Prince James cackled like the little basket case he was before plopping into the chair. This time without spilling my tea.
After a month of working with this man, I maintained that he was weird. But he was also starting to feel like a friend. Every time I tried to keep professional distance between us, he either slipped right past my defenses, or I somehow succumbed to his easygoing charm. I really should be stricter with myself when it came to him. I just didn’t know how to maintain alertness twelve hours a day.
I was in trouble, wasn’t I?
Eighteen
James
Right. Time to make waves.
Well, really, time to prevent waves. Today I’d take the first step in rebuilding the seawalls and preventing one of the major disasters that had wiped out a third of the city. Namely, a Retazo’s Wrath caused by an earthquake at sea.
Helena, Edwin, and I rode from the very top of the cliff side, where the palace resided, down to the docks on the lower side of the city, which sat at sea level. Necessary, of course, for all the ships, but it did have its problems. The sea was not a gentle thing. Every once in a while, it chose to remind us puny mortals.
Helena took advantage of the open carriage to look about, beaming. She didn’t get out of the palace often, unless she was part of some event. Being able to ride about like this with a bare minimum of knights was something of a rarity for her. I’d chosen to ride in the carriage so I could begin her training.
Her smile infectious, she prodded me, eager to get started. “So, what’s the first thing I should know about prepping for a disaster?”
“Listen to your experts. That’s the best advice I can give you for any project you take on—listen to your experts. The lords and ladies will all have opinions, but the average workman will have a better grasp of what’s going on, and it’s to their words you should pay attention.”
Helena’s eyes narrowed as she studied me carefully. “You do that.”
“All the time. I’ve learned the hard way to listen.”
“Okay, what’s the second thing?”
“Next, always leave room in your budget for things going wrong. My rule of thumb is to leave twenty percent of the budget for contingencies. Something always goes wrong in a building project, it’s almost par for the course, and you don’t want to be caught out with no money to spare. If by some miracle you reach the end of the project with money left over, then funnel it to another.”
“I feel like I should be taking notes,” she said rhetorically to the air. “I’ll bring a notebook next time. Third thing?”
“Don’t put fixes or projects off to the last minute or give them impossibly tight deadlines, as that’s just inviting bad luck. The seawalls around the docks, for instance, are incredibly past due for repairs. That’s part of why I’m determined to get this fixed, even if we’re sliding into monsoon season. Helena, do you know how long this topic has been languishing?”
When she shook her head, Edwin supplied quietly, “Five years.”
He sat across from us in the carriage, which was not where I wanted him. I preferred having him right next to me, but he’d given way to Helena, and I couldn’t argue the point without looking strange. I was still a little pouty, though.
Helena looked aghast. “Has it really been five years?”
“I’m afraid so.”
She groaned and rolled her eyes. “Once. Just once, I want Victor to actuallydosomething worthy of a prince. This was one of the first projects given to him to manage, so he could gain experience and prove himself, and instead it’s been kicked about in council for five years? Gah.”
Gahabout covered it. “It’s why I’m taking over. I’m not risking everyone in this city because he can’t stop gambling long enough to focus.”
We reached the bottom of the very steep hill, and the road smoothed out into the large, open-square market. A statue of the first king raising a sword above his head stood in the center. Several birds perched on his shoulders, sunbathing.
At this midmorning hour, everyone was out and about. Street vendors hawked wares behind their carts, people ran errands, and several new ships were off-loading huge crates. The city bustled with life, the salty brine of the air sweeping over us all and making me glad for my coat. The sea air was a touch chilly.
Our driver took the left fork once we passed through the square, heading for the docks themselves. The scent of the sea became stronger as we got closer. I belatedly realized I knew the road we were on. I half turned in my seat and… Ha, I was right. “Edwin, isn’t that your house there?”
His head came up sharply, a suspicious look in his eye. “Ah, yes. It is.”
Godsdamn it. I got so confused on whether I’d spoken with Edwin about things in the first lifetime or this one. At first it was easy because he hadn’t told me anything. But now? After a month together with many a late-night conversation, he’d opened up quite a bit. It made it harder for me to remember, and currently that wasn’t a good thing.
I tried to cover my tracks. “You mentioned your house was on this road.”
“Did I?” Edwin’s eyes were still on me, but his mind had turned inward.
