Page 52 of Acolyte (Tempris #2)

-A letter from Lady Adriana Emrys, Duchess of Ghislain, to her son, Lord Kato Emrys

Kato,

Be glad it is me writing to you rather than your grandfather.

We were unamused, to say the least, by your showing at the Arylaan Arms Convention.

While you did technically showcase the remote capabilities of our new unmanned prototype, having the Mechanica do what you so eloquently called a “line dance” for the fully assembled Dawn Court and their generals was perhaps not the soundest decision.

The family elders want you punished—they have been pushing me for years to bring you to heel.

For the time being, however, I’ve decided to do nothing.

I’m not going to tell you that what you did was juvenile.

I won’t waste my time reiterating all the ways I see you wasting your life, your talents, or your family’s good name on these adolescent pranks.

For now, all I will say is that I’m sorry about Sarah. I heard about the letter that came in the post, and considering the life expectancy of humans, I can guess at the subject.

With all my love,

Your Mother

Kato fell back against a stack of crates, panting. “Maybe we should just let the shades kill us.”

Eula sighed and made a note as she continued her inventory. One of the flash cannons lay disassembled at her feet. “That’s a bit dramatic.”

“Says the woman who’s been holding a clipboard all morning instead of helping me carry crates up and down and up and down and… You get the point.”

Still trying to catch his breath, Kato took a swig from a canteen filled with water and faeflower, shuddering at the taste.

It had been almost two weeks since the battle at Crescent Canyon, and the Marquess was still punishing him.

He got the worst guard rotations, was always on duty to build funeral pyres and pile corpses.

He was the best Shards-damned crafter in this entire city, and yet the only thing he’d been tasked to repair was toilets, which were somehow always covered in shit .

Two fucking weeks and he was sick of it. Sick of the shit jobs and long hours. Sick of feeling like he’d lost any amount of control over his life.

But most of all, he was sick of Eula Valdaerys.

He had never spent much time with her before the world had gone to hell, but he’d heard of her.

According to the other Watchers, she’d been born with a stick so far up her ass, it was a wonder she’d survived to adulthood.

She had a fair amount of aether, was a good fighter, but for reasons no one had been able to articulate, she’d never progressed past the rank of Acolyte.

She was the Marquess’ favorite, which was perhaps why his leash had suddenly been passed on that morning to “the queen bitch.”

That’s what the Ensigns called her. It lacked imagination, true. But it was accurate.

Especially as she marched up and down the length of the wall, barking orders at both him and the nearby earth mages as they tended to newly planted gardens.

Kalahad was among them. Kato had taken the man up on his offer a few times since they’d returned, meeting up at one of the taverns for a drink—which is how he’d learned, among other things, that the High Lord of Earth’s baby brother had a passion for farming.

While this wasn’t unusual for an earth mage, it was less common for a man of his standing to specialize in food production.

But on more than one occasion now, Kato had listened as Kalahad waxed poetic about crop selection, and field rotation, and something called hydroponics, claiming that in a few days’ time, the earth mages would be producing enough food to feed the whole of Ryme.

Which was great, since then there would probably be more toilets to fix .

“Is there a reason I don’t see a crate in your hands?” Eula asked testily.

“Because these things are heavy.” Kato kicked at a stack of metal sheeting with a mud-caked boot. Today, they were installing the flash cannons from Ebondrift onto the outer wall. The guns were massive, too large even for the cranes, so they were taking them up piece by piece.

Or rather, he was. Eula had done nothing but observe, clipboard in hand, while he lugged crates and materials up a series of dirt platforms the earth mages had installed when the ladders hadn’t been able to hold the weight.

“Seriously,” Kato said, wiping the sweat from his eyes. The wind was cold, but the sun was hot, and all he wanted to do right now was lie down and die. “This gun is made of viridian reinforced with star steel. I could use some help.”

Eula never looked up from that damned clipboard. “All of my other shadow mages are spoken for,” she said, because of course they were. It wouldn’t be a proper punishment if he had help. “So get off your ass and pick up a crate.”

“And if I don’t?”

