Page 25 of Acolyte (Tempris #2)

“ ‘ Used to’ being the operative phrase there,” Kato shot back, trying to keep the sharpness from his tone and only half succeeding.

His disinheritance was common knowledge among the nobility, but that didn’t mean it was a pleasant topic.

“Like most households, my family still prioritizes purebloods in the line of succession. My brother—Skylen. He’s the heir now. ”

“Passed over for the younger brother,” Kalahad drawled. “A common tale. Not particularly fair, if you ask me, but then again, few things are. I must say—I’ve always been quite happy to be so far removed from my family’s primary bloodline. Far fewer consequences when I make an ass of myself.”

Kato huffed out a laugh. “That’s one way of looking at it, I suppose.”

“There’s freedom in being unimportant,” Kalahad said with a wink.

“I’ll never have power, and that suits me just fine.

I’m content draining my brother’s coffers and leaving the business of ruling to my betters.

Though I get the feeling you don’t feel the same.

It couldn’t have been easy losing your family’s favor for something so far outside your control. ”

It was Kato’s turn to shrug. “I never cared much for power, but for a very long time, I was the Duchess’ only son. Taking her place seemed inevitable.”

“Good you have your brother then. Now you’re free to live the life you want.”

Kato grimaced. True. Or it would be if he hadn’t already made so many sacrifices in the name of duty and family. He’d given up the life he wanted a long time ago, and there would be no getting it back. Those decisions couldn’t be undone.

“Say now…” Kalahad mused, swirling his wine. “If I recall, you had that little human tryst a few centuries back. What was her name again? Sylvia? Sabrina?”

Sarah , a small voice immediately supplied. Her name was Sarah.

Kato silenced the voice, forcing a smile and making sure his eyes crinkled just so.

The smile was the hardest part to fake, but he had gotten good at it over the years.

Good at convincing people that he’d forgotten about the woman he loved.

Good at pretending he didn’t care that he had been ordered to send her away.

The heir to Ghislain couldn’t take a human lover.

That would have been too much of a scandal.

Not that it mattered anymore. That sacrifice had become gut-wrenchingly irrelevant the moment his baby brother took his first breath .

“Is that why you’re on the island?” Kalahad prodded. “Is the black sheep of Ghislain finally going to claim his bride? Rumor says she relocated to the human realm, and with the time differential—she might still be alive.”

Kato drained his cup, forcing that smile to spread just a little wider. “You know,” he said, “I’m starting to think you’re a bit of a gossip.”

“Yes,” Kalahad answered easily. “Yes, I am, and since I’ve now been discovered, I feel no shame in saying that the word around camp is that your brother finds himself in a similar situation. Is it true he’s taken a human mate?”

“I’m not sure.” Not a lie, though Kato did wonder why he hadn’t just said “yes.” The golden boy was clearly infatuated with Taly, and that relationship would surely bring shame to both him and their family.

If this were any other time, any other situation, he’d have no problem sowing a few seeds of dissent just to see how far people were willing to go to kiss his brother’s ass—but not about this.

This would affect Taly too, and if she ever found her way back, he didn’t want to hurt her more than he already had.

The same way he had never wanted to hurt Sarah.

“Would you like to talk about it?”

Kato’s brows rose in question. “I’m not sure I follow.”

Kalahad just shrugged. “I know that look. It’s been a shitty day, but that look…

There’s a woman involved.” At Kato’s answering sigh, he let out a loud bark of laughter.

“I knew it. It’s true, isn’t it? Skylen Emrys took a human mate, and judging from that look, she must be something special.

I su ppose she would have to be to make it to the Vale relay with undead monsters roaming the forests. ”

Kato frowned. “And how would you know about Vale?” Surely, Ivain had kept that information restricted.

Kalahad gave him a flat stare. “All I’ve heard since I got here is ‘Talya Caro this’ and ‘Talya Caro that . ’ Apparently, someone snuck into the Marquess’s tent and made a copy of the relay transmission.

Everyone’s heard it by now. She’s the hero of the hour, and I’m sure you can see now that if you tell me anything less than both of the Emrys brothers have fallen head over heels for our young heroine, I’ll be sorely disappointed.

Anything less, and it just won’t be worth the retelling. ”

Kato snorted. “Sorry to disappoint, but I harbor no such feelings. All I can say is that I found her refreshingly tolerable.”

“Are you sure that’s all?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t believe you. There’s something about this girl that’s gotten underneath your skin. I can tell these things.”

Kato dragged a hand through his hair. Was he that transparent? “I made a miscalculation. That’s all.”

“And was this miscalculation the subject of your and Skylen’s quarrel on the road?”

Kato looked up. He thought he’d been careful when he confronted his brother, making sure there was no one close enough to overhear.

“Gossip,” was all Kalahad offered in explanation. “Rumor is the two of you had a bit of a tiff.”

Not careful enough, it seemed .

