Chapter Sixteen #4
Kiaro picked up one of the marble pieces, passing it dexterously across his knuckles before it vanished in mid-air. “That is not why you’re losing.”
He opened his hand and held out the marble. Ethyr took it, fingertips brushing his palm, and Kiaro’s fingers closed around the spot like Ethyr had been the one to give him something.
“You’re losing,” Kiaro continued, tucking his hand away, “because you don’t look at all your options and take only the paths that are handed to you. Don't let yourself be so easily swayed by another's advice just because it's given kindly.”
Ethyr looked at the game piece, turning it over in his fingers. That sounded an awful lot like it related to more than the game. Before he could pick up the courage to ask, Kiaro spoke first.
“Shall we play again?” he asked, gaze passing over Ethyr. How could his eyes be so steely but his gaze so soft? Ethyr wanted to melt under it. He swallowed the words stuck in his throat and nodded.
Kiaro kept Ethyr at his side through the night.
He never won a game. He also never deciphered Kiaro’s reasons for pulling him away from the others.
The god clearly didn’t care if the others fucked him, he’d let it happen before.
But it was a nice change of pace to not be rumpled and ravaged when he met Poyut in the morning.
As they made their way to the front of the temple, Klara’s familiar voice drifted into the hall, not loud enough to discern until they were nearly upon the room it was coming from.
Lyrian’s name grabbed his attention and he slowed, glancing inside.
He caught a glimpse of Klara speaking to someone he didn’t recognize.
“—much time before the trial. We’d better get our stories straight if we have any hope of convicting Lyrian.”
Poyut hadn’t stopped walking. Ethyr whipped forward before he was caught eavesdropping and rushed to catch up with her, his mind turning over itself like a kicked rock.
They were going to take his one and only ally from him.
He should have known the day would come, but he was helpless to do anything about it.
But he had to do something. He had to try.
Once they were out of the temple and walking across the grounds to the carriage, he glanced around to be sure there was no one close, then gripped Poyut’s arm, pulling her to a stop.
“When we get back, you must find Sabatus and bring him to me,” he whispered. She blinked down at him, brow furrowed at the urgency in his voice. “Discreetly. Please, Poyut. Please.”
“Okay,” she reassured, cutting off his panic. “I will.”
Ethyr paced his room. When there was a knock on the door he darted forward to open it. Poyut stepped inside and quickly closed the door behind her.
“I’m sorry, Ethyr,” she told him, not waiting for his prompting. “Sabatus has been dismissed from the palace guards.”
“What?” Ethyr hissed. “By Yorith?”
She nodded.
He turned from her, fists clenched at his side, thoughts racing and tumbling over each other. Yorith must have found out. He knew Lyrian had a man inside; possibly even knew Ethyr had spoken with him. He turned back around to face Poyut.
“Did you tell him?” he demanded.
Poyut blinked at him. “Tell him what?”
“About Sabatus!” Ethyr threw his hands up. “About my meeting him! About his connection to Lyrian!”
“Of course not,” Poyut replied back heatedly.
“Then how did Yorith know?!”
“I don’t know, Ethyr!” Poyut sighed, propping her hands on her hips. “He has eyes and ears in every corner of this place, and probably the city too. There could be any number of ways he’d find out something like that.”
If he had eyes and ears everywhere, who was to say he didn’t have Poyut’s?
Ethyr bit his lips together, staring hard at her, trying to see any hint of deception.
But she just looked back with exasperation.
If she was truly on his side, wouldn’t she be upset he’d lost his only outside connection as well?
Kiaro’s words rang in his head. Honesty doesn’t get you far in the palace. How could he trust her? How could he trust anyone?
“Get out,” he told her, marching to the balcony. But she followed him.
“Ethyr, please,” she pleaded. “I know everything is stressful right now but—”
“Do you know about the trial?” he spun around to ask her. She halted, looking at him. “Do you know they’re trying to get rid of the one person I have on my side?”
“I’m on your side!” she told him, steadfast.
He scoffed, crossing his arms. “If you were, you wouldn’t have to say that.”
Poyut’s shoulders straightened and she frowned at him. “I have to say it because you refuse to believe me.”
“My aunt always says you don’t catch a liar through words, you catch them through actions.”
“And exactly what actions have I done to make you think I’m a liar?”
“I don’t know!” Ethyr burst out. “Maybe that’s the problem!”
Poyut pressed her mouth into a tight line and stared at him. He stared back, squaring his own shoulders and keeping his chin raised. Without a word, she turned around and walked out.