Chapter 40

As the group rides toward a village before the capitol, Jovie, exhausted and replaying her projection, argument, and kiss with Acker, chooses to ride with Hallis instead of Acker. Acker helps Beau mount, offering no protest, yet Jovie remains tense, questioning whether Acker is manipulating her and noting his vow to kill Kai.

At a creek crossing, Hallis steadies their skittish mare while Jovie senses Acker’s intense gaze. Hallis jokes about becoming a target, and their banter turns to childhood memories when Jovie reveals recalling his “Fang Hands” stories after a saigon-root episode. Hallis shares an embarrassing saigon mishap, briefly easing the mood before Jovie catches a fleeting softness in Acker’s expression.

Hallis acknowledges Jovie overheard his conversation with Acker and admits it may have cast Acker unfairly. He describes Acker as loyal to a dangerous fault, dividing the world into those he protects and everyone else, implying the risks of being on the wrong side of him.

Jovie presses about Acker’s political courtship of the Strou princess, comparing it to Kai’s manipulation. Hallis refuses to villainize Acker for her, insisting the difference is evident if Jovie looks for it, and that her judgment will decide where she stands in Acker’s two-sided world.

When Jovie asks if bonded couples can fail to become a true love match, Hallis cites tales where such pairs destroyed each other and those around them. The warning underscores the peril of Jovie and Acker’s volatile, newly linked bond as they near the capitol.