Page 84 of Blood Sanctuary, Part One

“Not at all, Honored Master. I am but one small voice and one flawed heart. I will give the Hesperines my full forgiveness, for I too hope for the same from others.”

In the silence, the Semna struck the floor with her walking stick in an unmistakable gesture of agreement. Then the room filled with the stomp of the Tenebrans’ boots. While the Cordian mages were silent, every other mortal in the room applauded Cassia. Applauded forgiveness. For Lio’s people.

A TENEBRAN THRUSH

When the quiet ofveil hours descended, Cassia went out to the courtyard to wait for Lio. A flawless new bloom had appeared on one of the Sanctuary rosebushes. She could not resist burying her nose in its fragrant petals.

The sound of footsteps caught her by surprise. No Hesperine walked so audibly. It was a mortal who approached through one of the shadowed archways. Knight stood at attention.

She had no time to return to her room before Chrysanthos stepped into view in the moonlight. Her instincts clamored in warning, and she judged them justified. So did Knight, for he positioned himself in front of her.

Cassia put on a pleasant, polite expression. She need not explain herself. This was the courtyard outside her rooms, and she was here alone. It was Chrysanthos who was the interloper.

“Lady Cassia. How fortunate that I have run into you here.”

“Are you lost, Honored Master? If so, I am sorry to tell you that you are far off course from the New Guest House.” She gestured at the flowers around them. “As you can see, this is the courtyard at Rose House.”

“Then I congratulate myself on my sense of direction. I was looking for your bodyguard’s room, so that I might apply myself to him for a moment of your time. How unfortunate that I am tardy, and you have already dismissed your household for the night.”

“Allow me to wake Callen and Perita, and we shall invite you into the sitting room, which serves as my hearth room.”

He held up a hand to stay her. “No need. This common area will serve propriety just as well, and your liegehound is escort enough.”

“No, Honored Master, I insist. Allow us to show you proper hospitality.” She turned to go, forcing herself not to move too hastily, when all she wanted to do was flee.

“Lady Cassia, when you choose to play Kings and Mages, you cannot use handmaidens and foot soldiers as your tokens.”

At the change in his tone, Knight gave a warning growl. Cassia let go of the door handle and put her hand on Knight instead.

So Chrysanthos had come to call her out on tonight’s game. Very well. She did not need handmaidens and foot soldiers to beat him.

“Still trying to make effective use of a liegehound playing piece, I see.” The Dexion strolled across the courtyard and leaned against the back of a bench.

The odor of his hair oils washed over her, just like that morning at Solorum when he had nearly thwarted her escape from the shrine of Hespera. The sound of flame and the taste of ashes came back to her. He had reduced that sacred place to a demonstration of his power for the king. He would not hesitate to do the same to Cassia.

“You made a move upon my game board tonight,” he warned her. “You clearly do not know the rules.”

The glyph stone had protected her from his spells that morning. She had the shard at her neck to shield her now. She looked him in the eye and did not back away. “Is that why you are here? To knock over my token and let me know I made a false move?”

“Oh, nothing so heavy-handed, I assure you.” But his smile looked deadly. “Just a friendly word of advice from an expert to a novice. Stay in the orderly squares on your plane and leave the complex paths to me.”

“Then in exchange, I will give you a friendly word of advice from a Tenebran to a mage. Do not leave most of your pieces on the plane and charge through the paths without them. You will find yourself with no tokens at all.”

“As the Hesperines well know, he who relies on strategy needs few pieces to win.”

From the corner of her eye, Cassia caught sight of the darkness behind Chrysanthos. The moonlight cast a long shadow through an archway where it appeared no one stood.

She could only hope she could trust her diplomat to rely on strategy. He must not take the path of the prince and charge in to rescue her.

“It’s not the Hesperines you need to worry about,Honored Master.It is not to them that you owe your invitation to this gathering.”

He whistled softly. “Oh-ho. My lady taunts at the gaming table. I had no idea you were such a bold bluffer.”

“If you think that was a bluff, I fear you are not the strategist you believe yourself to be. You must keep all your pieces in the game. If you lose them, what is left to you? You cannot bring the sun into play.”

“Well, well.” He crossed his arms. “And here I thought you a novice. Be careful, Lady Cassia. You are showing your hand.”

“I have announced my cards from the start. I have seldom had the chance to do anything of consequence for Tenebra until now. To the best of my ability, such as it is, I intend to serve my people.”

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