worried,” Yorbel said.
She glared at him. “Raia will come back. She has before.”
Tamra went back to staring at the desert, as if that would make Raia and the lion reappear. She was glad she’d sent Shalla to the temple for her lessons. She didn’t need to know about any of this. Tamra wished she could have protected Raia too. “Raia shouldn’t have to worry about any of this. She should be focused on the races and that’s it. She’s just a kid!”
After a moment’s hesitation, Yorbel reached over and took her hand. He held it lightly, as if he’d never touched a hand before. “It’s funny—as an augur, I am supposed to always know the right thing to say. Lately, I never do. Tell me how I can help you.”
She wanted to tell him that she didn’t need anything from anyone. But instead she squeezed his hand and said, “Just wait with me.”
Both of them waited, hand in hand, standing together on the sand, until at last the silhouette of a girl and a lion appeared on the horizon. Tamra felt as if chains were loosening around her. She could breathe fully again.
When Raia and the kehok reached them, she dismounted, and Tamra crossed the feet between them in two strides and folded Raia into her arms. Stepping back, she examined her—she seemed unharmed. The lion stood quietly beside her like a tame pet.
“My parents?” Raia asked.
“In custody,” Tamra said. “They won’t be able to hurt you again.” She hesitated, unsure how much she should say. It was likely her parents would be imprisoned for many years. “They claimed they wanted to ‘save’ their daughter from the corrupting influence of kehoks and racing.”
Raia laughed, a hollow sound. “Who is going to save me from the corrupting influence of my parents?”
“I am,” Tamra said. “And Shalla and Yorbel. Your friends from the training grounds.” She wasn’t quite sure of their names, but she knew Raia was fond of them. “Even that monster. You aren’t alone.”
Her lips trembling, Raia still managed to smile. “I know.”
She seems all right. Tamra wished she knew what Raia’s mother had said to her, how much damage she’d done. She wondered how much more of the truth to tell her—would it hurt her more, or would it help? “They also said it wasn’t their idea. They were offered a vast amount of gold—”
“Of course they were.”
Beside her, the lion growled.
Tamra shot him a look, wondering if he was responding to her words or to Raia’s emotion. He had to be feeding off her emotion; he couldn’t understand what was going on. Even as intelligent as he was, there were limits. He wasn’t the man he had been. “It was more than they would have received if you’d won.”
“Who bought them?” Raia’s voice was utterly flat.
She’s not all right, Tamra thought. As gently as she could, she answered the question. “They claim they never saw him or her.” That was the part that Tamra hadn’t wanted to say, to admit that the enemy was still out there, unknown and dangerous.
Raia wrapped one arm around her kehok, as if for comfort. “But it’s over for now?”