"No, it would not be." She went quiet for a moment, then she said, carefully, "I know my father believed the empire had not done right by your father."
"He was betrayed." He spat the words, laced with bitterness. Quiet rage, too. "Accused of a crime he did not commit. Betrayed by men he thought he could trust, including the one he trusted more than any other, his closest friend, the emp--"
He clipped the word short. "I speak rashly. I apologize."
"You needn't apologize to me. I have no reverence for a man I've never met."
"You should, Keeper." His voice was firm. "Or, at least, have care enough to feign it. You cannot be careless in court. Ever."
"I would prefer not to go to court. Ever."
"I know. And I agree. But I fear, after this, neither of us will have a choice in the matter."
"As long as it's a short visit."
He paused, then murmured, "Yes, let's hope it's a short visit," and they lapsed into peaceful silence again.
Thirty-seven
They had been on the road for five days now. Gavril believed they were approaching Fairview. Moria hoped so. She still worried about Daigo's wounds.
As for Gavril, he'd been a better companion since the thunder-hawk fight. That sense of calm had, for the most part, stayed. He still confused debate with conversation, but if Moria was being honest, that was her preference as well. She had little patience for idle chatter, and a lively discussion kept her entertained on the mind-numbing walk.
It was nearly midday when she spotted it, shimmering in the sun. A city of white.
"Is that . . . a mirage?" she asked.
"No, that would be Fairview. They whitewash the buildings. A beacon for the weary traveler on the Wastes."
"Ah, a fair view indeed." She tried to smile, but her heart pounded too hard. "So this is it, then. If Ashyn--when Ashyn made it through the Wastes, this is where she'd go."
"It is, and she did. You know she did. We saw no signs otherwise, and as you said many times, you'd know if she was gone. She's there--or she was there and you'll have news of her."
"And the children?"
He paused then. "I still . . . I do not see the point in men taking the children."
"Does evil need a purpose?"
Another pause. "If the children were taken, perhaps that proves that what happened at Edgewood was not evil. That the massacre at Edgewood was a mistake, one that could not be reversed but could be mitigated by saving the most innocent."
Even after all they'd seen, he could not accept it. Should she blame him, when she still skirted around the treacherous ice of her father's death?
Gavril cleared his throat. "I doubt the children would be here, though. Those men would push on to Riverside, where the warlord resides. Fairview does not even have a proper garrison."
"I'll worry about the children later. Ashyn will be here." She found her smile then, a blazing grin as her heart lifted. "I'll race you."
She wheeled and took off, Daigo at her side.
"Keeper!"
She turned, still moving. "Yes, only children run. I don't care. You can be mature and walk."
He gestured to the sword hanging at his side. "It's not about matur
ity. Run and I end up with bruises."
She laughed. "Then you must walk, Kitsune." She started to turn away again, then looked back. "Is my face clean?"