Page 57

His smile fades, brow briefly creasing. He glances down at the colourful market, and I move to stand beside him.

“I’m currently Calix Solin, magical scholar, candidate in the upcoming examinations.” I eye the sharp lines of his profile, his fashionably knotted hair. My voice trips into a whisper. “Will you finally share whoyouare?”

He closes his eyes.

I step back from him. It’s like Maskios all over again. “You don’t want me to know?”

‘Silvius’ turns and clasps my shoulders, keeping me close. His voice rumbles between us. “It’s not that.” His thumbs sweep up to the base of my neck. “It’s safer for you this way.”

Safer.

I swallow. I should demand to know, should put some distance between us, but...

He’s kind. He took care of his mother in the last year of her life; sent thoughtful gifts; wrote gentlemanly letters; took River in and cared for him. He saved me on multiple occasions...

I palm my soldad.

If he stole this, he risked hislifefor my dream.

“Your identity is your business. Just”—I look up urgently into his eyes—“promise me you’d never hurt the innocent.”

His cheek quirks with a reassuring smile and he pulls me into an embrace. It’s quick, sudden, tight. And almost as soon as it starts, it’s over. A rap on the door; a black-cloaked aklo enters smartly. His eyes fly over both of us, but his step remains steady.

“What is it?” Silvius says, an edge of annoyance in his tone that’s... pleasing. Butterflies flap in my chest.

“The head of the Temenos family died last night.”

The butterflies freeze and drop out my feet.

“The life-shortening tea—”

“No. Bad vitalian magic. They’ve taken River. It seems he had some contact with the spell.”

I stumble back against the window frame, the room spinning around me. Silvius’s strong grip steadies me, but I barely register it. My voice breaks as I stare past him, my words shaking. “It can’t be. He can’t be... dead?”

“Discovered during the night.”

I imagine Megaera weeping, yelling, a cloud of red darker than the dresses she wears. “No.” I snap my eyes to Silvius.

His grip on my robe doubles, his eyes tightening.

“I asked River to deliver it.” I haul in a sharp breath and lurch to my feet. “He’s done nothing wrong. I have to—” I take a step towards the door but Silvius stops me, hand squeezing my wrist. “It’smymedicine.”

“It killed a man, Amuletos. You can’t.”

I shake my head. “There must be some mistake. I tested it many times. There’s no way it could have killed him.” I look into his dark eyes. “We have to bring River back.”

“Not by giving yourself in.”

“If I don’t, won’t they hurt him until he tells them where to find me? Or Akilah?” My heart pounds and I rip out of Silvius’s grasp. “They’ve got it wrong. It can’t have killed him. I need to explain.”

“Wait until we know more about what happened, in case...”

His expression is sympathetic; forgiving.

“If... if it was my fault... even more reason. What if, to appease Megaera and deal with the matter quickly, the courts claim River tampered with it? That he’s the reason for her father’s death?”

“The courts are not that corrupt! They’ll get to the truth.” He looks away.