He didn’t need to finish. Everyone knew he had a particular way of wringing the truth from those who dared to lie in his presence.
‘They didn’t share much more. It took all night for that information alone.’
And he still hadn’t gotten what he wanted.
He’d pushed until they’d almost broken entirely, and even then he considered ending them for good. But Gianna had expressly forbade it, and her trust in him depended on his obedience.
Trust he couldn’t lose; not now that Kakos had begun to move.
Tova cleared her throat. ‘What of the other Trahir merchants who are in Dunmeaden? It’s not just the two of them. There’s a whole host here for the end of the trade season.’
Gianna tore her gaze away from where she’d been looking out the window, her lips pressed into a thin line. ‘We cannot attack their party. Especially if those two were operating alone. If they were, and we make a move against the others, Trahir could take that as an invitation for war.’
‘So we go to war.’ Tova’s hazel eyes were bright, as if her flames danced within them. ‘Our army is strong enough to withstand this battle, especially if we strike first.’
‘And what would you say to the citizens of Tala?’ Gianna retorted. ‘A war with Trahir impacts our food source. With no time to prepare and no allies behind us, we won’t survive the winter.’
The Ventaleh howled outside the window, as if in agreement.
Relations with Trahir had long been tenuous. They were allies, Will supposed, but in name only. The Western Kingdom was by far the richest and most powerful, and had long lorded their position of power over Tala, whether it be the depths of their coffers, their seemingly endless food supply, or the size of their armies – all bargaining chips leveraged by the Trahir Merchant Council to get better trade deals that deepened their pockets.
An impulse attack on their visiting merchants could truly mean war … and it would be one they’d fight alone. Will doubted Milsaio, the kingdom of four islands that sat between Trahir and Tala, would want to go through the winter without the aid of the most prosperous kingdom in their realm. And the Midlands certainly wouldn’t be behind it – not when they already played buffer between Tala and Kakos. Their proximity to the ostracized kingdom had damaged them enough.
They’d be dead before spring. Winter was a harsh season in the north, and trade with Trahir was the only thing that kept them from falling behind.
Tova tossed the scone she’d been holding onto her plate with a heavy plunk. ‘It’s the citizens of Tala I’m thinking of. We let Trahir buy weapons for Kakos and there will be no citizens to feed. If you think—’
‘Enough,’ Gianna interjected. ‘We will not move without confirmation that the party acted alone. Trahir is our ally. I will not make assumptions and risk the peace the gods have blessed us with for centuries. Besides, they were inmykingdom for weapons. A supplier in Tala is sympathetic to Kakos. Let us not be rash, Tova.’
Will watched as Tova’s jaw tightened, but she nodded. Bold she may be, but Tova would not rebuke her queen.
‘For now,’ Gianna continued, her voice curt as she turned her attention to Will, ‘notify the Trahir Court that we have apprehended two of their tradesmen and they will be charged for their crimes. And take the rest of their visiting merchants to dinner. Surely they’ll be shaken to hear the news. Assure them we mean them no harm.’
Will almost scoffed. As if fine dining could alleviate what Gianna planned to do to their two comrades.
‘Dominic will seek retribution through the pending agreements, Majesty,’ Will murmured. Will was due in Rinnia, the Trahir capital, in a matter of weeks to finesse trade terms with the Trahir Council. He had no doubt the months he’d spent planning would go to waste as soon as the king received his missive. Dominic was proud and arrogant, and would certainly see this incident as a blow to his fragile ego and a perfect way to deepen Trahir’s pockets by changing the terms to benefit them.
Will knew the greed of the merchants intimately. He’dbeen raised by one, after all. It was exactly the move his father would make. Look for a weakness and exploit it.
‘I have no doubt this incident with the tradesmen will cause tension with Dominic,’ Gianna sighed heavily. ‘But I would be a fool to let them go free. I trust you to smooth it over on behalf of our Council.’
Will dipped his head in assent. He was used to soothing tempers and bolstering egos.
Gianna’s eyes moved to her Third.
Aya had remained silent throughout the exchange, but Will knew better than to think she wasn’t turning each piece of information over in her head. Aya was an expert at lying in wait – at observing and calculating and acting when the time was right.
‘I want to know who in Dunmeaden is selling weapons to the one kingdom that threatens this realm’s peace,’ Gianna ordered.
Aya’s lips quirked into a small, cold smile. Will recognized that light in her blue eyes.
A predator unleashed on its prey.
‘Consider it done,’ was all she said.
5
Aya kept a quick pace as she cut through town, her hands shoved into the pockets of her dark gray coat. Tova was silent at her side as they wove through the hordes of townspeople decorating for the Dawning. The crisp scent of evergreen carried on the wind, and Aya inhaled it deeply, tucking it away as they continued toward the docks.
