Page 109 of Scorched Earth

Killian tested the balance of the weapon. “Strange how always winning is a frustration, isn’t it?”

The boy didn’t answer, only took up one of the other practice swords and motioned for the soldiers to leave.

“It gets boring,” Killian continued. “And to alleviate the boredom, one hunts out greater and greater risks.”

“The only thing I risk right now is the boredom of your prattle,” Xadrian retorted, though his feet were moving. Circling. “What do you want, Lord Calorian?”

“That’s why you started leading the gold mine raids when I came to Rotahn.”

Xadrian snorted. “I was there becauseyouwere raiding our villages and killing my people.”

“I wasn’t, but even if I was, the point stands.” Killian gestured at the boy with the sword. “The real threat was in the north along the border with Derin. That’s where you were, where you should’ve remained, but instead you came looking for a fight. Or more accurately, a challenge.”

They circled each other.

“Ria Rowenes deceived both of us,” Killian said. “Sent her men across your border to attack villages under my banner only to turn around and weep on my shoulder that Anuk raiders were terrorizing Rotahn. She did so because Serrick wanted my reputation ruined, and she aimed to be his heir. The future Queen of Mudamora. Never mind how many people died as a result.”

Xadrian’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t accuse Killian of lying.

“Except while Ria fanned the flames, it was you and me who did the killing, Xadrian,” he continued. “It was you and me who chomped at the challenge, never once seeking a solution other than a fight. So I think we are just as at fault as she was.”

Tossing aside the practice weapon, Killian said, “If you want a fight, then let it be between the two of us. Leave our people out of it.”

Not waiting for the boy to respond, Killian left the room.

40LYDIA

The chamber she was brought to was large and circular, the walls carved in swirling curves to depict the dunes and illuminated by sconces burning a scented oil that immediately calmed Lydia’s rapidly beating heart.

“Wait here, Marked One,” the servant murmured, shutting the doors and leaving Lydia alone.

But not in silence.

At the center of the chamber, a large fountain made of silver rose nearly to the ceiling, the water flowing to strike shining basins that each produced a different tone, creating a strangely hypnotic music that drew Lydia closer. Crossing the space, she watched the water flow with fascination, marveling at the craftsmanship it had taken to produce such a sound.

Which was why she didn’t hear Ceenah enter, nor sense her presence until the Anuk queen said, “Beautiful, isn’t it? Xadrian’s father gifted it to me. He purchased it from the Maarin, who said it was made in a far-off land. It took our own craftsman a year and a day to align the pieces so that it would play the music that was intended rather than the noise of falling water.”

Lydia cleared her throat. “It’s from a place called Faul, across the Endless Seas, Your Grace. I’ve seen its like before.” In a senator’s villa, the fountain taken in lieu of taxes owed during the man’s governorship of the province. “They are both rare and precious. A generous gift.”

“He gave me many gifts, including my son,” she answered. “Then I caught him in bed with one of my servants and I gifted his soul back to the Six.”

Lydia blinked at the revelation but held her tongue.

“I was only seventeen,” Ceenah continued. “Newly queen after mymother’s death, the Six protect and keep her soul, and I was accused of being impulsive and emotional in my reaction to his betrayal, for his family was a tribe of great importance. Yet fifteen years have passed, and I’d make the same decision today. I will suffer much but never a liar in my house. Why did you wish to speak to me, Marked One?”

Lydia bit the insides of her cheeks, hearing the warning. “I wish to speak to you of how you used your mark on Agrippa, Your Grace. I… I want to know how you took the life out of him without succumbing to the Corrupter’s influence.”

Ceenah made a soft humming noise, circling the fountain. “Why do you wish to know?”

Don’t lie.“Because I’ve never seen it done in that manner. The corrupted take, but they keep it, whereas you just tossed his life out into the room. My hypothesis is that by not keeping it for yourself, you avoid inviting the Corrupter into your heart.”

“The Corrupter is in all our hearts, as are all the Six, to a greater or lesser extent.” Ceenah cocked her head, brown eyes considering. “It seems you understand very well what I did, so what is your question? Or did you merely wish to have your hypothesis confirmed?” There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice that reminded Lydia of Xadrian, the apple clearly not falling far from the tree.

“I want to understand how you expelled the life into the room,” Lydia said, palms slicking with sweat.

“The same way I would put it into someone to heal them, which you clearly know how to do.”

Lydia clenched her teeth, frustration rising in her chest because she knew the woman was baiting her. “I mean, how do you overcome the urge to keep it?”