Fantasy of Fire (The Tainted Accords #3)(53)

“There’s no need to be alarmed, Tatuma. It’s merely an idea. Bad times sometimes call for dramatic change. Entering into a union, while perhaps not our first choice, could secure peace for our worlds. It is something to think on,” he says, an edge to his voice.

I ignore the painful jab I feel at his words, "not our first choice." A slight anger creeps into my shock as he reveals his true reason for suggesting such a thing. “Yes,” I say shortly. “It can be reserved as a last attempt to help our worlds.” His back muscles tighten for all of two seconds.

“What was your Outer Rings friend talking about at dinner?” he asks brusquely.

I roll my shoulders, asking myself why I came here. Jovan isn’t going to like what I say next. For some reason that doesn’t bother me anymore.

“When I returned to the barracks, two men followed me.” I hold up a hand as he turns in a swirl of water, mouth opened angrily.

“I was never approached. Didn’t know they were even there until Ice spotted them.” I smile at my friend’s cleverness. “I asked Ice to tail them back to their employer.”

“They reported to Sole,” I say quietly. “Were you aware of any of this?”

Jovan simmers, on the edge of boiling over. He slams a hand down onto the water's surface and begins striding out. I hasten to give him some privacy.

“No. I had no fucking idea,” he growls. My cheeks heat as I feel his movement behind me as though I were right next to him. “But I’m going to find out.”

“Wait,” I say, risking a quick peek. His trousers are on—it’s safe. “I’ve asked Ice to trail Sole and see who he’s working for. You know Sole. There’s no way he’s operating alone.” Jovan is being purposely obtuse. Everyone knows who Sole works for. He’s an introverted Bruma who tends to keep to himself. Since my journey with the delegates through the Oscala, I’d puzzled over the timid deference Sole pays to Blaine. It all started to make sense when I found out Blaine was married to Macy.

“I could just beat the truth out of him,” he says. It’s tempting, if only for the fact Jovan would hear Blaine’s name from someone other than myself.

I move forward to grip his arm. “I believe he’s being controlled through his sister, Macy,” I say, hoping he’ll understand.

The confusion on his face baffles me. I’m unused to having to point out details to Jovan. I roll the left wrist I dislocated when saving Sole on the pathway.

All the pent-up frustration I have toward Jovan for his stubbornness threatens to boil over. “You know Sole answers to Blaine. Blaine threatens to harm Macy, so Sole does his bidding,” I explain slowly.

He scoffs. “Oh, this is about Blaine again,” he says.

“What do you mean ‘again’?” I ask in annoyance.

He sits on the bench, returning me glare for glare. “You have something against him. He’s spoken to me about it himself, trying to speculate as to why.”

I hate that Jovan’s been speaking to Blaine about me, when he won’t talk to me about the slimy traitor. I stare at Jovan, stunned. “And you believed that?”

He clenches his jaw stubbornly and dangles his hands over his knees in his favorite posture. I open my mouth to explain about Sanjay and Alzona, about Hale and Ashawn, or what I saw as Frost. He cuts me off.

“I would ask you to stop trying to turn my people against him,” he says shortly. “He is not a traitor. He’s one of the highest positioned Bruma in my assembly. My father trusted him as a brother! He bounced me on his knee when I was a young boy,” He breathes shallowly, running a hand through his hair. “Besides,” he says, “I questioned Macy. She didn’t know what I was talking about, and she didn’t appear to be lying. You must have been mistaken about Blaine beating her.”

My jaw drops. “She said she wasn’t beaten by him?” The news rocks me. I know she’s lying, but why would she do this?

Jovan stands up, towering over me. He’s not even trying to intimidate me with the act. Then I understand. Macy is afraid of men, and with her knowledge of Blaine’s importance to Jovan, she’d probably been terrified of telling the truth.

“She is too afraid to tell you,” I say.

I see anger flash in Jovan’s eyes as he contemplates me. “Are you saying one of my subjects is too scared to tell me she’s being abused?”

My own anger rises to join his. It’s not really about Macy or Blaine or Sole. We’re both angry about before. I’m hurt he only sees me as a resolution to the broken accords. This suddenly seems like the perfect outlet.

“Is it so surprising? You didn’t even know who she was until I pointed her out,” I say, stepping up to him. “You heard what you wanted to hear. I have other proof, Jovan. Actual written proof. I have witnesses who have had dealings with Blaine. Witnesses who can prove he’s a murderer, and a traitor.” I barely pause for breath. “I saw him in the Outer Rings when he was exiled to the Sixth Sector. He was joking with the man now helping him with Outer Rings rebellion. Why won’t you listen to me, Jovan?” It hurts so much that he won’t believe me.

He trembles with restrained fury. Is he seeing the truth? “You think, after a few sectors here, you know my own people better than myself? How many times do I need to tell you Bruma are not like Solati? There is honor in our culture, loyalty, and trust,” he withers. I gasp at his words.