It took a split second for Jainan to realize he was joking. Something terrifyingly like laughter welled up in him, in spite of the situation, in spite of everything. His hand tightened on Kiem’s arm. That was a mistake, because it apparently encouraged him.

“Dammit,” Kiem said, “we shouldn’t have stopped, we could have charged them for tickets.”

They’d been recognized. One of the figures raised a hand, changing their path so they cut across to Kiem and Jainan. “Kiem!” Their companion followed. “I thought you were at the embassy.”

“Vaile!” Kiem said, with jollity that must be forced. “We left a bit early.

We’re just taking a walk. Seeing the city. That sort of thing. Who’s your friend?”

Prince Vaile gave them both a graceful bow of acknowledgment and introduced the man beside her as a colleague from Rtul, but Jainan was struggling so hard to think of some sort of explanation other than arguing in public that he didn’t catch the name. Kiem was doing the honors anyway, since apparently nothing would throw him off enough that he couldn’t find some small talk.

“… both look perishing cold, though,” Vaile said on the back of something else. She gave their thin indoor clothes and the coat under Jainan’s arm a quizzical look.

Jainan tensed, but Kiem was already talking. “It was a … dare,” he said.

There was a pause. Kiem carried on to fill it. “You see, we didn’t get a honeymoon, so we have to make up for the excitement somehow.” Jainan choked. “You know, dares, bets, extreme sports … We’re going skydiving tomorrow.”

Jainan fought against the rising tide of inappropriate laughter. This must be what they meant by hysteria. His squeezed Kiem’s arm silently.

“Skydiving,” Vaile said, in the tone of one who doesn’t believe what she’s just heard.

Jainan interrupted before Kiem could commit them irrevocably. “It’s still under discussion,” he said firmly. “Skydiving is very unfashionable on Thea at the moment.”

That was an impulse he should probably have quelled. “Oh?” Vaile said.

This had apparently caught the interest of her Rtulian colleague, who leaned

in. “I didn’t realize you had fashions in extreme sports. How fascinating. So what is fashionable on Thea right now?”

Jainan had never been able to sense Kiem’s stress or anger as he had Taam’s and had put that down to the newness of their marriage. But now, all of a sudden, he could feel Kiem’s huge, expectant glee beside him, and he blamed that for what he said next. “Bull wrestling.”

“Wrestling … bulls?” The man’s brow wrinkled. Kiem was overcome by a sudden fit of coughing, but Jainan kept his blandest expression on his face. “That sounds … Your Highness, are you all right?”

“Oh, yes,” Kiem said. “Getting a cold. Too many dares. Do excuse us, lots of planning to do.” He clapped Vaile on the shoulder, shook her companion’s hand vigorously, and made a swift escape with Jainan’s hand still clamped on his arm.