“Accurate enough for them to understand, though,” Edhir said, annoyed. Disdain dripped from his voice. He hunched his shoulders and pointedly did not look at Mehr or Amun. “Can you leave me be, now? I’m busy.”

Amun tilted his head in acknowledgment, then turned to leave. Mehr followed after him.

She’d heard Edhir talk so to Amun before, but now she understood she too was included in that disdain. It stung, but only a little. It was not as if Mehr wanted to risk friendship any longer. She’d learned the consequences of that.

It was no surprise when the Maha sent a messenger demanding their presence for dinner that evening. Amun had been tense before the summons but was even more so after it. He stalked around their room like a caged animal as Mehr went through the motions of getting dressed, brushing her hair back into a braid, tightening the sash of her tunic around her waist.

“I won’t be able to manage him,” he said. “Not anymore. Mehr, you’ll have to be careful with him. He’s very—”

“Angry,” Mehr cut in. “I know.” She tightened her sash an increment further. All her clothes were overlarge now. “We’ll be fine,” she said, trying to sound sure of herself. “Besides, I’m not afraid.”

“You don’t need to lie to me, Mehr.”

“But I’m not,” Mehr said. In fact, this at least was true: She felt nothing at all. She didn’t feel strong or brave either. Ever since receiving the summons, Mehr had felt numb, as if her emotions were a limb starved of blood. “Don’t worry for me, Amun. I’ll manage. Just make sure you don’t anger him. I don’t want to see you harmed either.”

Amun looked into her eyes, a curious, searching look on his face. Mehr looked right back at him. I never see you smile, he’d said to her. He knew her face, read it just as easily as she was able to read the curl of his hands, the slump or rise of his shoulders. What did he see in her face now?

Whatever he saw, he didn’t question her any further. He kept close to her side as they walked to the Maha’s chambers, his warm solidity a comfort Mehr hadn’t even realized she needed. It was only when they entered and kneeled on the floor in the Maha’s presence that he stepped away from her, leaving her to support her own weight.