She’d handle Jayme when her and Adela’s deal was up. By then, she would have even more power. The pirate queen would agree to anything just to avoid angering her.
“Where will we be delivering you first?” Adela asked, still somewhat begrudgingly.
“First, we’ll wait for my friends to join us. Then, to Norin.”
“And you will tell me of the way into the Archives?”
“I will tell you how to get into the Archives once our deal has concluded and you have taken me to my fifth and final place.”
“What assurance do I have until then?”
“I’m sure you’ll think of some way to make my life miserable if I don’t follow through.” Adela smiled knowingly at that. Vi held out her hand, a plain, silver ring on her left middle finger. “Narro hath.” The connection sprang to life with the glyph hovering around the ring. “It’s settled, come to theStormfrost,” she said, short and simple, before closing the connection.
“Who are your friends?”
“Curious, aren’t you, for a woman who’s all business?”
“Keep your secrets.” Adela turned, looking out to sea. Vi couldn’t tell if she was bothered or not.
“One of them is an elfin from Risen. The other is another elfin but from much farther away… where I’m from.”More or less. Vi decided to answer Adela’s question anyway. She was never going to be friendly with the pirate queen. But the more cordial they could become, the better. “May I ask you something?”
“You may ask.” But Vi didn’t miss that Adela made no guarantees about giving an answer.
“Why Solaris?”
“Pardon?” Adela swept her icy gaze back to Vi. It would’ve made her shiver, once.
“Why do you hate Solaris? You stole the crown jewels. You worked with the Knights of Jadar. You’ll go out of your way to bring harm to Solaris, even offering discounts to people acting against the family.”
“Was it you who killed my man in Norin years ago?”
“Yes.” Vi would’ve expected Adela to be upset at that, but she only seemed amused.
“I was wondering when Janice informed me there was a Lightspinner…” Janice must’ve been the morphi that night. “I had bet it was one of Lumeria’s men.”
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
“Oh, yes, why do I hate Solaris?” Adela’s wispy, white hair hovered like an aura at the slightest turn of her head when she looked to Vi. “Why do you think?”
“I think it’s because Tiberus scorned you,” Vi said boldly. “Because you loved him and he—”
Raspy laughter and wheezes cut her short.
“Because IlovedTiberus? That sod?” Adela shook her head several times. “No. Though he might have thought I did. His affections suited me, I’ll be the first to admit. Tiberus was a means to an end for me to see if I could get the treasure.”
“Then it’s not about Solaris?”
“Why would it be?”
“Because…” Vi faltered. Her voice trailed off. Everything she’d known Adela to be. Everything the pirate queen had done.
“You thought this was all about a man?” Adela continued to get a chuckle out of Vi’s shock. “No, girl. This is about me, and my power. Tiberus was a stepping stone, a test run, to see if I could become what I knew I was destined for.
“I want every so-called ruler on this earth to know that their dominion ends at the sea. I do not hate Solaris any more than I hate Lumeria, or any other ruler across the various kingdoms, empires, and republics of the earth.” Vi chuckled softly. “You find my ambitions amusing?” Adela looked at her from the sides of her eyes.
“Not at all. What I find amusing is that you and I will do anything to get what we want. And you are the last person I ever expected to find kinship with.” All the hatred Vi had felt for Adela was melting away like the ice on the chair around her. She didn’tlikethe woman. But she was starting tounderstandher. Part of that transformed her disdain into ambivalence.
Adela fought to carve out her place in the world. What made her any different from anyone else?
