Where had that come from? She spoke carefully. “You must have a lot of children.
“Actually, no. Just one. After a moment, he added, “His mother doesnt acknowledge I am the father. But everyone knows he is mine. He looks just like me when I was fourteen. And he has three joints in his big toe. Who else has that? Only me, my father and my grandfather.
“How can your concubine refuse to say you are the father?
“She wasnt a concubine. He shifted behind her, gripping the reins so hard, his knuckles whitened. “I dont have any women. I havent for years. Except you, now.
Only her? “Then how She stopped, uncertain she wanted to hear the rest.
“She lived in a town I visited with my father and Dusk Yargazon. He spoke in clipped sentences, unlike his usual drawl. “Dusk saw her. He liked her. So he took her. He shared her with me. Thats it.
Allegra had a feeling that wasnt “it at all. “Does she say Yargazon is the father?
“No. She says the boys father is her husband.
“Her husband!
His voice had gone flat. “I didnt know she was married.
“You didnt ask?
“No. I thought Dusk did. I didnt know him as well then.
“Gods, Markus, what did you do to her?
“I made love to her. He sounded defensive. “It isnt a crime.
Like hell. “What about Yargazon?
His voice turned leaden. “I didnt know.
“Know what?
“His tastes areharsher than mine.
“He hurt her, didnt he? Her voice cracked. “The two of you grabbed some girl, raped her, hurt her in saints only know how many ways and left her like a broken doll.
“Stop it! His fist jerked on the reins, and the horse neighed in protest.
“You feel guilty, she said. “All these years, youve hated what you did. Despite what his people allowed, what his title and status gave him, despite everything, he had a conscience.
“We broke no laws. He sounded almost as upset as she felt.
“Of course not. Your family makes the laws. Allegra took a breath to steady herself. “That means you also have the power to fix wrongs. The moral responsibility is yours, too.
“By the Dragon, you talk a lot!
“No, I dont. I just say things you dont want to hear.
“I didnt know. He spoke with unexpected pain. “Usually Dusk shared his girls with my father. I knew they did, but I never thought about it. I hadnt realized my fatherI mean, he never treated my mother that way.
That you knew. “Your mother was his pleasure girl?
“Concubine. He was good to her.
She didnt believe it. “Always?
It was a moment before he answered. “Until he tired of her. I was about five. She was pregnant with my second sister.
Allegra hesitated, unsure if she should ask more. This man had a lot more to him than it had appeared when she met him. She spoke with care. “Do you have a lot of siblings?
“Not as many asbefore the war. He paused for a moment. Then he said, “I dont know what my father was like with the mothers of my other siblings. But maybe it was fortunate he tired of my mother. He hardened as he grew up.
“Grew up? It seemed a strange way for a son to characterize his father.
His arms moved as he shrugged behind her. “He was only twelve when I was born.
Her mouth fell open. “What?
“He wanted a concubine. Markus sounded uncomfortable. “So grandfather gave him one. She was sixteen.
Allegra could think of many responses to that. Choosing tact, she said, “You had an unusual childhood.
“But a good one. After a pause, he added, “I think.
“You think? It didnt sound good to her.
“I lived in a palace with a mother who doted on me, a father who gave me all the riches I could want and servants to cater to my every need. I wasnt the heir to the throne, so I didnt have to learn all those lessons my grandfather drummed into my father, and my father later expected from my half brother. I could do whatever the flaming hell I wanted. Yes, I would say it was a good life.
Then why are you angry? It sounded to her as if he had missed a great deal, like parents with the maturity to raise a child and love him without spoiling him.
“What happened to your son? she asked.
His voice warmed. “Hes done well, actually. I used to visit the family several times a year. He didnt hide his longing. “I liked those visits. And I sent gold coins regularly. I also offered him a commission in the army, when he was old enough. Dryly he added, “That was before Cobalt put a death sentence on my head. Now, what army can he join? I cant commission him in the official one, with Cobalt in charge, and mine is outlawed. His mood lightened again. “Hes very good at engineering, you know. He designed an irrigation system for his village, and it works beautifully. Hes a strong, kind boy.
She smiled, touched by his affection. “He sounds like someone to be proud of.
“So he is. After a pause, Markus spoke wryly. “I think this talks-too-much affliction you have is contagious.
“You have interesting things to say. It was true. He had lived a strange life, privileged certainly, though not one she would have wanted. She had a feeling he knew he had missed as much as he had enjoyed, but she doubted he could actually say what his sumptuous life had lacked.
“Come, lets ride, he said. “Shadow has had enough rest.
“Shadow?
“My horse. Named for the dragon, of course. With that, he surged into another mad race across the desert.
In the late afternoon, they stopped to rest at the southern border of Taka Mal and Jazid. To Allegra, the badlands of Taka Mal looked just as stark as those of Jazid.
“How do you know where the border is? she asked. They were sitting on the top of a small mesa that thrust up from the desert like the isolated, broken molar of some giant.
“By the cairns, Markus said, pointing. “Look over there.
Allegra squinted. A solitary pile of red boulders stood like a sentry in the desert, gnarled and weathered.
“Is someone buried there? she asked.
“A border guard, he said. “If they dont have family to accept their remains when they die, the army buries them on the border, to honor their service to the atajazid.
It sounded so lonely. “Does it bother them?
“Not at all. Its considered an honor. Often they have a place picked out ahead of time for their burial. He bit into a slab of meat he had taken from his riding bag. “The army doesnt have enough sentinels to guard the border anymore, though.
It didnt surprise her. Jazid had lost many men in the war, and Cobalt had executed those soldiers who refused him their fealtyexcept these outlaws who had escaped the long reach of his power.
“It must be strange, living as an exile in your own country, Allegra said. She bit one of the grapes he had given her.
He scowled at the border. “Its even more aggravating that Taka Mal is free when we arent, given the way they betrayed us.
Allegra knew little about Jazids northern neighbor beyond the geography she taught her students, but she had thought Taka Mal and Jazid shared similar cultures. A queen ruled in Taka Mal, though, which she could never imagine happening here.
“Id heard that Taka Mal and Jazid were allies, she said.
“No longer.
“How did they betray your country?
“How didnt they? He tore a bite of meat off with his teeth and chewed and swallowed angrily. “They allied with your country. Their infernal queen married a man from Aronsdale, some weak, pretty boy with yellow hair.
Allegra had heard about the marriage; such delicious gossip reached even her home, for the man came from southwestern Aronsdale. The stories always described him as handsome and charming, a minstrel and lithe acrobat with a dazzling smile.
“I can see how an alliance between Taka Mal and Aronsdale might surprise Jazid, she said. “But why call it a betrayal?
“The queen had agreed to marry my father, to cement the alliance between our two countries. Together, we would stand against Cobalt the Dark.