She shrugged. “Then I’ll be forced to tell the Marquess that he was right. You’re better suited to latrine duty, and I should’ve heeded his advice and asked for your brother’s assistance instead. Skylen would have no problem moving my crates. In fact, we’d probably already be done.”

Kato huffed. She was goading him. That much was obvious. But that particular barb stung, and he pushed himself to stand.

Half a heartbeat later, he was in front of her, wisps of aether curling off his skin and clothing like smoke.

“Could Skye do this?” Fast as an adder, his hand shot out, and he grabbed her clipboard.

By the time she noticed, he’d already scuttled out of her reach.

“Probably not. While I might lack golden boy’s brawn, I’ve learned to adapt in other ways.

And what the hell is it with you and the Marquess anyway?

Why do you spend so much time kissing his ass?

Is it perfumed? Does he stick rose petals up there? ”

Eula growled and reached for her clipboard, but he nudged his aether and pushed off with his legs. He was instantly standing a few yards away.

“Ivain Castaro is a better man than you could ever hope to be,” she snapped.

“A good leader doesn’t play favorites. He’s only punishing me because of Skye.”

“Skye hasn’t said a single word against you.”

“Bullshit. I’m the best crafter in this city, and Castaro has me doing menial labor.”

“You want to prove yourself? How about you stop whining?” A flash of her aether and she was suddenly very close, her fist barreling for his face.

Drawing on a tendril of his own aether, he immediately sidestepped, grabbing her fist and enjoying perhaps a little too much the way her eyes widened in surprise.

He’d always preferred speed over strength.

Smirking, he harnessed her momentum, heaving her over his shoulder like he would a sack of grain.

But instead of going flying, Eula countered, twisting her body midair with cat-like grace. She landed in a crouch, her eyes never leaving his as she slowly rose to her full height.

Kato smiled. “I’m impressed.”

“I’m not,” Eula replied flatly. She held up the clipboard, and he refrained from telling her that he’d let her snatch it. That throw had won him a lot of coin back at the University, but she’d figured it out immediately.

This was an unexpected but not unwelcome turn of events, and he looked her up and down with new appreciation, noting that despite her words to the contrary, a glimmer of respect now shone in her eyes as well.

“I suppose I’m glad to know that the woman holding my leash earned her position on the battlefield rather than the bedroom. ”

He’d been hoping for a reaction, but Eula merely arched a brow. “Trust me when I say I’m proficient at both.” Kato made no effort to hide his smile at the implication. “Though regarding Ivain,” she added, “you’re underestimating him.”

Kato snorted. “What did that man do to earn such loyalty?”

Eula looked back to her clipboard, and he got the feeling that she was stalling, searching for the right words.

“Ivain Castaro,” she said carefully, “was the only one to give me a chance after my good for nothing grandfather gambled away my family’s coin.

He looked past these three measly lines on my arm and saw that I was capable of more, even if I didn’t have the money or the connections to get a spot at the University.

He gave me a future when I had none, and he’d do the same for you if you could just pull your head out of your ass long enough to show him that you’re more than what the rumors say.

There’s no room in this organization for clowns. ”

Kato huffed, shaking his head as he looked away. Of course, his reputation would precede him—and immediately kill any chance of success he might’ve had otherwise. “A wise man doesn’t base his opinion on assumptions.”

“He does when those assumptions are confirmed by action.” Throwing her clipboard on a nearby table, she grabbed his wrist, pushing up his sleeve.

“You think I haven’t seen these lines on your arm?

You’re barely 200, and you’ve already earned your seventh seal.

It takes most mages centuries longer to get that far in their training, if they ever get there at all.

That means you’re smart, and at one point in your life, you actually gave a shit. ”

“And what makes you think that I don’t now?”

“Because in the time that I’ve known you, all you’ve done is blame your problems on other people.

You whine and complain about how life’s not fair, but guess what?

Everyone that lives long enough to get hurt figures that out.

I figured it out when I was 32 and had to work as a sellsword to feed my baby sister because my parents still insisted on living like we had money.

It wasn’t fair. None of it. But when I got knocked on my ass because of someone else’s selfish decisions, I made the choice to get back up.

You have yet to show me that you’re capable of doing the same. ”

Kato went quiet. Eula was direct—he’d give her that. The woman aimed to kill.