For they were so like she was. Kelir was the next to stand and tell a tale, though he did not climb up onto a table. It was the song he’d begun before, of a warrior betrayed when his parents were murdered . . . and was the story of how the southern alliance had formed, Aerax realized as it went on, and other Parsathean warriors picked up where the last left off.
No fools were these Parsatheans, or the queen who’d sent them with a song already prepared for these occasions. They held their audience in silent, rapt attention—and the story of this alliance would likely spread farther and faster than Tyzen or the other ambassadors ever could travel.
Lizzan’s face was flushed as she listened, and through the tale Aerax had seen her eyes glisten with tears and sparkle with laughter. Even his heart thundered as it neared the finish, as they sang of thousands of mounted warriors charging toward a walled city. Yet as victory was finally had, and the Parsathean king raced to claim his bride, Lizzan’s gaze met his and little of the ending did Aerax hear.
And no longer was he content. For he had never claimed his bride, though she’d pledged herself to him. He had known the taste of her skin and the fierceness of her kiss. He had known the meaning of her every smile, her every frown. He had known the rhythm of her heart and the warmth of her breath.
When they’d been young, it had been enough, because there had always been the promise of more to come. But he should not have been so content then, for now he would never be content again. Not without Lizzan beside him.
And across the room she remained.
When the song was finished, toward him instead came Lady Junica, her expression tightening with every step. “Will you escort me down to the baths? I am told that if I soak long enough, tomorrow I might ride a horse instead of a periwag.”
That would not be the only reason for the escort. But Lady Junica’s obvious discomfort did not allow her to speak much as they headed to the pools under the inn, with Caeb prowling down the stairs behind them.
Made from natural rings of yellow stone, the baths steamed a thick mist into the air, making every breath seem heavy and wet. A slow current ran through, spilling from pool to pool—some deep and some shallow, some warm and some hot. As the attendant approached them to take their clothes, and Lady Junica still had not spoken, Aerax realized he was also in for a soaking. His second of the day, though for this one he would be full naked.
He stripped off his armor and saw the wary glance the attendant gave to Caeb. “He will bathe, too,” he said, unbuckling the cat’s harness. Despite the rinse Aerax had given him at the river, the bandits’ blood still stained his fur.
Near empty the baths were, for most of the inn’s guests were still upstairs. A few other figures Aerax could see, but the thick mist offered privacy and they appeared indistinct at even a small distance.
They were led to a pool deep enough for Caeb to swim in, and with ledges for sitting on. Dropping the robe the attendant had given him at the edge, Aerax stepped in before Lady Junica, then helped her down. Sitting, she was submerged to her shoulders while the water only came to Aerax’s chest—until Caeb jumped in, and then the water rose to her chin and the splashing wave interrupted her blissful sigh.
“So you are not the only one who likes to swim,” she said with a laugh, before giving him a sidelong glance. “Tell me, Aerax—do you wish to take Koth’s throne?”
She could not have surprised him more. “I do not.”
“Are you certain? I would help you.”
And he was wrong, for that surprised him more. “I am certain.”
“It is a shame. Do you truly despise everything that Koth is?”
After seeing his mother shunned? After knowing how Kothans treated those whose names were struck from the books? After learning what lay beneath the crystal palace?
“I have made a few exceptions.” And all of them were related to Lizzan.
“Then why did you stay?” Her gaze searched his face. “That is what I cannot understand. Why did you not go with her?”
His eyes narrowed. “Who?”
She laughed. “That is not a game I will play. You know full well that if I had