you.’
Froi shook his head with fury.
‘We’re travelling together whether you like it or not.’
Gargarin still refused to look at him. ‘I don’t need him.’
‘You’re just as helpless on your own!’ Froi said. ‘You were moments from death yesterday before I turned up.’
‘And you weren’t today?’ Gargarin shouted. ‘You’re still injured.’
‘Tell them to lower their voices,’ Trevanion said to Finnikin.
‘I think Froi can understand you just fine,’ Finnikin said to his father.
‘I’m not leaving you behind,’ Froi said to Gargarin and Lirah. For a minute there was only the sound of twigs snapping in the flames. He turned to Finnikin and spoke in Lumateran. ‘He’s useless on his own. Both of them are. Twice this year he’s trusted the wrong people.’
‘Well, it’s sort of been us both times,’ Finnikin said. ‘Rafuel tricked him into believing you were Olivier of Sebastabol, and we tricked him with the Belegonians.’
‘I thought he was supposed to be brilliant,’ Trevanion said, stoking the fire.
Perri’s stare was still fixed on Gargarin. ‘You know me,’ Perri said.
‘What’s he talking about?’ Froi asked Finnikin with frustration.
‘Why are you asking me? Perri can understand you!’
It was silent again, miserably so.
‘It’s best my way,’ Gargarin tried again. ‘You go back with them –’
‘You are useless on your own and you’re going to get Lirah killed!’ Froi shouted again.
Trevanion was staring from Gargarin to Froi.
‘Well, he is,’ Froi said to Trevanion. ‘I’m not being disrespectful to the old, Captain. Every time I turn around, someone’s trying to shove him off a balcony or beat him black and blue. She even knifed him,’ he said, pointing to Lirah.
‘What’s he saying?’ she asked Gargarin.
‘We’re old, I think,’ he muttered.
‘He’s useless,’ Froi repeated to Trevanion.
Trevanion was still looking at them, and this time he included Lirah in his study.
‘Try not to remind him of that too often, Froi,’ the Captain said quietly. ‘When a son knows more than a father, it makes us feel very useless.’
Froi’s eyes smarted and he looked away. He felt Perri’s stare burn into them all. They knew.
‘His father?’ Finnikin asked, stunned.
Except for Finn. Sometimes Froi thought that Finn truly believed that Froi was a Lumateran. His king had always refused to take part in any conversation that suggested otherwise.
‘Not much of a father,’ Trevanion continued coldly to Gargarin. ‘Can’t truly understand how our boy found himself in those wretched streets of Sarnak on his own if not for a father who didn’t care.’
‘What did he say?’ Gargarin demanded to know, his voice deadly.
Froi closed his eyes. He didn’t want to be here doing this.
‘Froi?’ Gargarin questioned.
It was Finnikin who repeated the words and Froi saw the hard line of Gargarin’s mouth. Lirah was still. A serpent waiting to strike.
‘Circumstances, Captain,’ Gargarin said, his tone ice-cold. ‘You understand circumstances, don’t you? Those strange little occurrences that ensure that you’re separated from your son for more years than you want to think of. Count your blessings that yours ended up with Kristofer of the Flatlands and leave us with the misery of what happened to ours.’
Finnikin translated, still stunned.
‘His father?’ Finnikin continued, trying to register the information. He took in Gargarin’s slight build. ‘Froi comes from warrior stock. There’s no doubt of that.’
‘Serker,’ Perri muttered, staring at Lirah. ‘The mother’s a Serker.’
Finnikin looked agog, and if it was under different circumstances Froi would have mimicked him and they would have both laughed.
‘You have a mother?’
Froi stole a look at Lirah.
‘Her name is Lirah,’ he said, his tone husky.
Finnikin held a hand to his head, as if trying to clear it.
‘Lirah of Serker? The King’s whore?’
Perri nudged Finnikin, his eyes flicking towards Lirah.
‘Mercy!’
Froi could see Gargarin bristling. His only relief was that a fire separated Lirah and Finnikin. Any closer and she would have struck him, for sure. Or spat.
‘Anything else you’d like to tell us, Froi?’ Finnikin demanded.
Lirah and Gargarin and Froi looked away.
‘A double Mercy! They’ve got something else to tell us.’
‘Finn, leave it,’ Froi said. ‘It’s a long story.’
‘Then it’s a good thing we’re not leaving until morning.’
Froi and Finnikin sat away from the others, talking half the day and night. The more Froi spoke of the events since he had left Lumatere, the more relentless Finnikin’s questions were, his reactions ranging from shock to horror to disbelief.
‘If I didn’t know you better, I’d swear you were lying to me, Froi.’
‘Yes, well, you know me better,’ Froi said. ‘What are they doing now?’
Finn peered over Froi’s shoulder to where the others were sitting in two separate pairs.
‘Same as what they were doing an hour ago. Staring at each other. She’s going to win, you know. I think she’ll outstare them all.’
‘No,’ Froi said, shaking his head. ‘She can’t outstare him. No one can. Not even Perri.’
Then it was silent between them and Froi thought he wouldn’t be able to bear another moment of this. It was as if three years hadn’t existed and they didn’t know who he was anymore.
‘I …’ Finnikin began.
Froi looked up. Waited.
‘What?’
‘I almost slit your father’s throat,’ Finnikin said.
Froi swallowed. He didn’t want to think of what would have happened yesterday if he had come across them all too late.
Finnikin moved in closer to whisper.
‘Do you want to know the truth? He actually intrigued me.’
That was Gargarin’s gift and curse. To unintentionally intrigue people, even those who wanted to slit his throat. Finnikin peered over Froi’s shoulder again.
‘They’re obscenely attractive people,’ Finnikin said politely. Froi couldn’t help but laugh.
‘And I’m not?’ he asked.
‘Well, no … I didn’t say that. But really, Froi. Look at them.’
Froi twisted around. Perri hadn’t stopped staring at Gargarin and Gargarin chose to deal with it by returning the stare. Froi turned back to Finnikin and for the first time in hours, the truth registered.
‘You returned for me, Finn. After everything you said.’
Finnikin’s eyes were fierce with emotion.
‘Do you honestly think I would have left you out here, knowing there was a small army in the vicinity?’
‘I’m surprised you were able to convince Perri and your father to return.’
Finnikin laughed. ‘All I had to do was stop the horse and say, “I think …” and they were racing back into the woods to you.’
Froi laughed and it felt good. Real.
