He was still awake, however, when Seregil finally slipped in and began to undress by the door.

“It’s all right. I’m awake. What did you and Thero learn?”

“That our poor guard is probably cursed rather than mad,” he said as he crawled into bed with Alec and stretched out with his arms behind his head. “Bilairy’s Balls, this bed is like iron! I never thought I’d miss a ship’s bunk.”

“The curse, Seregil. What is it?”

“Terrible visions, terrible fear. Someone doesn’t want him telling what he saw that night. All Thero could get beyond that was the impression of a woman, probably Lieutenant Phania, being pulled into darkness.”

“By whatever attacked the governor, probably.”

“Hmmm. Maybe. Whatever it was, Thero wasn’t able to get much out of the poor man before he fell into a fit. In the midst of it he claimed that Thero and I are going to die. ‘Only the dead can walk with the dead.’ That seems like a fairly obvious statement—”

“Illior’s Light, Seregil! Did he say anything more?”

“No, talí, he didn’t. He’s not the first to threaten me with death, and as you can see, I’m still here.”

“Do you think these nightmares you’re having that you can’t remember have anything to do with it?”

“If I could remember the dreams, I’d tell you.” Seregil sighed. “Thero’s going to find a healer for the man to calm him so that he can get a better read on his thoughts and memories.” Seregil yawned. “That’s all for now. Not bad for a first night’s work, wouldn’t you say?”

Alec rose up on one elbow. Seregil’s eyes were closed already. Alec nudged him gently with his knee. “I thought you were going to lose your temper at dinner when the mayor mentioned slaves.”

Seregil sighed again. “I’d lay money on the mayor having had a few in his own household.”

Alec had suspected as much from Hasen’s reaction. “Insulting him in front of Klia wasn’t going to change anything.”

Seregil touched Alec’s chest where the slave taker’s fatal arrow had struck him, then ran a finger along his collarbones. “Don’t you remember the weight of that collar against your throat? I’ll never forget, and I’ll never forgive. Not that.”

“I’m not defending him, but you have to think of what it must be like to be occupied by different sides over and over again.”

“You don’t have to become the oppressor. When Loena started making excuses—”

“I know. They both made my skin crawl but we may need them at some point.”

“I know, talí.” He was quiet for a moment, then a smile tilted his mouth up at one corner. “Come here, you. Monsters in the shadows notwithstanding—” He gestured at the weird creatures carved on the bedposts. “The fact that we’re finally alone together is not lost on me.”

“Now that you mention it …” Alec kissed him. “And we don’t have to sleep in our clothes.”

Seregil pulled the tie from the end of Alec’s braid and slowly teased his hair loose over his shoulders. “Quite the opposite, it appears.”