Spy's Honor

do anything to save Janto’s life.

Florian stared at the two of them, clearly stunned at the direction this conversation had taken. “You’ll sign?” he asked Rhianne. “And you’ll participate in the wedding without protest? In exchange for some worthless man’s life?”

“You have my word,” said Rhianne, “provided Lucien makes all the arrangements regarding the Mosari’s exile.”

“Done,” said Florian. He held out his wrist, and Rhianne clasped it.

* * *

Another day crept by. Janto had been certain something would happen after Rhianne’s capture. Either whatever Lucien had referred to would take place—something about finding a use for him—or he’d be executed. But instead he languished in his cell, wondering if Lucien had forgotten about him. And what was going on with Rhianne? Was she being forced to marry? He tried not to think about that.

Then two Legaciatti and a woman entered his cell.

“What’s going on?” he asked in Kjallan.

The Legaciatti grabbed his arms and shoved him against the wall.

“I’m not to be interrogated. Orders from the Imperial Heir—”

“Quiet,” said the woman.

One of the guards spat on the floor. “Personally, I think he should be flogged to death.”

The woman placed a hand on his forehead. Janto twisted away, suspecting mind magic, which frightened him more than the prospect of being beaten. He touched the link to assure himself it was still there. Sashi was asleep but within range.

“Be still,” said the woman through gritted teeth, grabbing a hank of Janto’s hair to immobilize him.

I want to cooperate with these people. The thought ran through his head, confusing him because he didn’t want to cooperate with these people, but the thought remained, persistent. Then his magic rose up within him and forcibly expelled the thought, leaving him clearheaded. A suggestion. She’d used a suggestion on him.

Not wanting her to realize that her magic hadn’t worked, Janto relaxed in her grip.

“See?” said the woman to the guards. “No need for brutality. Quiet, now,” she instructed Janto. “This is just a forgetting spell.”

“What are you making me forget?” That was more disturbing than a suggestion.

“Your ill-gotten knowledge,” said the mind mage.

“What does it matter what I know? I’m going to be executed!”

The mind mage sighed. “Actually, you’re not. Someone has struck a deal for your life. You’re being exiled to Dori.”

Janto stared at them, unblinking. To Dori? Not his first choice of destinations, to be sure, but he wouldn’t quibble. He had no doubt who had bargained for him, and it wasn’t Lucien—not acting on his own, anyway. “What did Rhianne trade for my life?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, spy.”

Probably she really didn’t. Janto suspected the deal had been struck behind closed doors, and nobody knew the details outside the imperial family. He had a sick feeling it involved Rhianne’s marriage. “Is the princess getting married?”

“Of course,” said the mind mage.

Gods curse it. She’d traded something, and it couldn’t possibly be good. She shouldn’t have intervened. It was his failure, getting caught at the docks. He should be the one to suffer the consequences for it.

“Be still,” ordered the mind mage. “This won’t hurt. And once it’s done, you’ll be out of prison and off to Dori.”

“Hope you like volcanoes,” added a guard.

Sashi, called Janto.

Mm? answered the sleepy creature.

Wake up. They’re shipping us off to Dori. But first—

He felt the unfriendly magic invade his mind, probing crudely against his defenses. It would be a simple matter for him to throw the spell off. But a forgetting spell was more invasive than a suggestion, and if he simply threw it aside, the mind mage might notice. Instead, he touched the repugnant magic tentatively with his own. The mage’s spell was soft and pliable. In the domain of his own mind and body, his magic was stronger. Gently, he diverted the invading spell. He played with it, making it spin in harmless circles.

The magic vanished.

“It’s done,” said the mage. “He’s forgotten everything that’s happened in the last six months.”

Janto feigned a look of blank incomprehension.

A Legaciattus chuckled. “Instant sapskull. I wish I could do that.” He unshackled Janto’s wrists. “On your feet, idiot.”

Janto stood, his legs shaking with weakness at the unaccustomed effort. Sashi, they’re about to move me, I think to a ship at the docks. You’ve got to meet me there somehow.

I have more distance to cover than you! cried a panicking Sashi.

Hurry. I’ll try to delay them.

Going, said Sashi. The link died as he went out of range.

The mind mage left, and the Legaciatti led Janto up the stairs and out of the palace. Outside, a carriage awaited them.

He looked around desperately for his familiar. The link was still dead. He could orient on Sashi’s direction— northwest of him—but he had no idea how much distance lay between them.

A Legaciattus opened the carriage door. “Get inside.”

Janto yanked his arm out of the guard’s grip and punched him in the face. A brief scuffle ensued. In moments, Janto was pinned in the grass with his arms wrenched behind him.

“What the fuck’s wrong with you?” cried the Legaciattus he’d struck.

“He’s confused,” said the other Legaciattus. “He’s forgotten everything, remember?”

Janto fought them as they hauled him up. He shoved a foot against the carriage wall as they tried to force him in.

“Let go!” cried a guard. Another kicked his leg aside, and they shoved him into the carriage.

His world lit up. The link came afire, and though he couldn’t see Sashi yet, he threw a shroud over him. In the carriage!

The Legaciatti climbed in. One sat across from Janto while the others took places on either side of him, squeezing him in tightly. He craned his neck to see through the open door. A rust and white streak bounded over the grass, invisible to everyone but himself. Janto’s heart leapt.

The carriage surged into motion. Nobody felt the impact, but Janto sensed it, when his ferret leapt onto the footman’s seat in the back.

The ship they brought him to was the Lynx. It was a clipper, small and narrow bodied and fast. Unlike the big warships moored out in the harbor, the Lynx was shallow enough to be tied up right at the docks.

“You there!” called a Legaciattus to the man standing watch, high above them on the ship’s deck. “We’ve got your passenger.”

“Hurry up or we’ll lose our tide,” the sailor called down.

Sashi, get in now, advised Janto.

The shrouded ferret ran up one of the hawsers fastening the ship to the docks and disappeared through the cat hole.

The Legaciatti forced Janto to climb a rope ladder leading up the side of the clipper, one man ahead of him and one behind. Once on board, they showed him into the darkness of the ship’s hold and chained him to the wall. Janto was prone to seasickness. On a ship’s deck, his stomach was always a bit dodgy. Just the idea of being in the hold, belowdecks, made it clench, and his mouth began to water.

“Here are your orders concerning the prisoner,” said a Legaciattus, holding out a packet of papers to the