“Yes, they tried to assassinate him. When Azhen Kaen started outlawing the old ways, started talking about education and rights, the clan leaders thought it was their chance. Azhen and Exidhar survived. His wife Xivan didn’t.” Bikeinoh made a face.”All my life, my father used to say the Kaen family was soft. Too much Quuros blood. Well, the clans did nice work there. Killing the Hon’s wife hardened Azhen Kaen up just fine. And by Cherthog did he ever make us regret it. Tracked down the Simoshgra and wiped out the entire clan. Every single last one. As soon as we heard the news, I told my father we’d better give Kaen assurances. We’d better demonstrate just how sorry we were about what happened, or he wouldn’t stop with the Simoshgra. So that’s what I am. What all these women are. Assurance. Been here ever since.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not so bad. Never had a reason to complain to Suless about it, anyway.”

“No, I suppose not.” I looked around the room. This all seemed very pampered and even more boring. “With all these wives, I assume he must keep busy.”

“Oh no,” Bikeinoh said, laughing. “I think he’d prefer to forget we existed, but occasionally, he remembers and does his duty. But I think if we ever gave him the excuse, he’d be all too happy to send us all packing back to our families again.”

“Wouldn’t that be better?”

Her eyes widened. “No.”

I didn’t understand. Back in Jorat, arranged marriages rarely occurred but could be successful if the families had done a good job with the matchmaking. Forced marriages with multiple partners? Unheard of. The likelihood of a partner feeling saelen and just … wandering … into other relationships made such an option unpopular and unwise. And if a spouse kept their mates imprisoned to ensure they didn’t leave, they’d label themselves as thorra. Nobody wanted that.

Of course, these women might not be interested in wandering at all. Bikeinoh seemed quite comfortable in her situation. That told me a lot about how women in the rest of Yor could expect to be treated.

“You haven’t broken fast yet, have you?” Bikeinoh continued. “Why don’t we go—”

But as Bikeinoh spoke, another wife jogged up, out of breath. Her parti-color skin suggested an ancestry that included at least one or two of the many Joratese who’d served with the Quuros army when they occupied the region, decades before. “You’re the new girl, right?”

It wasn’t worth correcting her. “May I help you?”

“Not me,” she said. “The Hon wants to see you. Right now.”

38: THE EYE OF FIRE

Jorat Dominion, Quuros Empire. Three days since Jarith Milligreest chose option two

“So … are those wives still locked away?” Dorna asked. “Someone should go free them.”