Page 89 of City of Stone and Silence

“Because she betrayed her husband,” Meroe says. “Even if it saved her country, she knew she had damned herself by breaking that sacred bond.”

“Rot that,” I say. “I would have cut the guy’s throat before leaving the palace, myself.” I shake my head. “Did this actually happen?”

“Who knows? The point is that we tell the story for a reason.”

I think about that, as we cross a stretch of open fields full of angels. There are so many of them, plain compared to the bizarre angels on Soliton, each with its several limbs working away as tirelessly as a watermill. One of them is weaving, creating the coarse fabric I’ve seen both the Cresos and the Minders use out of a pile of fibrous stuff it manipulates using specialized extremities.

Someone did design this place for people to live here. That’s obvious enough. It still doesn’t tell us who, or why.

After we cross into another stretch of forest, I call a halt beside a stream, dammed by a boulder into a wide pool. The day is hot enough to make me sweat, and it’s a relief to sit in the shade. Lunch is fruit and roasted vegetables, both of types I can’t identify, and some crispy, salty stuff.

“I never thought I’d say this,” I tell Meroe, “but I honestly miss crab meat.”

“Meat in general,” she says. “God, what I wouldn’t do for a steak.”

“Roast pork,” I suggest. “Marinated and cooked slowly. The street stalls stuff it in a bun with spicy sauce.”

“Fried venu.” Meroe sighs longingly, then laughs as I give her a quizzical look. “You don’t have venu in the Empire? They’re like … big, stupid birds.”

“Like chickens?”

“Much bigger than chickens. The size of a pony. And they can’t fly.”

“You’re making that up.”

“I swear I’m not! I visited a ranch once. You wouldn’t believe the smell.” She grins at me.

“When we get Soliton back to Kahnzoka, maybe we can start farming crabs.”

I try to picture a farm full of blueshells and hammerheads and start laughing, and Meroe joins in.

“You,” I say, wiping my eyes, “are a very strange princess.”

“So I’m told.” Meroe gets to her feet and starts taking off her silver bracelets, then unwrapping her dress.

I eye her suspiciously. “What are you doing?”

“Getting cleaned up.” She gestures at the pool. “I don’t know about you, but I haven’t had a bath in days. I figured Catoria might appreciate the effort.”

“Here?”

She undoes the last knot, and lets her dress fall away. As always, the sight of her makes my breath catch.

“Who’s going to notice?” she says, still grinning. “The angels?”

She has a point. I watch, appreciatively, as she strips off her underthings and wades into the pool.

“Nice and warm,” she says. “Come on, you’ll feel better.”

I glance at the sun, trying to ignore the hissing hourglass at the back of my mind. Rot it. I strip down and step into the water. It’s as warm as Meroe promised, only a couple of feet deep, and the sandy streambed feels good on my weary feet.

Meroe is already sitting down, leaning back to put her head underwater and wet her hair. I try not to stare at her too obviously as I start cleaning myself up.

A paradise that only we could rule, Prime called this place. Without his monsters, he might be right. I rub wet sand across my skin, then lean back to wash it off, my thoughts wandering in odd directions. If not for Tori, if not for Prime, would it be so wrong to stay here?

Just thinking that feels … almost blasphemous, somehow. Ever since my powers came to me, I’ve been living my life for my little sister’s sake, keeping her free of the river of blood and rot I had to wade in. Here, though, the river was gone. No Immortals to hide from. No one has to starve or sell themselves for food, or fight to keep monsters from their door.

If I could take control, destroy Prime and his madness …