Total pages in book: 209
Estimated words: 196141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 981(@200wpm)___ 785(@250wpm)___ 654(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 196141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 981(@200wpm)___ 785(@250wpm)___ 654(@300wpm)
Considering its source is an exiled necromancer, for all we know, this may be the very real and literal Pandora’s Box … or a devious magic prison that will unleash the Four Horsemen themselves to come galloping over Lord Marky’s face. Or it just contains stale macaroons, and he knows we are too paranoid to trust it, and this is all a joke, so the real gift is simply driving us all crazy.
“I hated that man.” Raya keeps wringing her own hands as they move. “Despicable, repulsive, wretched man. Ugh, how he looked at me. The way he made me … t-touch myself …”
I’m truly sorry for the way he treated you. I did, for what it’s worth, regret inviting you along.
“Intolerable, horrible, disgusting person. How do you even keep a relationship with someone as obscene as him?”
Purely business.
“I can’t believe you trusted him, eating beads off a bracelet, off that bracelet.” She turns her nose up at it. “I can feel its ugly aura oozing off of it like bad breath.”
Are you sure it’s not Mance’s cheap cologne?
She turns to him. “Why does he want to harm Markadian?”
Because Mance and Markadian have a decades-old blood feud, of course, answers Tristan with a flippant sigh, though I am afraid I do not know the exact nature of it, nor do I want to, honestly. I suspect it would make for a very boring story.
Raya huffs. “Great. Now I’m guilty of consorting with an exiled asshole who’s also a sworn enemy of my boss. Tristan, I do hate you nearly as much right now as I hate that man.” Her eyes narrow upon the box under Tristan’s arm. “If you don’t deliver it, won’t he know? Wouldn’t that be bad?”
Wouldn’t it be bad if I did deliver it?
“It seems ill-advised to cross a horrible person like that.”
There are many ill-advised things I have done over the years. I don’t see a reason why this thing should be any worse than the others.
“And who is this person you want to protect, anyway? Who are you eating beads off a bracelet for? Oh.” Her voice softens. “Is it Kyle? I saw him. Briefly. He is … cute. If not a bit plain.”
Tristan sighs. Don’t mind who I am eating these beads for. It is quite important that no one knows who I wish to protect, even you.
“Do you still love him? Kyle?”
Tristan hugs the box tighter under his arm. It is a mistake to think about Kyle at a time like this, yet it is impossible not to. Tristan has spent so much time and effort detaching his heart from that boy after their twenty-six years together. Much of his safety in the House of Vegasyn rides on convincing Lord Markadian of that very fact, that the boy from Texas is no longer the one who owns his heart. Ever since Kyle’s stint in Nowhere that made hiding him impossible without some kind of intervention, old feelings have been rushing forth ruthlessly, robbing Tristan of the peace he was so close to finding again.
“I often wondered if Kyle isn’t the reason you grew so fond of Kaleb, the sweet violinist in the lower cells. They look alike, especially in the eyes. Doesn’t one remind you of the other?”
Tristan comes to an abrupt stop.
Raya does, too.
He faces her. My dear Raya, may I advise three things? Please never visit him or speak his name again. It’s for his safety. Two: let us, from now on, presume Kyle is entirely out of the picture, out of my life, and out of my heart. That part is for my safety. Tristan pauses. And also that requires presuming I have a heart. He nods, satisfied, then continues moving down the tunnel.
Raya follows behind, her footsteps slowed, contemplative. “That’s only two things.”
The third is, of course, we’ll still need to gather the items Mance requires, even if they’re all, in fact, unnecessary. It is part of his price, to humble us to his arrogance and prove we’re willing to do the work. See it like a test … an initiation into his terrible fraternity. Tristan moves the box to under his other arm and glances back at Raya. If I were to write down the list for you, could you be a doll and give it to George? I think it’s only fitting that he gather the items, since he’s the doll who got us in this mess. Also, he’s an expert in procuring … oddities. But he must not know what he’s gathering these things for. Make it fun for him. Scavenger hunt. A secret mission. He likes feeling important.
Raya sighs. “And why would George listen to me?”
He sees you as a daughter. Sort of. And he is enjoying his position at Markadian’s side and delights in spiting me. Also, I can’t risk George telling Markadian … who is still raw about me abandoning him. Try using your daughterly power, do the pouty lip thing … just get George to gather these items before the full moon.