Page 80 of This Dark Descent
“Whoever deals the greatest blow to one of the other houses by the end of the Illinir will become my father’s heir,” Damien replied.
“That’s why you made the deal with Rezek. That’s why you hired me and Mikira. If she wins, Rezek loses the rights to the Illinir to you.” It would be a crushing blow for the Kelbras, whose deep coffers were due largely to the Illinir’s profits. “But then Loic, and Shira…”
“Shira’s concern with you is her own,” Damien said tightly. “She’s not interested in heading the family, and I expect her to make an intentionally weak entry for the Ascension. But Loic… I’ve made the mistake of treating him like a fool. He’s reckless and temperamental, but he’s also charming and well-connected, and he has the distinct advantage of knowing me better than almost anyone.”
And when people knew you, it gave them power over you.
“That’s why he threatened me,” she said.
Damien took her hand, looking almost pained when he said, “If he can hurt you to get to me, he will. And my brother is not known for his kindness.”
Absently, Reid folded his arms across his sternum. He looked as uneasy as Ari felt. She’d thought herself done feeling like the prey of hungry men, but it was a feeling that crept inside you and set down roots, refusing to be ripped free. It was the sort of thing she had to deny again and again, lest it entangle her so deeply, it became her.
She wanted to exorcise it.
“Mikira should know too.” She intertwined their fingers. “She’s as much a target as I am.”
Damien shook his head. “I shouldn’t have even told you. My father would be furious, and the more people who know, the more complex the game becomes. We already have a rogue Anthir sergeant prying into our business. I can’t afford for information to leak.”
Ari read the words he wouldn’t say. “Mikira would not betray you.”
“In this sort of game, betrayal is not always a choice,” he replied. “It’s safer for me to keep everything close.”
The idea of lying to Mikira sat terribly with her, but this was not her secret to tell, and she knew the worth of a secret.
“Very well,” she said. “But she had better be kept safe.”
CHAPTER 28
MIKIRA
THE THIRD RACEwas as much about weapons as magic.
Beginning on the outskirts of the Greenwark District, the race’s physical enchantments would be a test of strength, agility, and endurance. Most horses would be unable to run the distance out to Silverwood Forest and back. If any of the remaining twenty-five riders had horses without the necessary enchantments, it would mean their end—unless they managed to kill enough competitors that speed no longer mattered.
It was that which made it the most dangerous, and Mikira the most nervous. She didn’t want to hurt anyone, but the violence sold her lie. Without it, Rezek would know her horse was a cheat, but this way, she could pretend her skills with a knife were what saw her through.
Talyana brought her bay mare up beside Atara, but Mikira couldn’t look at her without thinking of the body in the river. The oily touch of its skin, its bloated face.
Damien Adair is a murderer.
“Kira?” Talyana asked uncertainly.
“It’s nothing.” She put thoughts of Damien out of her mind. She couldn’t afford distractions now.
Talyana reached across to squeeze her hand, and Mikira focused on the warmth of her touch, on the reassurance in her best friend’s eyes. Talyanahad always had a way of steadying her that no one else did, a certainty that she clung to. But it was something more now. Something that made her curl her fingers back around Talyana’s own and hold tight.
Then she felt the press of eyes.
Over Talyana’s shoulder, Gren watched her like a shark that smelled blood in the water. He was hedged in by Dezaena’s and Arabella’s horses in a way that looked purposeful. Had they made an alliance?
The announcer gave the last call to reach the line, and the crowd’s cheering redoubled. Despite the chill morning air, sweat dampened Mikira’s back. Atara shifted beneath her, and she counted every shuddering breath.
Five. Six. Seven.
“For Enderlain!” came the announcer’s voice.
Eight. Nine. Ten.
