Page 71 of The Concubine King
“Plotting a murder is very different from political perversion.”
“Maybe.But in the end, Lyrian’s weaknesses are the same.You may recall I knew his father very well.”
They were getting closer to the door.Ethyr made a mad dash down the corridor and around the corner, pressing against the wall and trying to hear over his pounding heart whether he’d been noticed.But it was another few seconds before the door opened at all.Yorith and his companion stepped into the hall and said nothing else.Fortunately they went the opposite way from Ethyr.He listened until their footsteps receded to silence before poking his head out.The corridor was empty.
He crept up to the study doors and tried one, but it was locked.He made his way back to his bedroom through the passageway, heart pounding nonstop, and no longer for fear of the dark.If Yorith wanted Lyrian killed, Ethyr had to warn him right away, but he didn’t know how.He still had no idea who Sabatus was.
He paced his room for the rest of the night, until the first light of dawn propelled him out to Poyut’s room.It was empty, so instead he sought out a corridor guard.
“Where is Poyut?”he demanded.The guard blinked at him, looking a little weary.She was probably one of the night shift guards about to be relieved from her post.
“Poyut?If she’s not in her room, she’s probably training.”
“Where does she do that?”
“Off the stables, in the riding arena.”
In the early morning, stable keepers were already there mucking stalls and feeding the horses.They stopped to bow to him but he ignored them, heading to the large arena at the back of the stables.He could hear Poyut before he saw her, grunts of effort accompanied by the dull thuds and swipes of assault.
She stood in the middle of the dirt enclosure, landing vicious blows onto a straw mannequin that had most of its straw on the ground at that point.She put her whole body into the attacks, straining and sweating and growling between her teeth.Ethyr had never seen her so feral.He was too stunned to interrupt, so he watched her eviscerate the mannequin with a focused anger that she’d never once revealed to him.
She stopped abruptly, leaning on the wooden sword to catch her breath.Ethyr didn’t move or make a sound, but Poyut sensed his presence anyway and jerked towards him, surprise written across her face.
“Ethyr!”She dropped the sword and jogged towards him.“What are you doing here?Are you okay?”
He rubbed his arm, shrugging his shoulders up.“Yeah… I’m fine.Do you always train this early?”
She huffed, pushing away hair that sweat had plastered to her face.It smeared a streak of dirt across her forehead.“No.Just when I can’t sleep.”
He opened his mouth, but remembering what he was actually there for stopped the question on his tongue.He had more important matters.He lowered his voice.“Do you know the palace guard Sabatus?”
She cocked her head.“Yes.I know all the palace guards.”
“Can you get him and bring him here?And—don’t tell anyone you’re bringing him to me.”
Her eyes narrowed.“Why?What’s going on?”
“I…” Ethyr bit his lips and closed his eyes.“Please just get him here.”
Poyut blew a long exhale, examining him for an uncomfortable moment.Ethyr forced himself to meet her gaze, though it tightened his throat.The new, stark awareness of her strength and skill made her a lot more intimidating all of a sudden.
“If something’s wrong, Ethyr, you can tell me.”
“I don’t want to tell you,” he said, a bit too loudly, as though volume could make up for his insecurity.“I gave you an order.”
Poyut’s eyebrows rose.She smoothed her expression quickly and dipped her head.“As you wish, Your Divinity.”She grabbed the real scabbard that was leaning against the wall and buckled it around her waist as she left.
Ethyr deflated with a heavy sigh, pressing a hand over his brow.Giving Poyut such a direct order had his heart racing with nervous guilt, but he didn’t know what else to do.He still couldn’t be sure how much she was truly on his side.The woman Yorith had been talking to the night before could have been her; it was difficult to identify a voice muffled through a thick door.But even if she had good intentions, they often translated to resistance rather than support.
It took a lot longer than he was comfortable with.He paced the length of the arena a dozen times before she returned with another guard in tow.He had no distinguishable features, he was the average height of most of the guards, had the same shaved face, the same lithe build with the same tunic and sword.He was almost calculatingly generic.
He stopped before Ethyr and gave him a deep bow.“Your Divinity.”
“Sabatus?”he confirmed.
“Yes, Your Divinity?”
He sucked in a deep breath and stepped closer, glancing around.The only visible person was Poyut, but he had no idea who else could be in earshot around doorways or down the aisles.
