Page 65 of House of Dusk

“They were working together. The woman was deranged. She said—” The prince broke off, finally noticing Yeneris lurking along the wall. “You. Leave.”

“Don’t speak to her like that.” Sinoe’s voice was too sharp. Too defensive. She nodded to Yeneris. “Yen, would you please bring some tea? And plenty of pastries. Someone obviously needs sweetening.”

Yeneris nodded, retreating into the smaller side chamber where the maidservants kept a supply of treats and a samovar of hot tea to serve the princess’s needs.

She took care to rattle the cups as she set them on a tray, in case Ichos was listening.

Then crept catlike back to the beaded curtain, angling her ear to listen.

“I don’t trust that girl,” Ichos was saying. “The way she watches you. The way she watches everything. She’s probably one of Lacheron’s.”

“I’m the Sibyl of Tears,” Sinoe replied, her tone light, teasing. Fates, she was good. “Don’t you think I’d know if my own bodyguard were a spy?”

Footsteps. The prince was pacing.

“What’s wrong?” Sinoe softened her voice. “You smell like horse. Did you even stop in the bathhouse? Does Father know you’re back?”

“No. No, I—” Ichos faltered. “I had to see you first, Noe. I had to know if it’s true.”

“If what’s true?”

“I was so sure the fire-witch was lying. I mean, of course she’s lying.

She ran off with that serpent cultist into the Labyrinth of Souls.

Fates. Father’s going to flay me alive, isn’t he?

” There was a soft thump that Yeneris guessed might be the prince flopping himself onto Sinoe’s couch.

“I had them. I could have killed them both. And I let them get away. Curse that woman and her lies.”

“What lies?” Sinoe prompted. “What did the ashdancer say?”

“Father will cut out my tongue if I repeat it.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

A huff. “More than I trust myself.”

“So tell me.” Sinoe again, more gently.

“She said Lacheron has been playing all of us. That he’s just using Father. That he’s the true Ember King.” A long exhalation.

Yeneris held herself still. Things were about to go very, very well, or very, very badly.

“And you think it could be true?” asked Sinoe, her words carefully balanced, giving nothing away.

“No! I mean, maybe. I don’t know. If it’s true, it means Father’s the biggest fool in the world. Which, yes, I’ve said myself more than once, but Fates, I didn’t mean it like this. It changes everything .”

Another beat of silence. “Well?” asked Ichos. “Aren’t you going to say anything? You’re the fabled Sibyl of Tears.”

Sinoe’s laugh lashed out, bright and fey. “And here I thought you missed me. That you wanted to see your big sister. But you don’t. You just want the Sibyl of Tears, like everyone else. Well, I’m afraid she can’t help you right now. Not until her master releases her.”

There was a faint clink of gold. Yeneris imagined Sinoe lifting one delicate wrist to show off Lacheron’s bangle.

“What master?” demanded Ichos. “What is that?”

“A ‘gift’ from Lord Lacheron,” she said. “It binds me from prophesying.”

A beat of silence. Then Ichos again. “So it protects you.”

“No!” snapped Sinoe. “It’s sacrilege!”

“But the blood tears could kill you, Noe. I’m sure Father only wants to keep you safe.”

“Furies’ teeth, I can’t believe you’re making excuses for him,” spat Sinoe.

Yeneris’s fingers twitched toward her sword, even as she reminded herself that murdering her beloved’s brother was definitely not the best way to begin a relationship.

You don’t have a relationship. You have a job. She curled her empty fingers, and forced herself to listen. She couldn’t risk drawing the prince’s attention. He already suspected her.

Yeneris angled her eye along a gap in the curtained door. Sinoe stood at the window, her back to the room. Ichos must still be on the bed.

“Do you remember when we rode out to the cataracts for the Fish Moon Festival?” he asked.

Sinoe’s shoulders hunched.

Ichos went on. “It was the first time Mother let us ride our own horses. And we roasted apples over the fire.”

“And you were a greedy-gut who got sick eating all the milk candy,” accused Sinoe. But her voice gentled as she added, “Mother taught us the fishtail braid, but yours kept slipping out—”

“—because my hair was too short,” finished Ichos.

Sinoe lifted a hand, touching her carefully bound curls.

“We found that cave behind the waterfall, and I was convinced there must be hidden treasure in it and refused to leave, until you found that funny blue stone and told me it was a sapphire.” She gave a wistful sigh. “I still have that, you know.”

This time the silence between them was softer.

