Behold the Sins by Rachel Serrin

Author:Rachel Serrin [Serrin, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-02-08T16:00:00+00:00

32

Smokes and Shiva

It was a quaint, small bedroom with an adjacent bathroom in an inn. Three cots were set up for them with fresh sheets.

“What happened with the other candidates?” asked Violet.

Rio dropped his pack to the floor with a thump. The Inaj servants had apparently kept, and washed, all of their original clothes and packed them for Jack to take when he left.

“When the uprising started and the Inaj burst through the door, everyone scattered.” He shrugged. “They were told to go to the town, so they might be here. I’m guessing they went to search for the confiscated Irises.”

“There were a couple of candidates in that crowd, Irises in their hands—so they made it out,” clarified Jack.

Violet nodded.

“Are you hurt?” Jack turned to her. “May I?”

His eyes were on her head. The gash there.

Consent. Permission.

And to her surprise, she nodded.

“I’ll get the dressings,” said Rio, glancing to Violet’s wrist. It oozed blood, but Kiane’s bite never made it deep enough once she hit the capsule.

Together they all piled in the bathroom. Violet stripped her clothes off until she was only in a bra and underwear, and the men didn’t let their gazes linger.

“You’re going to want this.” Jack handed her a small bottle.

“Thanks.” She swigged it back, and—

“Shiva?” Her eyes widened. The glorious burning elated her. “How do you have—?”

“Perks of being an ex-City Commander.”

She tilted the bottle back. Jack snorted.

They carefully cleaned her wounds—Rio stitching her wrist, Jack dabbing her forehead and then stomach. She winced, but for the most part powered through it. When she was done, they moved on to re-bandaging Jack and his shallow knife wounds.

When they were all bathed and dressed in simple sleeping clothes the Crale owners had left them, they barricaded the door and clambered into their cots. Rio passed out instantly, the bottle of shiva tucked into his arm. She plucked it out and took another swig.

Jack handed her a smoke before placing his own in his mouth. He lit a match, Violet leaning over so he could get hers.

When she inhaled, relaxation eased her back against her pillow. An indulgence.

Tense silence filled the room. In the distance, the Inaj chattered, weeping cries drifted through, mixing with Rio’s soft snores.

“Your brother saved the city, you know.”

Violet blanched. “What?”

Jack studied her, face unreadable.

“Because you deserve to know I was stupid,” he said. “For lying to you, for—I don’t know—never helping you. I abused my power and let it get out of control. The night before he was sentenced, I made a dire mistake. Reed stopped the damage before it became too bad, while Arvalo held precious contracts over my head and bombs planted at those locations. It was just like the Crale—I became blind with power and did not notice the one person under my nose who was delivering my downfall to my enemy. Reed willingly walked into a trap. He stopped the gardia wars. He saved the city.”

“What?” she whispered. “He did it on purpose?”

“He is a good man. And believe it or not, I agree with you.

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