“The Creator himself can wait. I wanted to talk with you first. We can…we can stay in Yadosha. We can go anywhere you want. We don’t have to return to Kion. Can we both promise not to make any drastic decisions until we have that conversation?”

I looked up at him, at his earnest, worried face. He was right; he knew me better than I knew myself. He had known my thoughts when I had plunged into the river, torn between reaching for the surface or sinking down. It was not quite a familiar’s bond. It was more distant yet more intimate. “I swear,” I whispered, “that I will never hide anything from you ever again.”

• • •

The Yadoshans were a notoriously rowdy group, but Lord Besserly was a tactful man when he wanted to be. He was also a courteous and pragmatic one, paying no attention to my wet hair or to the state of Kalen’s clothes. “Lady Mykaela has briefed me on your arrival, Lady Tea. On behalf of the city-states of Yadosha, I extend our hospitality to you and your friends for as long as you see fit. Please allow us to escort you to Thanh, where we have made what I hope are ample accommodations. Is there anything your ladyship would like assistance with? Is the azi still around, perhaps?”

“I’m afraid the azi has left, milord,” I told him. “I’ve learned from experience that it has a tendency to make people nervous with its presence.”

The duke’s face fell. “And I was so looking forward to seeing it.”

“The next time I require its aid, you’ll be the first I call, Your Excellency.”

“I would like that very much. Is there anything else before we leave, milady?”

“A moment, if you will.” I closed my eyes and explored my mind, coming to rest on the door between myself and Fox. Painstakingly, sorrowfully, before I could make myself change my mind, I reinforced the strength of the barrier, separating any lingering traces of my thoughts from his.

He couldn’t be a part of this. Mykaela had access to the same runes I had, and it would be easier for her to verify that Fox knew nothing about what I choose to do from now on. This was the only gift I could grant him, the only way he could find some semblance of a normal life with Inessa as long as the threat of arrest and execution hung over my head.

For nearly five years, I had been connected to my brother, and the act of separating myself from him was almost physically painful. It felt like I was saying good-bye to a part of myself that I might never get back.