Im afraid of Pashkah, she told Chandrani. After tucking her slippered feet more securely beneath her body, she adjusted the armors padding. Her legs would be numb from lack of circulation, but at least they wouldnt be numb because of frostbite. And Im afraid of what that man Tallis said. What if I really have been contacting him in dream?
Chandranis outrage was instantaneous. How? Youd have known.
Dreams are dreams. And theres no telling what exists inside our minds. So many Masks. So many days where time is missing. Can we really say that our thoughts are our own? Or our memories? Some Masquerade couldve planted malevolent intentions when he installed a Mask. I dont know why, or why Tallis in particular, but its possible. Weve known people whove layered too many disguises on top of their true personalities.
As mad as the twice-cursed, Chandrani replied with a nod.
Kavya shivered and tried to keep her jaw steady. Her teeth hadnt stopped chattering since those moments surrounding Talliss
kiss. That means what he said is possible.
Even if you cant read his mind?
Can you? Kavyas frustration surged back in force.
No. I could hurt him, but I couldnt find a single thought. Chandrani shifted. Her metal-lined armor didnt make much noise, but it sounded terribly loud in the nighttime stillness. Kavya, you need to set aside a puzzle you cant solve tonight. Rest.
Impossible.
Images of blood and ruined fleshcleanly cleaved heads and a chunk of skin ripped from her brothers armfilled her mind. A sob choked up from her chest, but her mind was awash with crying that wouldnt stop. We were so close, she whispered aloud. So many people trusted me. I trusted that everyone would welcome the truce. But Pashkah . . . Dragon damn him.
A noise behind the entwined trio of trees stilled them both. Kavya held her breath and clenched her teeth. She couldnt hear beyond the noise in her ears and the squeak of wind swirling through the boughs. If it was an animal, she wouldnt be able to identify it. She could only read the thoughts of creatures possessing a higher consciousness, which fit with what Tallis had explained regarding how hed resisted Pashkahs attack. If it was a human or a Dragon King, she shouldve known minutes ago. Maybe longer.
That meant it could be nothinga trick of the landscape as it slowly changed its eons-old shape.
It could be a Black Guard trained in tracking.
Or . . .
It was Tallis.
He appeared so suddenly that Kavya screamed in her mind. Chandrani stood and squared off against the infuriating Pendray. Havent you caused enough havoc? Chandrani asked. I preferred your vow to leave and never come back.
The moon amplified Kavyas ability to see his features. Deep circles curled beneath his eyes. His mouth, so apt to smiling in that disconcerting way, was a grim streak of shadow. She saw worry and extreme fatigue as plainly as if hed spoken the wordsas plainly as if shed taken up residence in his mind and experienced his exhaustion.
Put it away, Chandrani, he said nodding to her saber.
Shes right, though, about you vowing to leave. Kavya forced her voice to remain even. Why not stay gone? Pashkah did what youd set out to doto ruin me. There should be nothing left between us other than my extreme regret that I ever met you.
Look at me.
She stared once again, indulging his command because she wanted to. He was handsome to the point of stabbing pain in her chest. A man had never figured into her plans. She was too vulnerable. She could barely sleep, let alone lie beside another. So much vulnerability was terrifying. Tallis made her want what shed never even imagined. That shouldve been enough to raise her defenses and cast him from her thoughts.
He was dangerous.
Except, shed never considered lying with a member of a different clan. Tallis couldnt creep into her mind. Hed find the idea repulsive.
Instead he would touch and stroke her with his strong, work-worn hands.
So she looked, memorizing the way the moon added deeper luster to the silver sheen of his dark hair. That heavy mass was tempting. She could bury her fingers in it and pull his mouth down to hers.
Kavya.
She blinked. Yes. I looked. What about it?
I slept. He shouldered past Chandrani, who made a token protest both mentally and verbally. Do I look like Ive slept?
Kavya pushed free of the trees as she stood. The moon wasnt strong enough to help answer his question. She placed cold hands on his cheeks. Only when skin met skin did she realize that her touch was an echo of how shed held his blood-streaked face. His eyes closed briefly on a sigh. That wasnt possible. He was too angry for sighing.
I knew it, he whispered.
Rather than question himbecause he was still a lonayíp bastard who spoke in riddlesshe turned his features toward the moon. The circles under his eyes were so deep and dark as to appear agonizing. He looked ten times as tired as when theyd parted.
I dont understand. She pulled her hands back just enough for him to grasp them, fingers twined, holding each other again. She was afraid of repeating these intimate thingsmaking patterns, finding familiarity she didnt want to feel but couldnt deny.