Kato drained what was left in his glass. “Yes. That’s what we were arguing about. I jumped to conclusions, and I doubted one of the few people I’ve actually liked in a long time—present company excluded, of course,” he added quickly, earning him a bemused grin in return.

Kato leaned back in his chair, staring up through a rip in the canvas.

“I’ve been thinking quite a lot lately about making amends,” he found himself saying.

“With mortals—there’s never enough time.

They die, and we’re left here still shouldering the weight of everything that never got said. And now with these attacks with the…”

“Shades,” Kalahad supplied. “Horrible business. I take it this Taly is still out there?”

“Yes.” Kato swallowed and held out his cup, grateful when a serving woman immediately refilled it.

He probably shouldn’t. This was fey wine, and he was already feeling woozy.

But when he considered what had likely happened to Taly, when he wondered if his actions had perhaps been a catalyst…

He took another long draw. “I love my people and my family, and I’ve made decisions over the course of my life that I’ve had to live with.

But this time—I went looking for answers in the wrong places.

I thought I knew something, and I accused someone of something that I now know was wrong. ”

And Shards, why did that bother him so much?

He had been wrong before. Hell. He was over two centuries old.

He’d been wrong lots of times, and while yes, Taly reminded him of Sarah—they both had that same fire, the same undeniable intelligence—she was just a human.

Transient. Little more than a blip of light in the darkness, snuffed out by the slightest breath of circumstance.

So why then? Why was it eating at him? Why did he keep trying to imagine what Sarah would’ve said or done if she could see the man he had let himself become?

“Sorry,” Kato said after a moment, realizing he’d let the conversation lapse. “You probably have no idea what I’m talking about.”

“Does it matter?” Kalahad asked. “I find that sometimes just saying a thing is all a person really needs.”

Kato couldn’t argue with the logic, even if finding that level of empathy in another Highborn was a bit of a shock.

And suddenly he began to wonder if accepting the wine had been a mistake. Had he said too much? Given away—

“I know that look too,” Kalahad said. “Fey do not come by trust naturally, and you’ve just made yourself vulnerable. So, in exchange, I will give you one piece of information about me. Ask me a question, and I’ll answer.”

Kato blinked. An unusual offer. Among the fey, information was currency. This was the highest sign of trust one Highborn could offer another. He would be a fool not to take it.

“You’re notoriously anti-human,” Kato said. “So much so that there are rumors that you steal them away from their conclaves.”

Kalahad’s lips twitched. “I see I’m not the only gossip.”

Kato asked simply, “Is it true?”

To which Kalahad replied, just as easily, “All rumors have some truth. ”

Kato’s stomach clenched. “So, you steal humans?”

“Yes.” Once more, Kato was surprised at this man’s candor. “However, what most people fail to ask is ‘what do I do with them?’ I’ve worked hard to cultivate my reputation, because when people make assumptions, it makes them easy to manipulate.”

Kalahad sat up, setting his cup to the side.

“I steal humans, but because I’m rumored to hate them, people assume I must be doing something nefarious.

But what if I was simply giving them a different life?

I’ve visited the free cities, spoken with Feseraa once they’ve been relieved of their contracts.

They live in squalor. They sacrificed to attain immortality, and now that they have it…

” A soft, derisive chuckle. “It’s a great cosmic joke.

They discovered the secret to eternal life, only to discover that it wasn’t worth living. ”

Kato stared at the man. “And how do I know you’re telling me the truth right now?”

“You don’t. But I just confirmed a rumor my brother has been working very hard to quell. Good or bad intent, it wouldn’t look good for someone of my station to be seen fraternizing with the lower classes. I’ve given you a certain amount of power over me. Consider that a token of good faith.”

A flicker of movement at the northern end of the camp drew his attention, and Kato saw a familiar shock of dark hair weaving through the crowd.

His brother was still covered in blood, and his face looked haggard and worn.

It was the look of a man that had been hollowed out, that only continued to move forward out of necessity.

Kato pushed himself to his feet. “Thank you for your hospitality, but I really should go.” After all, he still needed to check the new duty roster. His guard rotation could’ve already started, and he wouldn’t even know it.

“I understand,” Kalahad said, rising from his chair. “It was good to meet you. If you ever need anything at all—even if it’s just a drink—don’t hesitate to bend my ear. I don’t have as much sway here on Tempris as I would back home, but I’ll try my best.”

Kato took the man’s hand and gave it a firm shake.

“Thank you,” he said earnestly, for the first time noticing the serving ladies behind them as they still ladled soup.

They passed the bowls through a break in the tent—to humans.

Even with the meager resources available to them in camp, he had his people feeding the Shardless.

Maybe Kalahad wasn’t just blowing hot air.

“I don’t know if I trust you yet,” Kato said, meeting the man’s eyes, “but I’m glad we met.”

Kalahad’s smile widened, and he laughed, clapping a hand to Kato’s shoulder. “Us half-breeds have to stick together.”