Traitor's Moon

black moods and weeping in the night. Just recently, though, she told me that being here in Sarikali had had a healing influence, for his spirits improved suddenly.”
    â€œJust before the Virésse banquet, perhaps?”
    Nyal thought a moment, then shrugged. “Possibly.”
    â€œAnd that’s as much as you know?”
    â€œYes.”
    Seregil rose to stand over the man. “Then tell me this. Why did you go after us? According to Thero, you weren’t asked to; you volunteered. You’ve told Beka that you did it to protect us, yet you claim to know nothing of Rhaish’s motives. You must have suspected something; otherwise, why assume we needed protection in Akhendi territory?”
    Nyal shifted uncomfortably. “On the day of your disappearance, after the Haman had declared teth’sag, I saw Rhaish approach Nazien í Hari. I—I overheard him say something about a certain pass. I suspected you’d go that way, not knowing it had beendestroyed by avalanches. Perhaps Rhaish guessed the same, I told myself, yet why would he tell the Haman? It was then that I began to fear that there was something more behind his melancholy. There was no time to confront him—he wouldn’t speak to me anyway, and Amali was gone. I reasoned that if I were the one to find you, I could keep you safe, perhaps even let you escape. I still don’t understand what this has to do with the poisonings, though.”
    â€œYou said it yourself,” Alec replied. “Rhaish thought Torsin had betrayed him and took matters into his own hands, discrediting the Haman and Virésse so that they would be kept from the vote.”
    â€œAnd you believe Amali aided him?” Nyal said softly.
    â€œI plan to find that out tonight, once and for all,” said Seregil.
    â€œWill you tell the Iia’sidra what you’ve told us here?” asked Adzriel.
    â€œWhat choice do I have, Khirnari?” Nyal replied sadly. “I swear to you, Seregil, by Aura’s Light, that I thought only to protect you. I trusted that you would not have left without good reason. I hope what I did helps you trust me.” He touched a hand to his sen’gai. “My rash action may cost me dearly.”
    â€œYou haven’t told any of this to Moriel ä Moriel?” Adzriel asked.
    â€œNo, Khirnari. I had hoped I wouldn’t need to, but I will not lie to her, either.”
    Seregil looked over at Thero, who’d chanced a forbidden spell as Nyal spoke. The wizard nodded slightly; the Ra’basi was telling the truth.
    â€œI’ll have to take back some of the things I’ve said about you, my friend,” said Seregil, clapping him on the shoulder and giving Beka a surreptitious wink. “Captain, I’m putting him under your escort until this is over.”
    â€œI’ll see to it, my lord,” Beka assured him.
    Alone again with Nyal, Beka found herself at a loss for words. An uncomfortable silence ensued, leaving her stranded by the window.
    Duty or not, she’d been wrong. He’d risked so much to be her friend, her lover—more than she had begun to guess. In return, she’d been blind, suspicious, ready to believe the worst of him. She wanted to say something, but still no words would come. Forcing herself to look up, she found him staring pensively at his clasped hands.
    â€œSeregil’s right about Amali, I think,” he said at last. “She’s alwaysused me, and I’ve let myself be used.” He glanced up, coloring. “I shouldn’t talk of her to you, perhaps—”
    â€œNo, it’s all right. Go on.”
    He sighed. “We were to be married, but she changed her mind. For the good of her clan, she said. The khirnari needed her.” He let out a bitter laugh. “Her family was delighted, of course. They liked that match far better than the prospect of a wanderer like me coming into the family. That’s what’s most important here: duty, family, honor.”
    The last words were spoken with a mix of regret and bitterness that surprised her. “You don’t sound like you agree.”
    He shrugged. “I’ve traveled more than most ’faie, and it seems to me that sometimes you must step outside the laws in order to maintain what is right.”
    She had to suppress a smile at this. “That doesn’t say much for you, then, does it?” she asked.
    He gave a her a hurt look.