“When I asked about his name, he said you owned a brewery.” My eyes dart to Keg’s sister. “He said you got the best name out of the three of you.”
They all laugh, Barley smiling with a hint of satisfaction. “That’s because I did.”
“Their father named them,” Isalee says, rolling her eyes but sending a fond smile to her husband.
Warken just rolls back on his heels, completely pleased with himself. “My family has owned the brewery for generations. Thought it would be fitting.”
“You also own the most land in Fourth. And run the most successful spice trade. Plus the bathhouses. And the water mills. Could’ve named us after any of those,” Barley says. “Not that I’m complaining, because Ididget the best name.”
He waves her off. “The brewery is my favorite.” Leaning in closer to me, he says, “It’sverylucrative.”
“Wark,” his wife cuts in. “It’s not polite to talk about money.”
My lips tip up. “I’m gold. It’s really fine.”
Warken laughs. “Ah, I like you,” he says, wagging a finger at me. “So, tell me, how is our Keg doing? Did you know he was supposed to come into politics with the rest of the family?”
“Yes, and he didn’t. He was the smart one of the bunch,” Barley says dryly.
Warken cuts a thumb over to Slade. “He joinedthisman’s army instead, deciding that instead of making power plays and writing up delegations, he’d rather cook.”
“Well...his slop was very good,” I joke. “Best cook in the army, if you ask me.”
“So you two met properly?” Isalee asks.
I nod. “Yes. He was very nice to me, right from the start. And he fed me, so he was an instant favorite.”
“Well, let’s get you fed with us too,” she replies warmly. “We have some things to tide us over before the dinner formally starts.” Her dark eyes shift to Slade. “And we should speak before Third’s advisor arrives.”
All of us go to the table, where Slade pulls out a chair for me right beside him. Warken, Isalee, and Barley all sit across from us, leaving the seat at the head of the table open.
“Shouldn’t you be sitting there?” I say to Slade as he takes a seat beside me.
“I’d much rather sit next to you,” he says with a wink.
“He also likes to play mind games,” Warken chuckles. “Placing Manu there is a good way to do something unexpected and put him on the spot a bit more.”
The table is a thick slab of wood, so dark it’s nearly black, the edges left raw, showing off the grains and irregular trim. There are already small plates laid out, along with polished silverware and wooden goblets, and Slade quickly serves me some fresh bread and wine before serving himself.
Once we’re situated and I’ve already taken my first bite, Slade looks across to them. “Alright. Lay it all out.”
Isalee sets her own cup down with a nod. “Since you left with the army to travel to Fifth, we’ve made sure the outpost at Cliffhelm was repaired and the soldiers there relieved. Of course, when the supply shipment didn’t arrive, we made sure to send over a backup cargo that should be getting there within the week. Then as you know, we had new recruits for the army that are in the training camp in Farncroft.”
“Good,” Slade says. “And the mines?”
It’s Warken who answers. “They’ve hit another very productive pocket three weeks ago. We’ve been making sure to work it, refreshing the laborers there too, keeping morale up with pay increases as they work the fissures to extract the oil.”
“And the north mountains?”
“Ahead of schedule on the mineral deposits—that vein has been incredibly easy to extract. We’ve been having it worked quickly in order to prepare for possible conflicts with the other kingdoms,” Warken explains, his hand rubbing over his chin thoughtfully. “So our reserves are up. We have plenty of funds to do what needs to be done with weapons and new armory and food stores.”
“But therein lies the problem,” Barley adds, cutting her eyes up to Slade. “We just got word from another one of our ports. Our imports have slowed.”
“From where?”
“Third Kingdom.”
Beside me, Slade’s body stiffens. “How many shipments have arrived?”
