Page 145 of The Mercy of Dawn

“…Yes.”

“The stuff that you are still evidently worrying about?”

She sighed.

“Yes.”

“Do I even want to know why you think the purists, this cleansing stuff, and Runa’s home have anything to do with the murders?”

“They—”

Cyril stilled.

Dion and the general be damned. Two of those had a connection. But the third…her brain just tried to forge a foolish and unsettling connection.

Sleep deprivation was really taking its toll.

“They don’t,” she lied. “I just…I don’t know anything about Reykr and I’m trying to learn.”

Dion looked skeptical at best.

“I can appreciate that. Does anyone other than myself and the scribes know you are looking into all of these topics at the same time?”

Runa. Mikael. Bron. Hells, probably Tyr and Ren too, and a handful of guards.

“No,” she lied, again.

Fuck. Twice in one conversation.

“Good. It’s probably best if it stays that way.” Dion gave her a tight smile. She knew full well it meant there was no room for argument. “I can’t even begin to describe how bad it would look if the wrong person found out you were doing that. We’ve had a few things surface in the city that are promising, anyway, so I wouldn’t worry about getting yourself too wrapped up in this stuff.”

“You have leads?”

That was certainly news to her ears.

“Mm, we do.”

News that, of course, must be above her pay grade.

“I take it that means you won’t be here long?” she asked. At least she could get something personally beneficial out of him if he was set on keeping her in the dark about everything else.

“Probably until the day after next. Eager to get rid of me already?”

Yes.

Painfully so.

Because the longer he sat here beside her, dictating what she should and shouldn’t do, the more she thought about two nights ago.

About him and her parents sitting out on the back lawn, happy and carefree.

About the opportunity he seemed fine to rob her of.

Her anger started to surface again.

“No.” Cyril hadn’t meant to snap, but she did. “I just never know where anyone is anymore.”

Dion’s brows climbed, and he leaned back, studying her.