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“Would you do it?” said Aurelius, a catch in his throat.
Calix’s face was a statue of torment. “No,” he whispered. “I could never do that.”
Aurelius let out a slow sigh of relief. “So... what is the other option?”
Calix lashed the final strap of the horse. “I have to find the one person who might be able to avoid that possibility.”
Aurelius stared at him for a while before it clicked. “Zosime? You would give up your birthright to Zosime?”
“She’s known to hate your polity. She wouldn’t need to prove anything. She could take lesser steps that I couldn’t. Cut off relations. Starve Mestibes of trade. Laugh as Mestibes was invaded. But not actually join the war against you.”
“What difference does that make? Either way, Mestibes would be destroyed.”
Calix breathed heavily. “A peaceful city, considering itself to be the last bastion of decency and reason in an illogical world? There have been worse moments for heroes to rise, Aurelius. And there have certainly been worse moments for the Five to reward the faith of their flock.”
“You can’t seriously believe that Mesti is going to swoop down and reward the city for not putting up a fight?”
Calix ran his hands along Aurelius’s arm. “We both know the power of the gods. And their strange sense of humor. Weirder things are possible.”
Aurelius took the hand, holding it tightly. “You would give up your birthright? For me?”
“It isn’t just for you. Zosime will be a greater leader than I could ever be.” From atop the hill, Calix looked over the dark city beyond. When he next spoke, it was little more than a gravel whisper. Aurelius was shocked to realize that it was a line from a play he knew well: “Creatures of Carnage” by the Mestibian actor and playwright Lyrisi. “What therian should sit upon this throne? What Beast of Bronze this city should endure?”
A pang of sympathy grazed Aurelius’s lungs. “But, how do we even find her?”
“She’s heading to the foothills of Vaticily. If we hurry, we might be able to catch her. Because from there? God only knows where she might travel.”
“But surely she will find out what has happened anyway? The death of a king? She will hear that in a few weeks at most. And then she will return on her own?”
“We can’t wait that long. Even a week is dangerous. My mother can keep the nobles at bay for a while. If we can get Zosime on the throne quickly, they’ll probably back down. My sister will make sure of that. But the Greens have waited for six generations in the shadows. House Kormos almost launched an attack after Father was poisoned. If the crown lays empty for too long, Kleio and the rest of his brood will make their move. And any family who takes the throne will be certain to launch a war against Mestibes—the ultimate consolidation of their new power. The only solution, for both of us, is to find Zosime now!”
“And what about Securia? She could still impersonate you?”
“We’ll have to take that risk. She could be anywhere and anyone right now.” He again looked over the rolling hills. “Our two families disgraced and much blood still to be shed? Hopefully, she’s already gotten what she intended.”
Calix mounted his steed and extended a hand. The stallion gave him a stubborn look, and Aurelius returned it.
Fucking horses, he thought, momentarily wondering where Teigra was.
Would she be safe? Despite it all, he hoped so. She was always so much stronger than she realized.
Wherever she is, hopefully she is learning that.
Calix pulled him up and they clicked into a gallop. They avoided the roads, moving swiftly through fields and groves under a blanket of night.
“Do you really think we will find her?” he said, eventually.
“We don’t find her, Aurelius. I told you. As soon as we cross the border, you’re going into hiding.”
“Calix. I am obviously coming with you.”
“My sister will be following Xiber to the front lines, Aurelius! To the edge of Rinath and beyond! Lands of war and death! It’s no place for someone untrained in—”
“Calix, we are doing this together. That is the end of it.”
They rode on in silence before Calix finally asked. “You would give up your chance at safety? Travel to the pits of the enemy’s territory? Just to be with me?”
“Yes,” he said, squeezing the big man’s chest, as much in affection as for grip. “And besides, there is Mestibes to think of! What is the life of a single man, even that of the herald, in exchange for a whole city?”
