Page 69 of House of Dusk
Because she was lying to herself. It was more than just the mission now. It had been ever since the night she followed Sinoe to the necropolis. Even now, on her way to possibly be reamed end to ear, she couldn’t help smiling when she passed the jasmine trellis where Sinoe had taken her hand.
So where did that leave Yeneris? There were tiny hooks embedded in her skin, tugging her in two different directions, and if she wasn’t careful they were going to flay her alive. But that was the trouble. Shewasn’tbeing careful.
Sinoe was the problem. Being around her was making Yeneris soft. Making her dream of things she could not have. So it was good she was seeing Mikat. Mikat made her hard. Mikat reminded her that she was not a feather. She was a sword.
I am a sword. She sliced through the gray pre-dawn gloom. A damp mist hung over the garden, gemming the leaves and vines with soft pearls. Her sandals were wet, squelching in the spongy mats of purple-blooming groundcover. She thought she’d seen someone moving past the line of statues that bordered the rose garden, and was heading that way when Mikat spoke.
“You’re up early.” The woman stepped from a gap in the sweet-smelling hedge. She carried a ewer of water, freshly filled judging by the way she rested it against one hip. “Especially for someone who was gallivanting about the city all night.”
The words jabbed her chest. “You know?”
Mikat’s lips quirked. Was she amused? Angry? “You’re a valuable resource, Yeneris. We worked very hard to place you in the palace. With the princess. And we want to make certain you have all the support you need to pursue the mission.”
Yeneris cleared her throat. “Of course. Thank you. Yes, I...accompanied the princess into the city.”
She laid out the events of the previous day, though not in strict order. Better to begin with the visit to the Queen of Swarms, then finish with an account of the family luncheon, the king’s sacrilege. It would horrify Mikat, and focus them both on what mattered most. The kore.
Mikat’s expression, already dour, turned to stone as Yeneris described the desecration of the kore’s bones, turned into Hierax’s puppet, his plaything. Yeneris felt her own blood thrum, and she welcomed it. Welcomed the fury that would keep her fixed on this path.
When she finished, Mikat turned away and spat. “Abyss take them all.”
Yeneris held her tongue, bracing herself for more questions.
“You’ve done well,” said Mikat. “The princess trusts you. She cares for you.”
“Yes.” Best to keep her answers short.
“But she doesn’t suspect you?”
“She knows I’m Bassaran,” Yeneris admitted. “But she doesn’t seem to care. She’s sympathetic to our cause.”
“Or she’s just having a bit of fun,” said Mikat. “You say she’s been kept caged. A caged bird only wants to get free. It doesn’t care what hand opens the door.”
She swallowed a protest. Mikat was right. Perhaps she was only that. An open door. A chance to escape for a little while.
Mikat tilted her head. “That bothers you.”
Furies take me.She should have guarded her expression. Shoved the feelings down, trod them to dust under the heel of her duty.
“I’m not angry.” Mikat tapped one finger against the handle of the water jug, making it chime faintly against the morning silence. “It means you’re doing the job we sent you to do. It means you’ve committed yourself, fully.”
Yeneris opened her lips, but nothing came out. She was too relieved to speak.
“I trust you, Yeneris,” said Mikat, holding her gaze steady, speaking her name with the same inflection her mother had used, rather than softening it, as the Helissoni did. “I wouldn’t have asked this of you, otherwise. But I know that it is a hard task. A painful one. And for that, I’m sorry.”
Finally, Yeneris found her tongue. The words sputtered out, too fast. “I swear, Mikat, I will free the kore’s bones from this place.”
“I know.” Mikat gave her a considering look. “But remember that you are not alone in this. There are others standing ready to play their parts. We are stronger than the Helissoni think. Already our agents in the south have finished constructing the first five ships for the return. More of our people join the cause every day. They may not know your name, they may not know your mission, but they are all with you, Yeneris. Dreaming of the kore’s return, and the renewal of our home.”
Yeneris shivered. The thought was both reassuring and overwhelming. Which was probably exactly what Mikat intended. And it was what she needed to hear, she told herself ruthlessly.This mission isn’t about you. It’s about the kore. It’s about hope.
There had been other attempts to return to Bassara since the war. But none had succeeded. The first had been a fine vessel, sponsored by a wealthy Bassaran merchant from Urabas. It was meant to be a proof of concept, led by the daughter of one of the Nine Elders, stuffed full with bards and nobles and dreams. But the ship had been lost in a storm with all hands. Had never even touched the shore, so far as anyone knew.
The second had gotten farther, actually grounding on the curved, white beach sheltered by the eastern headland. The crew managed to last almost a full month, before a mysterious illness ravaged their nascent settlement, and they were forced to abandon it.
Since then, no one had dared attempt the return. Some said that the island was haunted by the spirits of the thousands who had died there. Others claimed that the kore herself was angry that her people had not protected her, had let her be stolen away.
Yeneris had never dared ask Mikat what she believed. She wondered, sometimes, if the older woman’s reasoning was more pragmatic. She was fairly certain that several of the major investors in the expedition would withdraw support if the mission to recover the kore failed.
