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Christine

Chapter 58

The Accusation

"Christine."

My eyes fluttered open to see Erik standing over me, now in the study, the books of translations in his hands, a thumb holding his place between pages. I was on the side of the bed that touched the wall, and when I moved my arm over the rest of the bed, I found it to be cold. He'd been up for some time now.

"Erik?" My eyes strained against the warm yellow light of the lamp on the desk. "What's wrong?"

"There's something in the book I think you should see."

I sat up, now clothed. I was too paranoid after what had occurred earlier tonight. "Yes?"

He sat down. Ayesha, who'd been sleeping on the foot of the bed, stood, stretched, and walked to him, purring. Erik was fully dressed, I realized. I wasn't sure he'd actually slept at all. From the darkness beyond the window, the sleep still in my eyes, I knew that if it was morning, it was extremely early. He opened up the book and pointed to the margins, as Ayesha rubbed her cheek on the book's cover.

"Look."

There were a set of Persian words that I couldn't read, but underneath them was the phrase 'I love you'. A short distance under that were another set of words, and underneath that: "Like a queen".

My brow furrowed. "Are these..."

"Bits of our conversations." He breathed in and scratched his cat's chin, looking at her. "They're scattered all across this book. Bits of what we've said to each other." He stopped petting Ayesha and pointed to the Persian writing. "These words? They're gibberish. They mean nothing. But when said out loud, they sound like these words." He pointed to the French writing. "Whoever is listening has been writing what we say phonetically in Persian, and then looking up what the sounds mean in French."

I stared at the words. If the fact that Erik and I loved each other got to the wrong person, like a political enemy, then who knew what could happen.

"Who do you think has been eavesdropping?" I whispered.

"I have no idea." Erik closed the book slowly and stood. Ayesha mewed and hopped off the bed. "I wish I did."


The next morning, Erik woke me once more and asked me to bathe and dress so that we could go to Nadir's house. I did so. I made sure to put on the topaz necklace Erik had gifted me, as I did every morning now. And when I walked back out of the bathing room to find him standing and holding the book, I knew that this morning would entail conflict.

I wasn't wrong.

The moment we arrived from Echo Hall and walked into Nadir's dining room, the moment he saw the book his Erik's hands and registered what it was, he stood straight up, hands on the table on either side of his breakfast, eyes blazing.

"Where-"

"We have a small conundrum," said Erik. "Just a slight one."

Nadir marched to Erik and snatched the book, jade eyes wide behind his spectacles. "Where did you find this?"

"In Echo Hall, right behind the bookshelf door." Erik crossed his arms. "It was dropped."

Nadir whipped his gaze from the book's cover to Erik. "Dropped?"

"Someone has been spying on me."

A cold silence. Then: "Oh? And how do you know?"

The tone in Nadir's voice, full of icy doubt, sent a shiver down my spine as though it was actually physically chilly.

"How?" Erik looked at Nadir in puzzlement. "Why else would someone hold a book of French translations outside my bedroom? And write translations within the book itself. Look!-" He took the book back from Nadir and opened it, flipping the pages until he landed on one that satisfied him. "Look at this. These are words I've said. Christine has said." He pointed the words out to Nadir. "Explain this."

Nadir's jaw set. He shook his head momentarily, a flash of rage and terror in his eyes, and then looked at me with cool stone eyes.

"I think it would be very convenient," he said, "for Christine to be learning Persian."

I froze. "I didn't take it. I already told you."

"But why wouldn't you have taken it? You had access to my study while here; no one was tracking your movements."

"I told you that you could check my things-"

"Knowing, no doubt, that in saying that, no one would. Yes?"

"No! I-"

"She didn't take the book, Daroga." Erik's eyes flashed something mean at him. "What would she possibly gain from that? I could easily teach her if she wanted to learn."

"Independent study is good for a developing skill," replied Nadir. "And she'd have much to gain. A possible chance at freedom, perhaps, from the Shah if she were to find out something interesting about her master or the chief of police or the Grand Vizier. A chance to go home."

"I wouldn't sell you out," I whispered.

"And how do I know that?" Nadir's nostrils flared. "I can clearly see you are intelligent. Crafty, perhaps, as well."

"She didn't take the fucking book, Nadir!" Erik snarled. "I found the book behind the door. We both heard it drop. Unless she's become as good a magician as me, there's no way she could have dropped it there."

Nadir's lips thinned. He had no good response to that.

"It's someone who has access to your study." Erik lowered his voice. "It's a servant."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!" Nadir hissed. "It's not."

Another silence.

"I know what this is," said Erik slowly. "You have lost control. The game is no longer being played in your favor, and you won't accept that it's happening. Because then you'd have to accept that things are unraveling."

"You would lose if things unravel, too, Erik. Both you and Christine."

"No doubt," said Erik. "I would. But I can accept that fact and move on with it, work with it, find a new path. But you would rather hold fast to your guns than admit they have no ammunition anymore. Nadir." He stepped a bit closer to him and spoke with deliberateness. "Someone that you think you can trust is acting against your interests. It's time to find out who it is."

Nadir stared at Erik. He took the book from his hands. "Regrettably," he said, "I have decided to cancel our meeting this morning."

"Cancel?" came an accented voice from the doorway. "But I've only just come."

Ibrahim.

He saw me looking at him with surprise and smiled. "Good morning, Rose."

I smiled back.

"We'd better well have a meeting," he said, walking into the dining room and taking a seat. The only person now at the table. "I haven't been in a long time. I'm ready to get back to work. But first? Bread. And lots of it. You wouldn't believe the headache I've got."

"The meeting is canceled, Ibrahim."

"Well, get my bread all the same."

"You know what?" said Nadir. "I think we should cease meetings altogether. I can pass on my suggestions to Erik through paper and we can correspond that way."

"I do believe I've suggested that before," said Erik. "But I know you love me wreaking havoc on your home so you insisted on them, anyway. Understandable, of course."

"I've decided that information is no longer safe spoken aloud," he said, working his hands at his side. "Erik, you will burn the messages I give you the moment you read them."

"Of course." Erik's voice was cold, no doubt his mood still salted by Nadir's accusation.

"And Ibrahim is useless here. That has been been proven clear by his laziness these last couple of weeks."

Ibrahim's face fell. "I'm sorry?"

"Must I repeat myself, Grand Vizier?"

"I would advise, my friend, that you think about to whom you are talking."

"And what will you do, Ibrahim, in response? Let the Shah know that you've been helping us take him down so that you could put into power the man you've been fucking?"

I stared at Nadir. Was he insane? This upset? Or had his realization that his mighty mountain was made of sand caused him to become something rabid and unreasonable?

Ibrahim shot up like a bullet, face reddening. "Learn your place, policeman, or I will remind you of it."

"Then remind me of it!" said Nadir. "You've lost the Prince, now lose the only true friends you have left by betraying them. Do it. I dare you."

Ibrahim stood there, fuming, and opened his mouth, about to retort, when he trailed his eyes to Erik and me.

He closed his mouth, and looked back at Nadir. "I will not," he said softly. "But the only stake I had in this was seeing the man I love on the throne. I've lost him. So now I have no real loyalties - except to them." He pointed to us. "Erik understands loyalty. I've seen it in his love for her. And she understands kindness. I've seen it in her treatment of him. You understand neither of those things. I think you'd sell your own son if it meant avenging your wife - your loyalties and kindnesses died with her."

He went around us. He left.

Nadir's tan skin was ashen. After a few moments, he looked at us.

"Go," he whispered.

We didn't hesitate to obey.