Page 38 of Ties of Deception

Akakios bowed and nearly fell to one side. I automatically stepped forward, taking his arm on the side of his bad leg to stabilize him. He gasped in shock, and I let go at once, worried I had overstepped.

Then he stared at me. Beside me, Flavia started to cry, her hands cupping her mouth and nose. I looked down and saw that his leg was no longer twisted—he was standing straight. The last of my nerves vanished, and a surge of happiness ran through me. All the flowers in the room expanded in explosions of color.

Akakios bowed all the way to the floor, the gesture now easy for him. “Thank you, my lady. Thank you. Thank you. I don’t think we could ever repay you.”

I shook my head and motioned for him to get up, deeply uncomfortable with his gesture. Flavia dragged him back up to his feet. I smiled to reassure him. “Flavia has already repaid me many times over with her service.”

I turned back to my maid. “Did anyone else come tonight that I can Bless?”

She removed her hands from her face, though there were tears on her cheeks. “I didn’t dare tell everyone as I didn’t want things to get out of hand. You have twenty maids on rotation, and they all have families. If they all came here, it would attract attention. There’s just one person, somebody I thought would most need to be here. She’s next door.”

I followed her into a smaller room where I was surprised to see an anxious looking Silvia. Beside her was a gaunt boy of about fifteen or sixteen. He didn’t appear unwell, but his bright, dark eyes followed me.

Silvia instantly fell to her knees when I entered and the boy copied. “My lady, forgive my boldness, especially when I failed you as a maid. I was so anxious to please you that I messed up, I know I did. Drusella dismissed me when she heard I spilled your juice and failed to be calm.”

Flavia hovered by my side. “Silvia was desperate for the role of your maid as she was hoping you could heal her son’s ailment. He gets frequent stomach pains and can barely eat enough food. Most meals make him sick.”

I smiled at Silvia who was still on her knees and hadn’t raised her eyes. “You didn’t fail me, Silvia. I’m sorry you were dismissed. I would be happy to help you. Only please keep this a secret.”

She nodded with enthusiasm. I lay my hands on the kneeling pair, hoping they could both receive Blessings and health.

As I lifted my hand, Silvia began to sob. “Thank you for your kindness and forgiveness, Lady Purity.”

I shifted, uncomfortable. “I’m sorry you had to go to so much effort simply for me to meet your son.”

Flavia ushered me out of the room before I could say anything else. She still appeared anxious. “You should go now, my lady, before anyone notices you are gone. Would you like me to escort you back?”

I shook my head. “No, thank you. I will see you in the morning.”

She took my hand and kissed it, my breath catching in shock. She pressed it to her forehead. “Thank you, my lady. Tonight has meant…everything to us. You have changed everything.”

I smiled, squeezing her hand in return, and slipped out of the front door.

Ethen leaned against the wall with his arms folded, looking meaningfully at the cobbles. Weeds had sprouted everywhere, many with tiny white or yellow flowers. He smirked. “Somebody is going to have a lot of extra work.”

I frowned at them. “Can’t you, you know, use your death magic and kill them all?”

He snorted. “You want me to use my powers of death—that could wipe out the entirety of Yienna—to kill some weeds?”

I nodded and folded my arms, cocking my head. “Can’t you? You keep hinting you’re really powerful, after all.”

He pushed off from the wall and took a step closer to me. “It’s not about power, it’s about control. Death is not meant to be frivolous.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I’m not being frivolous. It covers our steps so people won’t suspect I’ve been here. Somebody might notice. You said you’d protect me, didn’t you?”

He blinked slowly as I stayed staring at his eyes and some of his habitual coldness entered back into his features. “Done.”

I looked around and saw that, indeed, all the weeds had shriveled and died.

He spread his arms. “And I even managed not to kill anyone in the process. Are you impressed now?”

I shook back my hair from my face and replaced my hood. “Shall we go back home?” I started walking back up the street without waiting for him to respond.

I barely caught the words he muttered under his breath. “This place is not your home.” I pretended not to have heard.

When we reached the brighter lit streets of the richer areas in the Riverside District and the fresh scent of the river cooled my skin, I turned to Ethen. “If you can just kill everything around you without moving, why do you carry that sword? Is it just for intimidation?”

He gave me a despairing look. “This may surprise you, but I don’t actually intend to kill most people who threaten me. A sword is a much better form of defense—it’s also an expected practice in the Unseen Lands. We are meant to protect the souls of the dead from interference unless they are Fated.” He paused and glanced slightly behind him. “For example, I don’t intend to kill the man who has been following us since your friend’s house, but I may well decide to give him a sharp prod to send him on his way.”

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