“You can’t be serious,” Tahki said. “Aren’t you the least bit shocked by her? Even you can’t deny she’s the creepiest thing you’ve ever seen.”
The cat turned to Tahki and snarled. He took a step back.
“People are scared of darkness and shadows,” Sornjia said. “But shadows have never hurt anyone.”
Tahki gave up. He’d expected a little more resistance from Sornjia. A little more questioning. A little more something. Sornjia acted like Tahki had brought home a stray street cat.
“Tell me everything,” Sornjia said.
“What if Gale comes back?”
“She won’t. She’s gone until tomorrow morning on a fishing trip. Sit. Speak.”
Sornjia settled himself on a wobbly chair by the table, and Tahki sat across from him. The cat hunched by Sornjia’s side, her head now at eye level with them.
Tahki spoke with clear and precise words, recalling as much detail as he could. He started with his near-death experience in the river, even confessed his kiss with Rye, and then talked about Nii. As he spoke, Sornjia stroked the cat’s head as though she were nothing more than a playful kitten. He knew Sornjia believed in the gods. He meditated and worshipped as adamantly as their father. But even their father would have had difficulty accepting the cat’s existence.
When Tahki finished, Sornjia fetched him a glass of water without being asked. Tahki drank it in three large gulps. It cooled his raw throat. The water here tasted more heavily of minerals than the water back home.
“Are you going to do it?” Sornjia said after Tahki caught his breath.
“Do what?”
“Destroy the castle.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I have no idea what I’m up against.” Tahki rubbed his eyes with his wrists. “I need to find proof. I need to know for certain what Nii said about Dyraien is true.”
He couldn’t ignore what Nii had told him, but the weight of what she said about the castle felt like a boulder pinning him down. He’d worked so hard on his designs, overcome so much failure to find success. And how would Rye react if he took down the castle without proof? He didn’t even know how to destroy it. They had no explosives, and obsidian wouldn’t burn. He might be able to get Rye behind the black gates, let him talk to Nii, but that was a huge risk. Rye might run at the sight of the cat or think it was a trick. One thing he knew for sure, if he tried to bring down the castle or Dyraien without solid proof, Rye would never forgive him.
“Pooka,” Sornjia said.
“What?”
“Pooka,” Sornjia repeated. “That’s what I’m going to call her.”
Tahki looked at the cat. “She isn’t a stray. You can’t name her. Besides, shouldn’t we call her Nii?”
Sornjia rubbed behind her ear. She shut her eyes and made a low throaty noise that sounded like a deep purr. “I don’t think it is Nii,” Sornjia said. “Not entirely. I think Nii’s spirit is in there, but these bones, those muscles, her teeth and claws and tail, they all belong to the cat.” The black cat—now unarguably named Pooka—rolled her shoulders and yawned. If he understood correctly, she was more wild animal than possessed spirit. Nothing prevented her from turning them into an afternoon meal.
Tahki scooted away from her. “Sornjia, I need to find proof of what the Királyes have done. I need something I can show Rye and Gale to convince them I’m not crazy. I’ll need their help if I want to expose Dyraien.”
Sornjia smiled. “Then we search for evidence.”
When Sornjia smiled, it always touched his eyes. They were identical, but Tahki could never smile like that. Sornjia had a genuine selflessness about him, a mindful nature that seemed unreachable to Tahki. It was wrong to ask his brother for help. Sornjia’s life might be at risk. He should insist he leave. Yet he knew his brother would not go. Tahki might be able to force him, drag him across the border, but that would leave Rye here alone to withstand whatever Dyraien planned.
Tahki said, “All right. Where do we start?”
Sornjia sat forward in his chair. “We need to find what Dyraien’s mother took from the Dim.”
Tahki chewed the inside of his lip. “If he had anything, it would be in his room.”
“You’ll have to search when he’s away.”
Tahki nodded. “He’s in Edgewater now. What about you?”
“Dyraien mentioned a parcel. I’m going to try and find out what it is. From what you overheard, it sounds like Zinc and Hona will be delivering it to the castle. I’ll hide out on the high road and wait for them.”
Tahki took a breath. “Promise me you’ll stay away from Zinc. I think he’s waiting for an opportunity to get me alone.”
Sornjia smiled wider. “It will be just like when we played Alabaraiin as children.”
Tahki thought back to all the trouble they’d caused as kids, stealing curry pies and spying on their father’s diplomatic meetings as they reenacted adventures of their favorite storybook hero. In those stories, there was always some great evil to vanquish. A villain with a scar across his left eye and an evil laugh. Tahki wished things were as straightforward in real life.
They walked outside. Stars flickered above, a rare clear night. He hadn’t noticed how different the constellations were here. It looked like purple dust had been sprinkled across the sky.
“I think this is where we wish each other good luck,” Sornjia said.
Tahki rubbed his wrist and faced his brother. “You don’t have to do this. I’m the one haunted by spirits. You should be home, meditating with the monks. I bet they miss you.”
Sornjia pointed to the sky. “I’m right where I’m supposed to