“I don’t want it to be this way,” said Ichos, finally. “I hate it.”

“But not enough to do anything about it.”

“What do you expect me to do?” Ichos burst out. “Father doesn’t listen to me. I’m nothing. I’m not touched by the Fates. I’m not some great hero reborn.”

Sinoe spun to face him, fists clenched, color burning bright in her cheeks. “Neither is Father!”

Yeneris held her breath. But Sinoe did not back down. If anything, she only blazed brighter with suppressed fury. “Well? You came here for answers. Now you have them. The ashdancer was right. It’s all a lie.”

“I thought your visions were bound,” said Ichos, warily. “How do you know?”

“I know because I’m paying attention. If you opened your eyes and looked around, you’d know too.”

“Sinoe, this is dangerous,” Ichos began. “If Father suspects you’re—”

“I should have stood up to Father a long time ago,” snapped Sinoe, unrepentant. “But if you’re too scared, then you should go. He’s probably waiting for your report. You wouldn’t want to make him angry, would you?”

Silence.

“Well?” said Sinoe. “Aren’t you going?”

“No,” Ichos released a breath. He sounded surprised. “No, I’m not.” He rose from the bed and went to stand before Sinoe, arms loose at his side. “I’m with you. I swear it. By the Fates.”

Sinoe quivered. Then gave a small cry, and flung her arms around him. Then punched him on the shoulder. Then embraced him again.

“So you might as well ask your bodyguard to stop plotting how best to murder me and bring the tea,” Ichos added. “I suspect we’re all going to need several cups while you fill me in on everything I’ve missed.”

· · ·

It was midnight by the time they finished filling in Ichos on Lacheron’s manipulations of Sinoe’s prophecies and the conversations they had overheard in his workshop.

It had taken three carafes of tea, one jug of wine, a platter of fruit, and two baskets of pastries, one of which Sinoe had dumped over her brother’s head to stop him swearing too vociferously after she described Lacheron’s private stash of corpses.

“You took her into a dungeon full of skotoi?” He dusted the crumbs from his tunic, still glowering at Yeneris. “You’re supposed to be her bodyguard.”

“Only one skotos. The rest were just skotoi-in-waiting,” said Sinoe, ignoring her brother’s dubious huff. “And it was my choice. We needed to get the key.”

“Which you still haven’t used. Why wait to break the bangle? You said yourself that Lacheron needs Agia Beroe here to complete his plan. We should act now, before she arrives.”

“It’s a risk either way,” said Sinoe. “If we accuse him now, we have no proof. Do you really think Father will believe that he’s not truly the Ember King? After everything he’s done in service to that lie?” She looked to her brother, who nodded grudgingly.

“Still, I don’t see what we gain in waiting. You said you need proof, but what proof is there?”

Sinoe hesitated, glancing to Yeneris. As of yet, she’d said nothing about their plan to restore the kore, or Yeneris’s true identity. Which was lovely and considerate, but Ichos was no fool. He must see the gaps in their story. She felt his gaze weighing on her even now.

“And why do you keep looking at your bodyguard like that?” he asked Sinoe. “What’s her stake in this?”

Yeneris kept her face a mask. “It’s my job.”

“It’s your job to keep my sister safe. Not to help her stage a coup. You must know Father and Lacheron would have rewarded you if you went to them with any of this.”

She almost laughed at the absurdity of it. But Ichos was watching her too closely, too carefully. The chill in her belly slid up her chest, into her throat. She had trusted Sinoe with her secret. With her mission. But could she trust Ichos?

Maybe not. But he’d sworn by the Fates that he was with Sinoe. And Sinoe was with Yeneris. She was as certain of that as her own heartbeat.

And when it came down to it, the prince could be useful. They would need help to plan the kore’s rescue. Information on what protections would be in place, what route would deliver the kore to the wedding. Ichos could get them that information.

Still, it took Yeneris a long moment to drag air into her lungs. To shape the words. “I’m here to reclaim the kore’s bones and return them to Bassara.”

Ichos’s brows arched. “You’re a spy?”

Sinoe made a shushing gesture. “She’s my friend , Ichos.

And if you’re going to keep your vow to stand with me, then I expect you to stand with Yen too.

Because she’s...important to me.” A slight flush deepened Sinoe’s cheeks.

“And she’s right. The Maiden—the kore—needs to go home.

It’s my fault she was taken in the first place. ”

“It was Lacheron,” Yeneris growled, “twisting true prophecy into his own lies.”

