Page 55

“You’re our Third, future leader of our clan. I won’t put up with people treating you like a whore.” Every muscle in his body was tense, ready to explode.

Iryana stiffened as Levek slipped away from her and fell back to where Edvar watched. Not able to leave it at that, she caught up to where her cousins huddled off to the side.

“Are you with him? With Pyetar?” Edvar demanded quietly. “Is that what this is?”

She almost choked, but she should have seen a direct question coming.

“Either way, we won’t let them talk about you like that,” Levek added, expression grim.

Edvar nodded, but said, “I’d still like to know, though.”

They stared at her expectantly.

“No,” she bit out quickly, before she could think better of it, and cringed internally. “We’re just allies. Friends, maybe.”

Edvar stared at her, stiff-backed, for several moments before deflating. “Alright, fine.”

“He hasn’t been general long,” Levek said, surprisingly calm. “Some might want to undermine his authority. Claiming he’s sleeping with you is one way to do that. I’m sure it will die down as the fort settles.”

Iryana let out a slow breath. “And as things improve between our people. Getting into fights with them will only make them more eager to drive us apart. To villainize us. To say the types of things about me that bother you so much.”

Edvar winced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was making that worse for you. You deserve better, Iryana.”

“Thanks, cousin.” She offered a weak smile. Her family wasn’t ready to know about her and Pyetar. But she would tell them. Eventually. When they would understand.

She knew there were rumors at the fort. Karvek had always been happy to let people think they were lovers, even before anything had happened between them. But she hadn’t thought the rumors would become such a serious problem. That they would blow up so wildly.

But what would they do now?

Iryana took a deep breath and pushed down the panic, walking over to Pyetar.

“Well, that was fun,” she said.

His blue eyes seemed to dart around them, landing everywhere but on her, and his shoulders were uncomfortably stiff. “I think it best we keep the guardians apart from the soldiers.”

Iryana’s shoulders sank. She wanted to argue, but he was right. It was too dangerous out there, regardless of how restrained the dakii had been lately, for them to be bickering and fighting among themselves.

“I know it’s not what you wanted,” Pyetar sighed. “What either of us wanted, but—”

“It’s probably for the best.” Those words felt like defeat.

They marched for days just in sight of each other, keeping their camps a dozen paces apart.

Iryana was miserable. Pyetar, Vaneshta, and the others were so close but completely out of reach. She couldn’t talk to them beyond a few curt strategy discussions with Pyetar. Her cousins picked up on her mood, leaving her be and mostly talking quietly among themselves.

When they reached the mouth of the Yuresh Valley, Myura River Fortress looming on the other side of the river, Iryana stepped away from her cousins to say goodbye.

It was a third of the way into the Cold Moon now, five weeks after they had set out on the pilgrimage to the well. The moon was aptly named, for Istri had grown increasingly frigid as the days grew shorter.

One by one, Iryana thanked her old team and said her farewells.

“Don’t worry,” Vaneshta said softly as she clapped Iryana on the shoulder. “Us fighters are a stubborn bunch.”

She couldn’t help a slight smile. “You’re telling me.”

Then she moved onto Pyetar. It was possible she wouldn’t see him until spring depending on how plans for the summit went.

“I will let you know if we hear anything from Keeper Tomislav,” Pyetar said softly. “But until then…”