Chapter Text
Give the late hour, Jasnah had hoped to avoid getting delayed by anyone while on her way to the lower levels. To her frustration, the empty halls only made the figure walking the opposite direction in the hall all the more obvious as he approached.
She fixed her eyes on the wall away from Meridas Amaram and walked at the outside edge of the hall, but his path curved toward her and he grabbed her arm as she passed, jerking her to a halt.
Her voice was low and venomous. "I haven't tried soulcasting by touching the target with my elbow, but I think it would be a worthwhile experiment. For scholarly purposes." She looked pointedly at his hand.
He pulled his hand away from her. "Jasnah, why are you so much more hostile to me than before?"
"Before I only suspected your true character. Now I have confirmation," she hissed.
"What are you talking about?"
"I know how you got your Shardblade."
He stood up taller, indignant. "It was for the good of the kingdom!"
"You keep trying to justify your terrible behavior. That only makes it worse."
A muscle in his jaw flexed. "What would you have me do?"
"For a start, apologize to the man who's now head of the Order of Windrunners."
"He'd never forgive me."
"And you don't think he should. You know what you did was wrong."
He turned half away from her, then back. "That boy wouldn't speak to me."
"He's more of a man than you are, so he might."
Amaram growled.
This man drives me to reach for the lowest insults.
Amaram's eyes were hard. "What good would it do?"
"It would be one step toward you not being a waste of flesh."
Amaram's fists clenched, then he visibly made himself release them. "And then what? Give him back the Blade he won? He didn't even want it, you know. He was going to give it to some lowly report of his."
Jasnah shook her head. "You miss the point so thoroughly, it's like you're aiming the other direction entirely."
Amaram took a long slow breath. "Why are you so set on taking that boy's side?"
She raised one eyebrow at him. "Perhaps because he's shown more honor than the entire Alethi court combined, excluding perhaps my uncle. Especially if we include you, since you make a negative contribution."
"Fine," he spat. "Defend your pet darkeyes and his band of fellow slaves. You only debase yourself by association."
"And you don't need to associate with anyone to debase yourself. Tell me, Meridas, why hasn't a spren selected you to bond with?"
His lip twitched and he stalked off.
I may have made things worse. I really should control myself more.