Page 103 of A Forgery of Fate

It was a memory I’d never shared before, and a lump rose to my throat. “He promised to take me one day.”

Elang said nothing, but he brought the pepper to his nose once more. He inhaled, deeper than before, and closed his eyes. “Maybe you could put it in my soup,” he said slowly, “a pinch at a time. I think then, over a period, I might grow accustomed to it.”

Scourge of Saino, what was it about Elang that made me want to slap him one minute, then kiss him the next? He was growing on me.

He saw my smile. “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”

“Most definitely. But it’s too late, the seas heard you agree.”

“So they did.” He started to laugh, then his eyes snapped up, his wide brow furrowing. “Do you hear that? A wrinkle in the current…”

I felt it as soon as he mentioned it. Instinct had me grab Elang by the arm, pulling him behind a pillar—an instant before a jellyfish exploded into the library, barbs shooting out of its tentacles.

They fired fast as raindrops, piercing into the thick folds of my cloak. With a whip of his tail, Elang seized the creature. Fresh barbs shot out, ripping past his arms as he clawed through the jellyfish, restraining its head in his fist.

“Who let you through the wards?” he demanded.

Light pulsed through the jellyfish’s head, accelerating until there was a brilliant flash. I shielded my eyes with my sleeve. When I looked again, the creature had gone limp. It was dead.

“What did it say?” I asked shakily.

“Nothing.” Elang pulled out a barb from his torso with a grunt.

Kunkoi found us rushing into the hall, Mailoh at his side. He spoke rapidly, and I only caught the wordssanheiaandCaisanbefore Elang’s spine went rigid and I heard him curse for the first time.

His rage manifested in the water, which roiled under my feet, so fierce I worried he might knock down a wall. As soon as he noticed, he closed his fists and drew himself tall. The waves receded.

“Where is Caisan?” he asked in a low growl.

“In your personal quarters,” replied Mailoh, nervously gesturing down to where the hall tapered off. “Shanizhun’s subdued him.”

“You may go. I’ll take care of it from here.”

I felt sorry for the turtles who paddled out of our way as if their lives depended on it. Elang hurried to his quarters, and I followed.

Inside was General Caisan. Unconscious.

Shani hovered above him, invoking a shimmering mantle of floating beads. Within each one was a memory, and Shani’s eyes shone like I’d never seen before, a deep, hypnotic red. “Here’s your spy.” She called forth a bead. “He let the jellyfish into the castle while you were brewing sangi.”

I felt myself pale. Elang had trusted Caisan to monitor Yonsar’s wards. Why betray that trust? It didn’t make sense.

“Why did they come?” I said. “The jellyfish—were they trying to kill Elang?”

“They were looking for something,” replied Elang, whoseeyes didn’t leave Caisan. “Something I’ve kept hidden for a long time.”

His voice was low, but if the betrayal still aggrieved him, he did not show it. “Return the memories to the general.”

Shani protested, “What—”

“Do as I say.”

The demon muttered under her breath, but she obeyed. She swam around Caisan, flinging the beads of his memories back into his mind.

“Take General Caisan to the keep,” Elang ordered her. “I’ll deal with him later.”

While Shani took Caisan away, I surveyed Elang’s chambers. Weeks into our “marriage,” I’d still never been invited here. It felt more like a vagabond’s quarters than a prince’s. Only one bookshelf, a wide bed with a blue quilt, an empty vase that looked rather forlorn. I rifled through a chest, looking for a spare cloth.

“What are you doing?” he demanded. “Did I give you permission to go through my—”

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