“Kill or be killed,” he responds, apparently adopting my bitter philosophy.
A wry smile twists my lips. “You’re as merciless as I am. You just hide it better.”
“We’re both ruthless when we have to be. It makes us a good match.”
I shake my head. “There should always be someone humane in the mix, to keep the other one in line.”
He chuckles a little. “We have Egeria for that.”
I laugh and then cough. Griffin pulls out the clover water and makes me drink. He tries to give me more, but I shove it away, suddenly nauseated. “One more sip and I’ll throw up.”
His brow furrowing, he puts the flask away. “Unless they’re utterly heartless, people put a certain value on human life. It keeps us from killing each other off for no reason. But for leaders like you and me, a moral high ground is too absolute. There are choices to be made.”
“I’m not a leader.”
A stubborn glint enters his eyes. “You are. I know how you handled Piers and everyone back at the castle. You make decisions. You execute them. You protect your people.”
I snort. “My people aren’t very numerous.”
“Actually, they’re more numerous than you think. The entire city of Ios worships you.”
So that’s what that was all about? Now I’m really nauseated. The water I drank pushes uncomfortably at the edges of my shrunken stomach. I don’t want Ios worshipping me. I don’t want anyone worshipping me. “I don’t like people talking about me.”
“It’s too late for that. Everyone here knows you decimated those Tarvans almost single-handedly. The rest of Sinta will know soon enough, and the Ionians have already started building a shrine in your honor.”
What? I look at him, stunned. “Shrines are for Gods.” I blink, but nope, everything is still out of focus. That can’t be good.
“Gods. Heroes.” He gives me that lopsided smile that always makes me go into cardiac arrest. “A mysterious Fisan who gallops to the rescue on a donkey-horse and breathes fire…”
I try not to laugh. Or fall off my horse. “Panotii will kick you for that. And the Tarvans were after you, not Ios.”
“They would have sacked the city. The place is virtually defenseless. There’s a wall Brown Horse could jump over and a total of twenty guards. You saved Ios, and the people there know it.”
I frown. “Sinta’s in a weak position. It’s the poorest realm with the driest climate and the least magic, and the ex-royals drove it half into the ground with their greed. The Power Bid is here, but everything is different this time because Alpha Fisa is still too dominant, Alpha Tarva took over before he should have, and you…” I glance at Griffin, an Alpha in Beta’s clothing. “Well, I’m pretty sure you started it all.”
He doesn’t look repentant in the least. “And what happened at Ios was someone else’s first move. A Tarvan royal?”
“That’s my guess. But I think that Giant you fought after you abducted me was actually the first move. We just didn’t know it then.”
“The same person?” he asks.
Shrugging, I shake my head. “There’s no way to know.”
Griffin scans the horizon and then looks south, the bold angles of his jaw hardening as he takes in the arid vista. “I can give soldiers to Ios and Skathos to protect the healing centers, but I can’t spread my army too thin. We have to protect Sinta City and the family. Mylos is safe, but I don’t have enough people to cover Velos or Kaplos, and I barely have enough soldiers to keep the tribes peaceful in the south.”
“Recruit. Sinta is poorer than it used to be, but that’s only because all the wealth is at the castle. Redistribute. It’s good for everyone.”
He drags his hand through his hair, pushing it back. It’s gotten longer, wilder—more warlord than Beta. “I don’t trust soldiers who aren’t my own.”
“You don’t have a choice, and they will be yours. Most people just want to eat, or feed their families. You’ll have rotten fruit here and there, but so does everyone. The Fisan and Tarvan royals probably have a lot more than you do. Everyone hates them—the people because they’re repressed and terrorized, the nobles because they’re jealous and petty. There are constant plots to bring down the royal families. They just don’t work. Well, except for you.” I wave my hand in Griffin’s direction.
His mouth twitches. He’s still blurry, and my limbs are getting heavy. I struggle with the disturbing sensation while still trying to focus on the conversation.