“I think what my fellow ministers are trying to say is…how do we know we can trustyou?” Her voice was steady, a stark contrast to the murmurs and nods. “You want us to have our ship follow yours, into waters where Adela sails, to certain danger that awaits on Meru.You, a woman who has been rumored to be associated with Adela herself, want us to follow your orders blindly.”
“I am not—” Eira wasn’t given the opportunity to get in an objection. The murmurs had given way to outright whispers that carried all the way to the balcony. Skepticism was threatening to crumple the house of cards Eira had been building her hopes upon. Wasn’t this woman supposed to be helping her? Unless hindering her was its own help. An invitation. “Then perhaps I could pass some sort of test?”
“A test?” another minister chimed in. The woman was silent, with an expectant stare.
“Surely there is some task I can perform that would prove both my trustworthiness and lend aid to Qwint?” Eira hoped she wasn’t being too obvious.
“My fellow ministers, perhaps she is right. Is it not true that what we fear is weakness before Carsovia?” The woman gestured to the room and was met with nods of agreement. Though a fair amount of confusion at where her final point rested. “I would propose we send the young woman into Carsovia to weakenthem. Let her be the one to compensate for the defenses we shall lose by sending forces to aid Meru.”
“You mean to send achildinto Carsovia?” Sahm bristled.
“Minister, I assure you that I amnota child,” Eira couldn’t stop herself from saying. Let them be skeptical of her alliances, but not her abilities. “I have infiltrated Carsovia once before and lived to tell the tale. I am more than capable of bringing back whatever it is you need.”
“Good.” Drogol’s ally smiled thinly. “At the same time, we can send a small vessel to Solaris. We shall not follow Eira’s commands to their letter, but make our own path. In this way, we can independently test Solaris’s willingness to align with us—send back their citizens, too. It will earn goodwill and be less mouths for us to feed.”
Nods and murmurs of agreement blanketed the assembly.
“This lord of hers can write us a letter. If she speaks true of him, then they can verify her claims—further proving that she can be trusted. Vote yes to my plan, my fellow ministers, and we shall know where Solaris stands, verify Eira’s loyalty, and gain new weapons in the process. We will not send any more resources until we have confirmed Eira can be trusted. At the worst, we shall only lose a little bit of time and a fast ship.”
“It is…a suitable proposal,” another agreed after a long minute of contemplative silence.
“Worth considering.”
“Ifshe can be successful.”
“But what do we lose if she’s not? Not much.”
“Is it worth risking at all? I’ve my doubts in the woman—look at her.”
The gauntlet was thrown at her feet. The challenge made. All Eira had to do was rise to it.
“It was me and my crew that brought down the flash bead mines of Carsovia,” Eira spoke above the rising murmurs andmumbles. “I am no stranger to trials; I outright welcome them. They were what started me on this journey, and they shall no doubt be the last that I conquer. Give me this opportunity to prove myself and my skill. If my loyalty is what you seek, then I will give it to you with abundance.”
“Then let us call this matter to vote,” Morova said. “All those abstaining?” A speckling of white paddles. Not many. “Those against?” Five, maybe seven of the fifty paddles. “And those for?”
A sea of green answered her last question.
Eira stood taller, shoulders squared. She was going back to Carsovia.
11
Asmall group stood before the wall at the western edge of Qwint. It was the same wall that wrapped around the entirety of the city in a protective embrace. From the ground, Eira realized once more just how imposing the structure was. It was twice as impressive as any of the towering buildings in the heart of Qwint. She hadn’t fully appreciated just how fortified it was when she’d entered the city by sea, given the circumstances of her entry.
The group was an assembly of familiar faces, new acquaintances, and men and women whose names Eira hadn’t bothered to learn. Lavette and Yonlin stood off to one side behind them with the contingent of ministers who had regarded them warmly—even who had gone out of their way to escort them from the front door of Lavette’s building. Opposite them were a group of ministers who looked far more skeptical. They were here to see if Eira got cold feet, no doubt. Drogol’s ally was among them. Knights that fanned before them.
Of all the people present, Eira, Cullen, Olivin, Alyss, Yonlin, and Ducot were the ones who were prepared to venture forth. They all had a pack of essentials weighing down their shoulders.
“Three days,” Morova reminded them for what was the tenth, maybe fifteenth, time. “Based on our intelligence, Carsovia will be moving their prisoners now, which means they will cross through the main road just west of here in one to two days. That will be?—”
“Our best chance,” Eira finished with a determined nod. Drogol’s ally had worked her magic on the Hall of Ministers after Eira had left, securing their mission to focus on retrieving Allun. “Our supplies will last only three days,” she echoed something else they had told her. Though, Eira suspected they could make a fourth day stretch, if they had to. “We’ll be back in time.”
“We will only open the door on the dawn of the fourth day, so do ensure that you are,” Drogol’s ally said curtly.
Eira gave a slight dip of her chin.
Their goodbyes were brief; most of the parting had happened the night before, along with their planning.
Fen would be taking the ministers to Solaris. He knew the Shattered Isles and Adela’s routes within them—he could avoid her so there were no unfortunate crossing of paths. And if they did happen upon the pirate queen, Fen could ensure that they made it out alive.
