44. FOURTY-FOUR
FOURTY-FOUR
Darius
“I’m afraid we still haven’t been able to locate the thief,” Eastway says. His broad shoulders take up the entire doorframe to a large storehouse, yet even he shrinks under my glare. “I’m sorry, Captain.”
Staefan clicks his tongue at the old title, but neither of us corrects him. Eastway was one of the soldiers who helped take down my father. He retired last year with one less arm, but agreed to return to duty for the investigation.
We don’t always see eye to eye, but if anyone can flush out the thief, it’s this old tactician.
“Do we at least know what’s been stolen?” I ask.
Eastway pulls a crumpled list from his jacket pocket and hands it over. “Aye, but the odd thing is no two thefts have the same style. One was a sloppy break-in. The next, I couldn’t even find how they got in. The thief left lock pick scars on the door here.”
“So we have multiple thieves,” Staefan says.
Eastway glances at the lock again like he’s planning his next checkmate. His eyes narrow, gray mustache twitching, as he mumbles to himself, “That deduction makes the most sense.”
“Out with it,” I command.
“My gut tells me it’s the same person. Or at least a small crew. The differences are so obvious, almost like they’re intentionally setting the stage.”
No wonder the guild was having issues putting the pieces together. Not many are shrewd enough to question the obvious.
“Your gut’s good enough for me. Let me know if you find anything else.”
Eastway nods, mind half lost in his machinations. “I’ll have the full list of items stolen from each location sent over by tonight. Maybe you’ll see something I couldn’t.”
“Thank you.”
Coryntha’s thief problem is just another mystery on my long list of headaches. I still don’t have any answers for the attacks so far, but I’m confident Zala isn’t behind them. His mocking message about not being able to keep Mina safe runs through my head like a relentless training drill.
I’m tired of feeling like we’re one step behind. I’ve got extra eyes on all my councilors and research everyone who enters Mina’s circle. Each of her new soldiers is vetted for possible spies or threats.
I’m doing everything in my power to find a common thread or clue, so why do I feel like I’m missing something?
Staefan’s quill rips through the paper before he tosses it down with a growl. “I resign.”
I set the mangled page back on his side of the desk, ignoring his theatrics. “No, you don’t.”
I focus back on the list Eastway sent over. So far, I can’t figure out how any of the stolen items are connected.
A few old books with broken spines.
Two bags of fertilizer that were contaminated and marked for disposal.
A hand-carved wardrobe from Noula. The other nineteen wardrobes in that order were left untouched.
Three barrels of salted fish.
A chest plate for armor.
The list taunts me to find a thread that doesn’t exist.
“If you don’t get your head out of your ass I will. This is the second time I’ve found simple mistakes. The soldier counts are off, and the new budget for the ships needs to be negotiated down.”
“Set the meeting. We’ll get the costs down. As for the soldier counts, they aren’t inaccurate. They were a test to see if you were paying attention through all that moping.”
A heavy sigh rushes past his lips. He hasn’t seen his wife in over a month, which he assures me is an eternity in married years. Before Mina, I would’ve laughed at him, but the idea of a day away from her makes my stomach roil.
Staefan’s quips and irritability are worse by the day, but thankfully, Tayla is on her way here for the time we’ll stay portside. She demanded I keep it a surprise, but I’m half tempted to ruin it just to shut him up.
“I’m not the only one sighing. You’ve been distracted since we arrived two days ago. Trouble in paradise?” he teases.
I study the steam rising from my cup as if my glare could freeze it.
“Wait, don’t tell me that’s actually it?” He sinks down in his chair, amazed. “I know your relationship progressed, but I assumed it was mostly physical. I’m all for you learning to enjoy life, and you might as well do it with your wife…”
“Why do I sense a ‘but’ coming?”
I close my eyes and massage them with my thumbs. Staefan knows me better than anyone, and whatever is about to come out of his mouth will only be an echo of the scolding I already gave myself.
“In all the years I’ve known you, you’ve never kept a steady lover. Sir ‘Love Is a Weakness I’ll Never Allow.’ Master of frivolous nights and a trail of broken hearts. If Mina was simply marital fun, then you wouldn’t be like this.”
“Like what?”
