Page 177 of A Crown of Lies

“Nobody has that kind of stamina.”

“Cyclic breathing, Ruith,” Aryn said, making a circle with his fingers. “In through the nose, out through the mouth. Or maybe just a little exercise once in a while.”

Ruith growled and tried to grab Aryn, but the wiry elf darted out of reach. “You’d better run.”

“Careful. Mercia will scold you if I come back with bruises that didn’t come from Niro.”

Ruith paused on the landing. While he didn’t fear Aryn’s little human woman, he feared Eris’s wrath. Since Mercia and Eris were practically sisters, Ruith couldn’t fight her, no matter how she got under his skin. “That woman is a menace. I can’t wait until the two of you go back to your little country estate, so I don’t have to listen to you breaking furniture every time you fuck.”

Aryn let out an annoyed huff. “Will you let that go? It was one time. How was I supposed to know the desk wasn’t as sturdy as it looked?”

“It wasmydesk! Inmyoffice, Aryn!”

“And I already promised to buy you another one.” Aryn patted him on the back.

“I still don’t know how you two managed to break it,” Ruith muttered, trudging up the next set of stairs. “You’re bothtiny.”

“Well, Niro is plenty sturdy, I promise you. And energetic.”

Ruith grimaced. “Just keep your sexcapades to yourselves.”

They came up to the top level. Ruith was in a superiorly foul mood when he pushed through the doors. A familiar head of brown hair peeked up from behind a chair in his office, and Josie immediately got up. She was dirty from miles of road, reeking of sweat and horse. It was a two-week journey from Brucia to D’thallanar by boat and horse, and she looked like she hadn’t slept for any of it.

“Josie?” Ruith blinked in surprise. “What are you doing here? I gave you orders to stay in Brucia and…”

“Brucia has fallen,” Josie reported gravely.

A beat of heavy silence stretched between them as Ruith tried to understand what he was being told.

Aryn, however, was the first to snap out of his stunned silence. “What? How?”

“Eris,” Ruith demanded, and grabbed Josie by the collar of her tunic. “Where is Eris?”

“She wasn’t there!” Josie pulled away and smoothed her hands over the new wrinkles Ruith’s fist had left behind. “Last I heard, she’d made it safely to Greymark.”

Ruith stared at Josie, too stunned to speak. Then he pushed past his lieutenant, going into the back of his office to retrieve the good liquor from his cabinet and a glass. He tore off the stopper and poured himself a drink, downing it to steel his nerves. Then he braced himself against the chair. Eris was alive. In Greymark. Alive and safe.

But someone was going to bleed for this.

He met Josie’s eyes and demanded, “Tell me everything.”

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