Page 10 of Scorched Earth

Gods…what he must think of her.

Bad enough that she’d lost control in such a horrific way, but knowing that she still could barely control the dark half of her gift? Lydia bit the insides of her cheeks, trying to curb the burning sting of tears in her eyes.

She had not thought this was how it would go. She’d been so certain that she would be able to embrace the Corrupter’s power while she needed it to free Killian from Rufina, and then would be able toshove it away. Bury it beneath a mountain of will and never unleash it again.

Whether she’d underestimated the Corrupter’s control or overestimated her own strength, Lydia could not have said. Only that the desire to reach out andtakeclouded her every thought, Killian’s proximity much like having a glass of water set in front of an individual who has just stumbled out of the desert. The desire to take hold of it was—

Her breath caught, because her hand was stretched out toward him. She shoved it into her pocket.

Killian had noticed, though he said nothing.

“You should tie me up,” she whispered. “So that I don’t hurt you.”

“No.” The word exited his lips like a cracking whip. “Unless you want to spend the rest of your life trussed up, you’ll learn to control it. Or live with the consequences.”

Then he put his back into the oars and rowed them through the night.

7TERIANA

The sun was high in the sky and scorching hot when Teriana and Valerius set out to meet Cassius. The narrow paths were shaded by ancient trees growing to either side, the air thick with the scent of stone pine and cypress, yet within minutes, Lydia’s father was breathing hard, sweat dripping down his golden skin. “Are you well?” she asked. “Should I send a servant for water?”

“Well as I ever will be.” He wiped sweat from his brow.

It had been his fear of his own mortality that had driven Appius Valerius to betroth Lydia to Cassius. Fear that his nephew and heir, Vibius, would mistreat her. The thought drove Teriana to ask, “Where is Vibius?”

Valerius was silent for a long moment, then he shrugged. “He’s been confined to an institution, I’m afraid. He requires daily care and it is not expected that he’ll recover.”

Teriana blinked.

“After I discovered he was conspiring with Cassius, I exiled himfrom my home. Lo and behold, no sooner was he absent from my life did my health improve.”

“He was poisoning you?”

Valerius nodded. “So it would seem. I disinherited him after I found out, and all that I have will go to a distant cousin when death finally claims me. But as I continued to search for Lydia and became more convinced that she’d met a dark end, I had one of the retired legionnaires in my service track him down and put him to question. During the removal of his testicles, Vibius confessed that he’d been dosing my wine.”

Teriana felt the blood drain from her face, because this was not the confession she’d anticipated.

“He unfortunately fouled himself during the conversation with my guard,” Valerius continued. “That’s not the sort of filth you want in an open wound, and he succumbed to infection that went untreated for a shocking length of time before he was brought to the physicians collegium for treatment. They did what they could, however the infection seemed to have gotten into his head and eaten away at his mind, so now all he does is jabber and drool. My sister, of course, was devastated, so I spared no expense for his ongoing care. Tragic, of course.”

“My sympathies.” What else could she say? Though Appius Valerius was educated, cultured, and considered one of the more altruistic senators on the hill, the Cel were the cruelest people on all of Reath. Some of them just hid it better than others.

They carried on past ancient walls covered with ivy and eventually approached Cassius’s estate. Legionnaires stood at the gate, but at their approach, a lean servant with a pinched mouth met them. “Greetings, Senator. With regret, you must be searched before I may allow you to enter. I’m afraid that there are many who conspire against our gracious consul, and caution must overrule manners.”

Teriana said nothing as one of the legionnaires stepped toward her. His armor was stamped with a 29 and she clenched her teeth in preparation for the worst, but he only performed the task with dead-eyed efficiency before nodding at the servant. Another legionnaire did the same to Valerius, scowling as he extracted three separate knives from the folds of the senator’s clothes.

“One can never be too careful,” Lydia’s father said with a bland smile. “There are many unsavory individuals in Celendrial’s streets these days, I’m afraid.”

“The Twenty-Ninth is making short work of those who step out of line,” replied the legionnaire searching Valerius.

“Yes, well, sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.” Valerius motioned at Teriana. “Come along, dear. We do not wish to keep the consul waiting.”

They moved onto the property, Teriana taking it in lest she need to make a quick escape. Where all the other patrician villas were full of old-growth trees and lush gardens that had been tended for generations, Cassius’s grounds were barren of life. It was all stone pathways, marble statuary, and elaborate fountains. Cold and devoid of history. A fitting location for the villa that had been erected at the center, which looked more like a political building dedicated to the administration of taxes than a home.

Valerius’s lip curled as though he smelled something foul, and he muttered, “Garish eyesore,” along with a few other choice insults toward Cassius’s taste, though he fell silent as they reached the entrance.

The door was plated with gold, the metal gleaming in the sunlight, but under the hand of the servant leading them, it swung open on silent hinges. A rush of icy cold surged out, dragging gooseflesh to Teriana’s skin as she’d not felt since her trek across Sibern. She gritted her teeth and stepped into the dimly lit building. Valerius moved to follow, but the servant blocked his path. “The consul has requested that you remain outside while he meets with Teriana, Senator. Refreshments will be brought to you.”

“The audacity—”