Raia kept cleaning, because it was better than feeling as if she were choking on the terrible knowledge she now had. Her arms were shaking as she scrubbed, and she felt as if she were chattering from the cold, except the air was syrupy and hot inside the stable. Sweat pooled under her arms, at the nape of her neck, beneath her hair, but her mind was consumed by only one thought:
Do I stay silent, or do I tell?
She knew it was a dangerous secret. If people knew the late emperor had been reborn as a kehok . . .
No, not just a kehok. My kehok.
Again, Raia felt the old urge to run, as far away and as fast as she could. But where could she go? This was a lot bigger than just running from her parents.
Once people knew the truth, they would immediately look for who to blame. The augurs, of course. And anyone who had been close to the kehok.
This was the kind of secret that cost lives.
But it was also the kind of secret that felt too heavy to carry alone. She couldn’t do it. It shouldn’t even be her burden!
She heard the stable door open and jumped, ready to duck out of sight once more, but it was just Trainer Verlas, followed by Lady Evara and Augur Yorbel. Lady Evara was gushing. “He seemed so pleased! Didn’t he seem pleased? Rider girl, there you are! Where have you been? The emperor-to-be ordered the immediate rejuvenation of the stables and training track. He’ll be adding other racers, riders, and trainers to his stable if this all works out, so you’d best stop cleaning and focus on your training. We have to make sure that we are the jewel of his fleet, so to speak.”
Raia felt as if her throat were glued shut.
“Smile, girl! This is what success smells like!” Lady Evara spun through the stable, her hands out as if she were spraying invisible sparkles in all directions. “Well, maybe not quite as dusty . . . but we’re on the big stage now, and we are going to make the most of it! Tamra, my dear—”
Trainer Verlas cut her off. “Immediate training. Got it.”
Raia put down the sponge and washed her shaking hands in the sink.
She almost managed a smile for Trainer Verlas. “I’m ready.”
Trainer Verlas narrowed her eyes. “You don’t look ready. Do you feel well?”
“Yes, I—”
Augur Yorbel staggered backward. “By the River, you were here! You were here, the entire time. What did you hear? What do you know?”
Just like that, the decision was ripped from her.
Raia wished she could hide again. Or vanish into a hole. She should have run. But where? How? She was miles and miles from anyplace she knew, with only the clothes on her back. And there was no way they were going to let her out of here now.
Always the lioness ready to defend her cubs, Trainer Verlas inserted herself between Augur Yorbel and Raia. Her hands were jammed on her hips. “What is my rider supposed to know?”
Lady Evara checked outside the door and then shut it firmly. “I told you all wasn’t what it seemed. Never doubt my instincts.” She’d instantly snapped from effervescent to all business, which made Raia wonder how much of her flighty aristocrat manner was just an act. Her eyes were narrowed, and her gaze flitted back and forth, as if she were checking every corner of the stable. But this wasn’t the time to wonder about her.
Augur Yorbel looked as if he wanted to faint, and it occurred to Raia that he was just as surprised and upset about all of this as she was. If the augurs had known the late emperor was reborn as a kehok, he would have been found a lot sooner, Raia realized. Instead, it was only one augur who had come searching for her lion. It was Augur Yorbel’s secret too.
“It’s all a lie, isn’t it?” Raia said. “About wanting us to race?”
“A necessary lie,” Augur Yorbel said. “My soul will pay the cost of it.”
“Yeah, that’s nice for your soul,” Trainer Verlas said. “Explanation, please. We came here to race, and we need to race. You can’t change the terms—”
Lady Evara laid a hand on Trainer Verlas’s arm. “Hush. Let the man speak.” To Augur Yorbel, she said, “You brought us here under false pretenses. Pray tell me why so I can react with the appropriate level of outrage. Or