I blinked. I hadn’t explained who had the spear. “Thaena said you would know how to do that.”

“Technically true. But if she claimed I would help you, she lied. I won’t.”

“What? But—”

“It would be strategic and literal suicide for you. Perhaps a woman who controls the powers of death itself doesn’t understand what that really means anymore.” He began placing his pieces down on the board.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Has Teraeth spoken to you about this?”

“He told you not to do it? I like this incarnation already. You might want to place your pieces on the board.”

“What? Damn—” I blushed as I realized I’d been too busy debating him to play the game. I hurried to try to keep up.

Mithros gave me a wry grin. “You’re young and gifted, and very much your mother’s daughter, but don’t make the same mistake Thaena’s making. The same mistake she keeps making: don’t underestimate Relos Var.”

“I’m not. I know he’s dangerous.”

“Oh. You know he’s dangerous. Good start.” He moved his piece first, immediately pinning my piece against the adamant. “To infiltrate Duke Kaen’s palace, you’ll need Relos Var’s approval. He’ll have to believe he’s recruiting you—that you’ve switched sides. But he’ll never accept your defection at face value. He’d be a fool to do so, and we’ve already established Relos Var is no fool. So what prevents him from just gaeshing you?”

I stopped dead.

Again, I felt a chill.

“He’ll chain your soul,” Mithros said. “Why not? There’s zero reason for him to assume your loyalty. But he can make it impossible for you to disobey him. For you to convince Relos Var he doesn’t need to gaesh you would require a truly vile demonstration of loyalty. One so awful you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself afterward. He’d accept nothing less. Maybe those who serve him don’t start out as monsters, but they all end up that way.”

I fought down panic and the desire to lash back, to scream he was wrong, that I could somehow stop Relos Var from gaeshing me.

What if he wasn’t wrong? The true foolishness would be to go into the situation without considering Mithros might be right.

“You may have a point,” I said. I captured a piece, but it felt like a small and insignificant win.

“Then I can’t help you, and you shouldn’t want me to.” He leaned back in his chair. “Now if you want to join the Red Spears, I’m happy to have you. Oh, and that Marakori woman too. She shoots well enough to be Diraxon.”