“What’s the new mission?” Vorik asked again.
“I’m considering if you’re the right person to lead it.”
Vorik fought the urge to bristle and grow indignant. “Does that mean it has to do with Queen Syla?”
Eyes of the moon, what were his people contemplating now? He already worried that Captain Lesva, who’d requested the mission of assassinating Syla to ensure she was no longer a threat, would find a way to slip away from Harvest Island and make her desire a reality.
“It shouldn’t,” Jhiton said. “Harvest Island is fully under our control. While the Kingdom is trying to figure out how they’ll get it back, it’s the perfect time to take control ofanotherisland. As long as the queen stays on Castle Island, she shouldn’t appear in your flight path.”
“She has a dragon and wants those components back. I wouldn’t assume she’ll stay put.”
“Perhaps not, but she shouldn’t have a reason to visit Bogberry Island anytime soon. If she’s scheming ways to get the components, she shouldn’t be looking in that direction.”
“That’s probably true, unless their intelligence officers figure out that we’ll strike there next. Since it’s the other of the three northernmost islands that are clumped relatively close together, it makes sense as a target. Wouldn’t it be wiser to strike at one farther down the chain?”
“As we’ve discussed before, our chiefs believe that if we ultimately can only acquire three islands, it would be easiest for us to defend the ones together at one end of the chain.” Jhitonhitched a shoulder, as if indifferent. He wantedallthe islands and probably believed they could get them. “As to the Kingdom’s ability to obtain information on our plans, we’ve been careful about finding and ostracizing Freeborn Faction spies. And the intelligence officers that the Kingdom itself sends out are hard-pressed to even find our camps. Without dragons of their own, they can rely only on their slow-moving naval ships. Ships we regularly attack at various locations around the Sea of Storms so that their crews are confused about where our people originate.”
“Yes.” Over the years, Vorik had been a part of many of those attacks. He’d also watched as his people hid and did nothing while enemy ships sailed past within sight of their camps. “What do you want me to do on Bogberry Island?”
Jhiton didn’t answer right away. Did he doubt that Vorik was the right officer for the job?
“Jhiton, you can trust me to competently lead a military mission. Even if I have doubts about what some of the tribal leaders want to do in a hypothetical future in which we’ve been successful at all our aspirations, I wouldn’t act against your wishes. You’re—we’re… With Mother and Father and our brother gone, you’re all I have left. And I owe you for… a lot.”
“I believe you, but I would like you to give me your word about something.”
Vorik tensed, worried this would be about Syla. “What?”
“If youdodecide that you disagree with the tribal leaders and the direction they want to take the tribes, fight them in the way of our people, not through covert sabotage.”
“What, by challenging Shi to a duel for the leadership of the tribe?”
“Exactly that. If you want to effect change…” Jhiton spread his palm toward the roof of the cave.
“I don’t want to be a tribe leader. I’m not even— You know I’m not ambitious. All I want is to be a dutiful warrior and tocontinue flying into battle with Agrevlari. Maybe I also want a few strawberries every summer.”
Jhiton gazed at him.
“Youcould challenge Shi,” Vorik suggested. “You’d win that duel—I have no doubt—and such a maneuver wouldn’t be without precedent. It’s rare, but therehavebeen chiefs who also commanded the Storm Guard or Sixteen Talons.”
“Not for long,” Jhiton said softly. “It’s never been encouraged, and it’s been during desperate times when it’s happened. Remember the warlord Avidrak from our own history? And how a dagger in his back ended his life? People want their government, even a government as simple as ours, and their military separated so that the tribes don’t turn into dictatorships. Besides, commanding soldiers is more appealing to me than leading civilians. Soldiers are disciplined.” He gave Vorik a sidelong look. “Most of them.”
“My discipline is excellent.”
“Until someone drops a strawberry in your path.”
“Please. It would take a handful of strawberries and a peach to deter me from a task.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“While I’m away on the mission you’re going to assign me?” Vorik didn’t yet know what the missionwasand mostly longed for it because… to have been considered for it and not given it would mean he’d lost his brother’s faith. Maybe some of his trust. The idea stung, and when Jhiton hesitated again, Vorik closed his eyes. As difficult as it would be, he needed to get all thoughts of Syla out of his mind so there wouldn’t be conflicts of interest going forward.
“You should have kidnapped her,” Jhiton said gently, as if he knew exactly what Vorik was thinking and wasn’t completely without sympathy.
“To use her against her people and keep her prisoner for her moon-mark forever forward?”
“To be your mate,” Jhiton said dryly. “We discussed that.”
“That was before she became the queen. Even as a princess, she wouldn’t have come to live a nomadic life full of danger and hard conditions.”