“Like me…” He realizes with a laugh that quickly dies. We share a meaningful glance as his brows pinch in discomfort. “Word of advice from one married man to another?”
I nod, dread and hope sword-fighting in my chest.
“If you love her, you can’t lie to her. There can be no secrets between husband and wife. Not if you want the love you’ve found with her to be real.”
“There are always secrets between spouses. You’ve kept mine from your wife.” Staefan winces and stands, putting several furniture pieces between us. “Staefan…”
“There are no secrets between husband and wife. A true love match would never break that confidence.”
I thought I could trust my oldest friend, but all these years, he’s been spilling his guts to Tayla. He’s lucky I trust her like family. Anyone else in the same scenario would be dead.
I wait for betrayal to consume me, for anger to take over, but the most I feel is mild irritation. Probably because I know he’s not wrong. Bastard.
“You should have told me Tayla knows everything.”
As angry as I am at him, I’m more angry with myself. From the moment Mina and I met, my lies to her have been a self-administered poison. I kept telling myself that this guilt would dissipate. That I’d build a tolerance just like every other poison—one sip at a time.
I bite down, catching my cheek, and copper spreads across my tongue. It tastes like something I forgot long ago. It tastes of fear.
“If I tell Mina the truth, there’s a chance I’ll lose her,” I say tentatively. I can’t bear to see her return to the shell of woman who found that damned box.
“If you tell her, there’s a chance she kills you,” Alexi adds matter-of-factly. He slides through the window and tries to pat the humidity from his unruly hair.
I was so distracted by our conversation, I didn’t even notice his arrival. I called him here for a quick security update, but he managed to surprise me. Maybe Staefan is right about my head being firmly up my ass.
“Probably best to keep it to yourself. She’s been hurt enough.” The usual carelessness in Alexi’s voice is replaced with a hardness he saves for our enemies.
I raise an eyebrow at him. “You almost sound like you care.”
I keep my tone teasing, but a seed of suspicion works between my ribs. I assigned him to Mina because he has no problem keeping his distance from targets. As charming as Mina is, Alexi would’ve told me about any changes. Right?
I scrub my face in frustration. Clearly, I’m just pissed at myself and trying to find fault with others today.
Alexi shrugs, flashing me a shit-eating grin. “I do care. You getting torn to shreds by your angry magic-wielding wife is mildly problematic for the entire empire.”
I flip him off, but his words linger. She’s been hurt enough. The safest option is to put some distance between us, but that idea sounds as appealing as swallowing glass. It’s also the cowardly way out.
Mina and I have forged a fragile trust that grows stronger each day. Keeping this from her is disrespectful, but the idea of losing her is so terrifying, I want to vomit.
“You have time, but I would tell her soon. The longer you wait, the worse it’ll be.” Staefan pats my hand awkwardly. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you. She’ll see your side of things.”
My gaze bounces between the last of my family. Small, intimate, and capable of handling themselves. I love them fiercely, but if they died, I’d mourn and find a way to move on.
Mina is different. Even the idea of days without her sends a sharp stab of pain through my chest. Before we met, Kalisham was merely a future sword in my armory. A tool to protect Veloria from the hunger of the world. A trade path.
I thought only about how both our lands might prosper from an alliance. But now I want to explore Kalisham through Mina’s eyes. See all the places that shaped the woman I love.
Will Mina understand how I’ve changed since then? How she’s changed me?
My choices are as clear as the faces that watch me. Distance myself from Mina and continue to lie—a controlled outcome that will fester for the rest of our marriage—or take a chance and tell her the truth. One quick thrust that will decide if I bleed out or live the rest of my life in bliss.
She already accepted the darker parts of me. Why not this? Alexi’s advice is the logical choice, but my heart leads most decisions these days, especially when it comes to Mina.
I’ve been outnumbered in hopeless battles and come out on top. I channel the man who united an empire, steeling myself for what comes next.
“I’ll find the right time. Tactically, she needs to know anyway. Zala could use that information against us later, and we need to be a unified front against him if we want to succeed.”
Staefan shakes his head with a grin. “Only you would turn romance into a war board.”
“If things go south when you do tell her,” Alexi adds, “don’t expect me to step in and save you.”