Page 106 of A Forgery of Fate

“I’ll show you honor!” Shani pulled herself up to her full height and breadth—and kept growing—her red eyes dilating as she loomed over the cell.

“Enough,” I warned her. “That’s a command, Shani.”

With a hiss, she spiraled back into my ring.

Mailoh sent her brother a scathing look, then faced me. “Hear me, Lady Saigas, please. General Caisan is loyal. He has served Yonsar for—”

“Three centuries!” Caisan boomed. “Centuries, while that demon has been at Lord Elang’s side only a few years. I tell you, she is Nazayun’s servant still!”

“Will you desist with this malice toward Shanizhun?” Mailoh cried. “It isyourhonor that is in question.”

I was silent, withholding judgment. I used to think I was good at reading faces, but lies were not always easy to unearth. I could tell Caisan genuinely believed in his own innocence. That counted for something. “I will consider your warning, General,” I said at last. “That will be all.”

The floating lantern followed Mailoh and me back to the barracks. I touched my opal ring as I ascended the stairs.

Shani,I thought,when will you learn to control that temper?

I sighed when she didn’t respond. There was a traitor somewhere in Yonsar. In my gut, I didn’t think it was Caisan, nor did I think it was Shani. So who was it?

I didn’t know, but I was going to find out.

My fingertips burned with a vision, and I sat at my desk, brush trembling. I had a feeling I wouldn’t like the future I was about to paint.

I balled my fists, digging my nails into my palms as I tried to hold it in. Night after night, I’d been dreaming of Baba turning into stone.Is he alive?I’d asked Nazayun.

It depends on what you mean by alive.

There came a tap on my door, and I shot up with a jump. “Kunkoi.”

“Hungry?” he greeted me. “Even the kitchen’s been cordoned off for the investigation, but I remembered our lovely Lady Saigas would need lunch.”

“Is it that late already?” I set down my brush. “I’d forgotten.”

Kunkoi set two canisters on my desk. “My special soup noodles. I’ve been wanting to make this for you, but I had to wait until Lord Elang was away.”

I arched an eyebrow. “He doesn’t like them?”

“Not anymore.” Kunkoi shrugged.

I started clearing my desk. In Ai’long, Elang had been gone mere hours. It’d have been over a day on land. “Will he be safe?”

“He’ll probably encounter a few assassins, but he hasn’t survived so long for no reason.”

My chest went tight. “A few assassins?”

“Nothing to worry about.” Kunkoi eyed me. “I heardyouvisited General Caisan in the keep.That’llworry Lord Elang.”

“He insists he’s innocent.”

“I’d be surprised if he weren’t. Caisan’s too dense for treachery. All turtles are.”

“So who do you think the traitor is? It can’t be Shani. She hates Nazayun.”

“I don’t know,” the merman replied. “What I do know is this isn’t something you solve on an empty stomach.”

He opened the two copper canisters, stacked one atop the other. “Try this before it gets cold. It’s one of my specialties.”

The tingle in my fingers ebbed as I opened the lid. The first canister contained a thick, still-simmering broth, withmustard greens and carrots and tiny clams floating inside. The second, a generous portion of wavy egg noodles, which I combined with the soup.

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