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“How many women do you expect to see in Xi’Matezh, you idiot?”
“One,” said Meoraq. “The one He means me to marry, if He means me to marry.”
Nkosa rubbed at his brow ridges, plainly choosing his next words with great care. He settled on: “I hope this isn’t what you told the exarch.”
“I don’t have to tell him anything,” said Meoraq, dropping back against the bench with a dismissive wave. “I have a whole year before Uyane has to present a steward. I could crawl to the Reaches and back in that time.”
They sat, Meoraq watching the clouds and Nkosa watching him.
“You’re going to make me say it,” Nkosa said finally.
“Say what?”
“Sheul is not going to give you a woman.”
“So,” said Meoraq, untroubled. “That will be a sign of something too, won’t it?”
“Did you sleep through the lesson the day they were supposed to teach you about sophistry?” Nkosa demanded, still trying to laugh as if this would all turn into a joke if he just believed in it hard enough. “What makes you think you’re even going to get through the doors?”
“Nuu Sukaga.”
Nkosa leaned back, his spines flaring all the way forward. “What’s that mean?”
“I have no idea,” said Meoraq and smiled.
Nkosa stared at him some more, then grunted and heaved himself up on his feet. “All right, please yourself. Give me a tap, crazy person,” he ordered, palm out.
Meoraq smiled. Ignoring Nkosa’s outstretched arm, he rose and put his hand against his blood-kin’s heart like a brother, then pulled him close in a rough embrace. It didn’t last long and wasn’t entirely comfortable, but he was glad he did it, if only the once.
“Come back before the year is up, if you can,” said Nkosa, slow to back away. “I know you won’t be able to after you take your House and I’m going to want to see the man who walked all the way to the ends of the world just to get dipped.”
“I’ll be back in the spring,” promised Meoraq. “I’ll even stay with you and do you the honor of sharing your wife.”
“Ha. Only if you share yours.”
“Done. Now get out of here,” he said gently. “I can’t stop them from whipping you every day, you know.”
“Well, in that case don’t bother coming back at all.” Nkosa raised his hand, hesitated, and then curled it into a fist and touched his heart in a real salute. He turned his back at once and went quickly to the door, checking the stair with a look of resignation, then slipped through and was gone.
Meoraq stretched back out on the bench and clasped his hands behind his head. The clouds above him blew eternally onward. To the east, he noted. Toward Xi’Matezh.
His destiny.