House of Sand and Secrets (Books of Oreyn #2)(48)

“He was frightened.” I say. I’m still on my knees. I shouldn’t be. “You frightened him.” I stand and shake out my skirts. “He probably went for a walk. On the grounds somewhere.”

Behind Harun, Jannik shakes his head. “I’ve looked.”

“Why would he leave?” And I want to ask if Harun’s hit him before, if this is not the first time that Isidro has had the marks of scriv-poisoning on him, but the words sit there, clinging to the tip of my tongue. Perhaps this is why Isidro fell so easily into an entanglement with someone he professes to dislike. I thought he wanted to make Harun jealous, but perhaps it wasn’t that at all. Then again, who am I to judge? I edge closer to Harun. “Where would he go?” I try instead. There’s a safer question with safer answers.

“Perhaps,” Jannik says softly, “he didn’t want to die because of you.”

“There was never any danger of that,” Harun says.

“The bond-” I begin. So it’s not strong enough to tie them both to death.

“And you are so certain of this that you took the risk, and didn’t ask him whether he wanted to share in your suffering?” Jannik moves closer, his eyes only on Harun, waiting for him to admit his failings.

Harun shrugs. “I had more important things to try and see.”

I shake my head at Jannik, willing him to drop the subject. Now is hardly the time. Isidro will have gone somewhere he feels safe, at least. That’s what people do. “Does he have friends, family?”

At the last word Harun pales. For a moment I think I’ve worried him then he doubles over and retches again. It’s a thin stream of black bile and swallowed blood. “Gris,” he says, and spits before wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. He straightens, and clutches the door-frame to stay upright. “Yes, yes. Family.” He lurches out of the room and we follow him to the entrance hall. “Damn,” Harun says. “He’s left his outdoor coat.”

I shrug. “It’s summer–”

“It has nothing to do with the weather.” Harun takes a long dark coat from the stand and throws it at my feet. “If he’s walking around without this he’s – he’s–”

Jannik kneels and fingers the collar of the coat. On one lapel there is the House symbol of Guyin. On the other is a small embroidered badge of an eagle in a ring of flames. “He’s breaking the law.” Jannik runs his thumb over the eagle. “Why didn’t you sign papers and make his freedom official?”

“Because this isn’t bloody Pelimburg. There are no free Houses here. You’re the only one who gets to walk about without your slavery written all over you. You should thank you lady for that much at least.”

“What is that?” I ask, pointing at the eagle badge. “It looks like Mallen’s old crest.”

“No, it isn’t.” Jannik stands and holds the coat over for Harun. “It’s the symbol for vampires.”

“So?”

“So, it shows that he is owned by someone, gives him license to walk outside the rookeries,” Jannik says through gritted teeth. “Without it, Isidro runs the risk of being picked up as a runaway slave.”

I look at Jannik’s pale angry face, then across at Harun, ill and guilty. “You – he’s still a slave?” No one moves. It’s all the answer I need. “Maybe nothing will happen,” I say dully. “After all, Jannik doesn’t wear one and no-one has ever stopped him-”

“I travel in a coach with the Pelim arms,” Jannik says. “They don’t need to.”

So this is his freedom then. Tied to my name and my protection, and I wasn’t even aware of it. Sometimes I can be so wilfully blind. I stare again at the coat, at its damning crest. “Why would Isidro leave without this?”

Harun shrugs, but doesn’t look at me. “An oversight, I suppose, It’s not like he often has reason to leave the house. And he’s not at his best when he’s distraught.”

“Is he often distraught?”

Harun looks up. Bloodied black spittle is wiped about his mouth. “Don’t try to condemn me without knowing anything, Pelim.”

“Point,” I say.

Harun is shivering, and though he tries to hide it, I can see he needs the wall as support. It’s the only reason he’s still standing.

“Do you want us to go look for him?” Harun is in no condition to go anywhere. “Do you know where he is?”

Harun frowns, and shakes his head. “Confusing. I can’t – can’t think straight. He’s not thinking straight.”

“Try. Harder,” I say.

“Splinterfist,” Harun says after the silence has stretched out long and thin. “Go there, and ask for him.”

“The rookery?” Jannik glances sidelong at Harun as if he can barely bring himself to actually look at the man without hitting him. “You’re certain?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll help him to his room. You’ll be more welcome at the rookery than I was,” I say to Jannik. Then I think of Carien, and her serpent friends, and the vampires on the heaps. Our burnt-out home. “Wait. Don’t leave yet. Give me a moment.”

Jannik does so, calm and patient and curious. We’ve strengthened what little friendship there was left between us. After all, it was not so long ago that we were pressed together on his office bed, even if it was a chaste affair.