The Traitor Queen (The Traitor Spy Trilogy #3)(84)

“I’d have never agreed to anything that required me to.”

“Agreed …?” Dannyl felt his stomach sink. “The king sent you to warn us about the abductor, didn’t he? You didn’t come out of concern for us.”

“Yes, he knew – and no, I was motivated out of concern for you all.” Achati shrugged. “I persuaded the king to let me warn you in the hope Lorkin would trust me. I didn’t think I would get much information out of him, not after what he had done while in prison, but I saw a chance we’d get some information, and that was better than nothing.”

Dannyl frowned. What had Lorkin done in prison?

Achati chuckled. “Lorkin is a lot tougher than he looks. He proved unexpectedly ruthless. All the more so because he couldn’t have known what he did would force the king to free him.” His smile faded. “Everyone I questioned had a different view as to the source of the poison. The king isn’t admitting to it. The Traitors obviously aren’t going to. If it was someone other than the king, they are hardly likely to reveal they acted against his orders – or that he asked them to do it. Whatever the source was, it made it clear that someone had tried to kill a Guild magician, and that upset too many Ashaki.”

Someone tried to kill Lorkin? With poison? Dannyl hoped he was hiding his shock well. “So the king let Lorkin go. Only to try to get hold of him again. But in order to put him somewhere safe from the poisoner?”

“Yes.”

“Then … it couldn’t be the king who tried to poison Lorkin.”

“I don’t believe so, because he let me help Lorkin escape.”

“Why did he do that?”

“He agreed that, if I could get Lorkin to tell me anything about the Traitors, he would let me do whatever I judged right.” Achati was almost smirking.

“It sounds like a wager. I don’t imagine he’s the sort of king’s who likes losing bets.”

“He honours his agreements.”

“What did you stand to lose?”

Achati looked smug as he waved a hand. “My house.”

“Really?” Dannyl looked around. “Do you own any other land?”

“No.”

High stakes, then. But there always were, in politics and war. Dannyl felt familiar feelings of gratitude, affection and admiration, and resisted them. He thought of Tayend’s warnings, and was surprised to find the same feelings rising. He resisted those, too. Tayend is … a friend. Perhaps, if it weren’t for Achati, we would be more than that again. But there was Achati …

The Ashaki was regarding the wine appreciatively. Dannyl couldn’t help thinking that he couldn’t be more different from Tayend. Though not as heavily built as the average Sachakan man, Achati was dark and broad, while Tayend was light and slim. How can I be attracted to such opposites? Ah, but they are both sharp and perceptive. I guess I like smart men. I wonder, though, what he sees in me.

Noticing Dannyl’s gaze, Achati turned to meet his eyes. His expression grew speculative. “Do you remember that moment during out journey to Duna? When Tayend interrupted?”

Memories and mixed emotions tumbled into Dannyl’s mind. Desire, embarrassment, anxiety and anger.

“How could I forget? Meddling little …” he muttered.

Achati laughed. “I’m sure his intentions were good. But I do feel that such moments, such chances, are going to grow rarer for us. Would we still remain friends if we were to go through another difficult time as we’ve had recently, or would there be too much distrust and suspicion? I wish …” He sighed. “It is selfish, I know. I would like us to be more than friends, for a time at least, before circumstances make us feel we must behave like enemies.”

Dannyl drew in a deep breath. His heart was beating too quickly again, and there was a strange but familiar fluttering sensation in his stomach. Which is exactly how I felt when I first arrived, he realised. Only this time there was something exhilarating about it. What would happen if he welcomed it? Embraced it?

Only one way to find out.

“Well, Tayend isn’t here now.”

Achati caught his breath. An expression flickered across his face before a look of careful interest replaced it.

Hope.

Dannyl understood then that, for all his power and wealth, Achati was alone. He doubted he could ever take advantage of that loneliness, even if he wanted to. It was not a weakness, it was part of the life Achati had embraced.

“Though I wouldn’t put it past him to be heading here right now,” Dannyl added.

Achati laughed. “Surely we couldn’t have such bad timing twice?”

“That sounds like a theory worth testing. Question is, how closely do we need to replicate the circumstances?”

“Oh, I think we have all the essential ingredients.” As Achati stood up, Dannyl followed suit. “And if I’m wrong, at least we can rely on the slaves not letting him in.” He paused to stare up at Dannyl. “Ah. Look at you.”

Dannyl blinked. “What?”

He reached up to touch Dannyl’s jaw. “So very tall and … all angles and elegance. It’s just as well you Kyralians don’t learn higher magic out of habit. You’d be much too intimidating.”

Dannyl let out a quick laugh. “You Sachakans are the intimidating ones,” he protested. “What with the black magic and—”