Page 98 of The Mask Falling

“Because long ago, and for a very short time,” he said, “Kornephoros was my mate.”

I almost choked on my saloop. Arcturus looked at me in puzzlement. By some miracle, I managed not to descend into yet another coughing fit.

“Kornephoros.” My eyes watered. “You and . . . Kornephoros.”

“You are surprised.”

“He struck me as cruel and devious. I just can’t imagine you ever finding that attractive.”

“I had not seen his nature then. I soon did.”

“What did he do?”

“He claimed to be Ranthen. We fought alongside him, and believed he shared our desire to keep the Mothallath in power. In the end, however, it was he who delivered our star-sovereigns to Nashira.”

“Fine,” I said. “Let him rot down there.”

“You say he expects you to return in a sennight. If you do not, and he escapes, he will come looking for you.”

“What the hellisa sennight?”

“Seven nights,” he said, as if this wasn’t the most unnecessary word in existence. “Kornephoros is an osteomancer. He used to read the bones of human children for Kraz Sargas. Not only that, but his touch causes excruciating pain.”

I really did know how to choose them. “We needed to know where Sheol II was,” I said. “I didn’t have much choice.”

“He did tell you the location, then.”

“Versailles. It made sense to me, but I suppose he could have been lying.”

“Likely. Deceit comes easily to his kind.”

“You would know.”

It shot out before I could stop it. Arcturus looked at me and waited.

“You said there was one last truth you would keep from me,” I said, very softly. “Did it happen to concern the Emim?”

With his face cast into shadow, his eyes were living flame. “You know.”

“That they used to be Rephaim?” I said. “Is that the secret you claimed you had to keep from me?”

“Yes.”

Both of us fell silent for a time. “Well,” I said, “now I know.” I put the mug down a bit too hard. “If you want to explain, this is your chance.”

His chin tilted down. Through the cord, I sensed a yielding, as if something had released in him.

“Terebell believed that if you knew, you and other like-minded humans might refuse to work alongside the Ranthen—that you, in particular, would not hear reason,” he said. “Not long after I met you, she swore us to secrecy.”

I could picture them assembled by candlelight, agreeing to keep me in the dark.

“I did not care for you then. As I came to know you, I also came to regret the oath, for I suspected it would cause the very mistrust Terebell had predicted. I asked her to release me from it. She refused.”

“You could have told me the truth in confidence.”

“And you would have seen that my promises were hollow.” He looked at me. “For Ranthen, it is a matter of honor. To break my word, given freely—it would have stained me.”

“Not in my eyes.”

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