“You said you saw who was the first to attack?”
“Yes.”
“What did he look like?”
“Western, tall, bushy mustache… you couldn’t see it in what he was wearing, but he has a scar on his forearm, too.”
“You know him then?” Vi asked hopefully.
“Knowis a strong word. I’ve seen him before.” Deneya set her glass down and crossed her arms.
“Where?” Vi settled back into her chair, quickly adding, “No, let me guess. Heading in and out of Twintle’s estate?”
“Half right. One of Twintle’s warehouses down at the docks.”
“Idiots,” Vi half sighed, half mumbled. “They’re no longer meeting at the estate?”
“I’m not certain. They’ve become much better at hiding their tracks,” Deneya said with a note of frustration.
“Either way, Twintle is their ringleader.”
“It seems so, and that brings me to the other thing I had to tell you.” Deneya’s eyes sparked with knowing. “Twintle contacted Zira, offering to resume some of his old Knightly duties and assist overseeing security at the last minute. Said it would be his honor.”
Vi was sure she hadn’t heard of it because Twintle no doubt hated her after she suggested the soldiers be released in stages, resulting in them being imprisoned longer. He would’ve done everything possible to keep her out of the decision-making process. “Slimy snake,” she mumbled.
“He’s definitely the one leading. He has the means and the coin,” Deneya said with a note of agreement. “But I think Luke is helping organize. He’s a convenient mobilizer so Twintle can continue to fulfill his duties and keep suspicion off his family.”
“I see.” Vi swirled the drink in her glass, thinking back to her conversation with Taavin.
“So, who do we go after? Luke, Twintle, or neither? I doubt Taavin would approve,” Deneya said, not knowing how spot-on she was.
“No, he wouldn’t.” She took a long sip of her drink, savoring the burn while she thought about what Taavin had said. He’d claimed that, regardless of what she did, there were people she couldn’t save. But that wasn’t about to stop her from trying. She was in uncharted territory now, after all. At the very least, she’d make the lives of those who would harm the family of a future-Vi as miserable as possible. “We’re not going to go after Twintle or Luke.”
“Who, then?”
“All of them. Every Knight that would ever swing a sword against Zira or Fiera.” She had saved Zira once. Now, Vi had to keep her alive, and prove to Taavin that boldness was the key to ending this vicious cycle once and for all.
Chapter Eighteen
“Where has Twintle gone, exactly?”Vi asked as she and Deneya walked through the midday streets of Norin toward the port.
“He has a manor between here and the Crossroads, not too far from the latter. Last I heard he was taking a short leave of absence to return home and spend some time with family before summer is up.”
Houses in the city, houses in the Waste. The old noble families of Mhashan had more homes than Vi currently had pairs of trousers and seemed to change them with equal frequency.
“Family, or networking with the old lords and ladies who still harbor ill will toward the new Empress along the way.”
“My money would be on that.”
“Mine as well.” Though Vi also entertained the idea of him turning tail, embarrassed by his failure at Fiera’s wedding.
“Then this is a boring gamble.” Deneya chuckled lightly. Sometimes, like now, Vi deeply appreciated her casual disregard for the weight of the situation surrounding her. Perhaps it was because Deneya didn’t see herself as a part of the Dark Isle, and its trials were mere amusements to her. Or perhaps she’d genuinely been so bored for so long here that even the slightest activity was a genuine delight.
Either way, it forced Vi to relax some. Her demeanor had Vi working to remove herself in a similar way—look at all that was happening from the outside. It didn’t directly affect or relate to her, not really. She only had one goal and that was to do whatever it took to prevent the Crystal Caverns and weapons from being destroyed while saving as many people as she could in the process.
Of course, this distance was fabricated and skin deep. At her core, Vi couldn’t deny the simmering hatred she felt for the Knights of Jadar for what they had done and would do to her family—a hatred that only grew by the day.
“Either way, he won’t be here to deny the search, and no one else in his employ should be able to refuse me.”
