Page 22 of Ties of Frost

“‘Forsaking all selfish ambition, we will sacrifice our comfort and, if so called, our lives, to protect those who cannot protect themselves,’” I recited. The words had become rote, but now they tasted bitter on my tongue.

“Which matters more, then: your ability to fly or fall on your own, or protecting the empire? You cannot properly fulfill your rengir warrior duties while injured. ‘We see to our needs so that we may have the strength to serve.’ Therefore, you must first remove the ice curse. Yet you’re right it’s also your duty to be concerned about illicit activities and possible assassins. Now, what do our vows say? Do they say ‘I’ or ‘we’?”

“We,” I mumbled.

“What is to be our relationship with others in the Order?”

“‘We strive together in unity, treating each other as brother and sister, seeking peace amongst ourselves.’”

Perhaps I had gone too long without meditating on my oaths. I believed myself at peace with the rengiri—other than Kyrundar, perhaps—but was traveling and doing my duty alone truly strivingtogether? I’d assumed it was enough to be together in spirit. I doubted Sajen would agree with that interpretation, so I didn’t voice it.

Sajen hummed approval. “Weare to protect the people in cooperation. You and I fulfill our vows in aiding each other. I will deal with Grivolen and investigate these attackers until you return. Agreed?”

Everything in me wanted to argue. Yet my mind was too slowed by weariness to find a coherent counterpoint. Nor did a compelling reason to reject Sajen’s offer appear to me.

I sighed. “All right. Thank you. But keep the investigation quiet—I don’t want to cause a panic when I have no evidence. And the new magistrate might have told me to give up the investigation. I don’t want him to accuse the Order of harassment or undermining his authority.”

“Why do you love to complicate things, Zee? All right. You have my word, but in return, you must make me a promise.”

“What?” I scarcely breathed as I awaited his demands.

“Seek unity, peace, and togetherness with Kyrundar as you travel together. Ask Iskyr to help you. I believe you will find you have misjudged him.”

As if. Still, to deny his request would be rude at best, a denial of my vows at worst. “I promise to do my best to follow your advice.”

Ten

Kyrundar

After I left the borrowed lantern at Merael’s, I returned to Riverfront Haven. Music and conversation still carried over the walls. Not in the mood for revelry, I walked in the shadows along the river until the sounds of merrymaking ended, then crept inside. A few rengiri were conversing in the common room, but they were half asleep and didn’t notice me slip by.

Riverfront Haven was the fourth-largest Haven in the capital city in terms of beds, but the largest in terms of space. The ground floor held the common room, kitchen, and five bedrooms, and a second floor boasted another ten bedrooms. Every bedroom had one cot—no sharing space, as at many Havens across the empire. I didn’t mind sharing when out serving the empire, but I was in Laedresh to relax, and it was a welcome reprieve to not listen to a randomacquaintance breathing all night. Plus these rooms all had windows, which wasn’t a given at many Havens, either.

Despite my weariness, sleep kept slipping out of my reach. Every time I started to drift off, some terrible moment from the day reappeared in my mind: Zidra’s stiffness at the medallion ceremony, seeing that curse hit her arm or her shivering on the floor, her anger when she realized we were heartbonded.

Well, if Zidra wanted to be enemies instead of friends, that was fine. We could get this problem resolved and then never speak again. That didn’t bother me.

Lying is an affront to Iskyr, Kyr, I chided myself.

I felt like I had scarcely slept when I awoke to persistent knocking. Sunlight filtered through the thick curtains, giving the room a greenish tint.

With a groan, I rolled out of bed and stumbled over the cool wood floor. As I went, I untangled my hair from the earrings I’d forgotten to remove the night before. The knocking turned to a banging.

“All right! I’m coming!” I wrenched open the door and blinked against the brightness of the sunlight-flooded corridor.

Zidra’s eyes widened, and pink tinged her tan skin. Her gaze leaped from my bare chest up to my face. Any hint of being flustered quickly disappeared behind her signature intimidating scowl. “Why aren’t you dressed? The sun has been up for hours.”

I rested my forearm against the doorframe near my head and leaned into its support. “Didn’t sleep well. Nordid I have any idea what time you were coming. Or if you would come today. You said you’d find me ‘when you were ready.’ You made it sound like you needed time.”

“Right. Well.” Zidra cleared her throat and angled away from me. “What I need is to get this curse removed as quickly as possible, which means we can’t waste time. We need to look for Gautindar Rouven at once. Merael’s records indicate that before he moved to Laedresh—”

“Whoa, slow down. If Rouven wanted to disappear, he wouldn’t go back home. I have a friend who knows everything, and what she doesn’t know, she can learn. We’ll start there.”

Zidra stiffened.

“Sorry, I mean…is it all right with you if we start there?”

Her mouth puckered, and the tense line of her shoulders beneath her leather armor didn’t ease. “Fine. Who is this woman?”

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