Ichos rubbed his temples wearily. “All right, let me see if I have this straight. Not only are we denouncing Father as the Ember King, now we’re also stealing his bride?”

“Not stealing,” said Yeneris. “She was stolen. We’re bringing her home.”

“And without her, Father has one less thing to legitimize him,” added Sinoe.

“And then what?” asked Ichos. “What’s the end goal? Cast Father down and take his place?”

“It would be you, not me, little brother,” said Sinoe. “I already serve the Fates. I can’t be queen. But that’s putting the cart before the horse. Right now the most important thing is stopping Lacheron. And setting things right with the kore,” she added, looking to Yeneris.

“But stop Lacheron from doing what , exactly?” asked Ichos.

Yeneris thought of the voice that they had heard, speaking in that strange and alien tongue. The one Lacheron called lord. How a single touch of the unseen power had nearly toppled her.

Judging by Sinoe’s expression, her thoughts had followed a similar track. “Lacheron said he was going to break the cycle. That the gods would rule no more and that the world would belong to...to whatever that horrible voice was.”

“As it was always meant to be,” quoted Yeneris. Ever since that night, she’d been twisting and turning the words. Trying to make sense of what they’d seen. She ground her teeth. She should have made Mikat listen. But the woman was so fixed on her own goals.

“And remember this lovely bit of prophecy?” said Sinoe. “ Long has the old enemy watched and waited. Now he seeks to strike his second blow, and the world will not survive it. We all know what the Ember King is famous for.”

“Killing the Serpent,” said Yeneris. “The god-beast of death.”

Sinoe rolled up from the couch and began to pace. “But now the Serpent is coming back, and it sounds like he’s nothing but a distraction to Lacheron. I mean, yes, he sent you after them, Ichos, but he can’t have expected you to destroy one of the gods.”

Ichos huffed. “So much for sisterly loyalty.”

“Pff. You know how good you are, you don’t need me to fan your pride.

Though, speaking of which, did you know Hura is back?

And he asked about you. I think he missed your spear.

In the sparring ring.” She lunged away, snickering, as Ichos tossed a pillow at her, but the laugh turned into a groan.

“Fates. It’s just...too much. Every time I think we’ve got some inkling of all the moving parts, another one just pops in. ”

Yeneris cleared her throat. “Er.”

Sinoe stopped pacing. “What?”

“There’s...something I need to tell you.” Yeneris glanced toward Ichos, who was just pouring a fresh cup of very hot tea. He arched a brow back at her. “But before I do, I swear by the kos, by the Fates, that I won’t do it.”

“Do what?” asked Sinoe.

“Kidnap you.”

Ichos set his cup down with a clang that sounded very much like the ring of a sword being drawn. “What?”

“My...my contacts. The others I work with. They sent me here to rescue the kore. That was all. That was my mission. But now they want...you.”

Sinoe blinked. Then understanding settled over her. “They want the Sibyl of Tears.”

“I won’t let them do it. I’ll get them the kore’s bones, but they won’t get anywhere near you, Sinoe.”

The princess frowned into her teacup. “I believe you, Yen. I do. Two maidens shall be bound, but only one shall walk free if the divided heart remains . ”

“My heart isn’t divided,” Yeneris said. “It never has been. I love my people. And I love you. I don’t need to choose. It’s a false choice.” She reached out, taking Sinoe’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “I choose both.”

“Love?” Sinoe’s lips twitched, but there was something raw beneath the humor. Something tender and sweet that drew Yeneris like a bee to bloom.

“Love,” she repeated, honing the word against her heart, making it sharp enough to slice through whatever trials the Fates threw before them.

It was dizzying. To think she’d been afraid that giving in to her feelings might make her weak.

Might somehow dilute her courage. Yeneris could have wrestled a lion.

Could have leapt the Bleeding Sands in a single bound, if it lay between her and Sinoe.

But there was nothing between them now. All that was past. The world might be spinning toward a second cataclysm, but she was not alone. She would never be alone.

Sinoe made a sort of low growl, tugging Yeneris down for another kiss.

Ichos groaned. “Could we save the flirting until after the apocalypse is averted?”

“I think the eve of the apocalypse is the perfect time for flirting,” said Sinoe, releasing Yeneris with a wicked wink. “Speaking of which. Ichos, brother dear, do you think you might arrange a sparring match with Lord Hura? He offered his help, and I think it’s time we took him up on it.”