Page 58 of A War Apart

I fell into step “It’s a bit late to be doing laundry, isn’t it? They won’t be dry by morning.”

“It’s just bed sheets. Everything we’re taking is already packed.” She glanced sideways at me. “So what was that about?”

“Alexey? Nothing. He caught me outside, and I couldn’t think how to get rid of him without being rude.”

“I see.” Her tone was skeptical, and I scowled. “And I suppose you won’t give him a favor to take into battle?” She tutted. “To think, you could send a man off to his death without a warm thought to comfort him.”

My chest tightened. No, we weren’t talking about Han. Izolda didn’t even know Han existed. He wouldn’t be in the battle. I took a deep breath, fighting to get air in my lungs.

“Fia?” Izolda realized I had stopped walking. She turned around. “You okay? You’ve got an odd look.”

“I’m fine.” I took another breath and started walking again.

“Hey.” She stepped into an alcove, jerking her head in indication that I should follow. She peered down the hallway, then dumped the linens on the floor and crossed her arms. “There’s no one to hear. Talk to me.”

The shadowy alcove darkened—Izolda’s doing, I realized, with the minor shadow-melding abilities she’d inherited from her grandmother. The effect was disconcerting, the darkness unnatural, but no one passing by would see us unless they were looking for us.

Still, I didn’t want to talk. “It’s nothing.”

“And I’m the grand duchess.” Through the shadows, I saw her lean against the wall. “You can trust me, you know. I may not know who you were before all this, but you’re not my friend because I knew the real Sofia. I respect you. I like you. If there’s something wrong, I’d like to help.”

I sighed. “It’s not something you can help with. It’s this battle. This,” I gestured vaguely, “everything.”

“Was it what I said about Alexey?”

“No! Well, not exactly.” I bit my lip. How much should I reveal? I could trust Izolda—she had as much to lose as me, if I was discovered as a spy—but should I tell her about Han?

I had to. She was my friend. And Otets knew I needed a friend. Someone to confide in. “There’s…someone else.”

“You have a suitor?”

I smiled ruefully. “Not exactly.” I glanced down the hall. Still empty, but I lowered my voice. “I’m married.”

“Huh.”

Not quite the overwhelming reaction I’d expected. “He’s—”

“The scarred stud who was staying in the baron’s wing at the castle in Tsebol?”

I froze, and Izolda laughed.

“There aren’t many people who get to stay in the baron’s wing. You were both there at the same time, so I assumed he was related to you somehow.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

She shrugged. “You didn’t trust me yet. You didn’t even know me. I didn’t want to push it.”

“Oh.” I stared unseeing at the wall, mind reeling.

“You think he’s going to be in the battle?” she asked after a moment.

“I don’t know. I hope not.”

“I see.”

I sighed. “And Alexey…”

“Complicates things.”

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