“Maybe the chaosweavers?” Isahn suggested.
“That would make sense,” Hildy agreed.
“I dinnae ken. I need more time with it. But,” Ean continued, “it sounds like only a chaosweaver can take down the veil.”
“As we suspected, it’s the key—or my father thinks it is, at the very least.” George sighed.
“Aye. It’s all but confirmed. I’ll keep reading; however, I think we know what Gasparo was up to with Peros, and probably his other foreign spies.”
“Trying to kill every last chaosweaver,” Isahn said.
“All because he thought theymighthave something to do with the veil,” George grumbled.
“At least he doesn’t have this confirmation.”
“True,” George agreed with Wynnie’s assessment. “But it doesn’t mean he’s going to stop.”
“It’s only a matter of time before he starts asking questions about Peros.” Isahn squeezed her hand reassuringly, his comfort a tangible thing that steadied her fears and allowed her to think.
“And circles back on Gianis and Marinos,” Dunstan added with a shudder.
Wynnie grimaced. “Or getsnewspies.”
“Princess—” Hildy brought out the formal title. Things were serious. “I think it’s time we move forward with the plan.”
George should feel far more nervous about what lay ahead, but with Isahn and her friends by her side, she was certain she was ready. “Let’s.”
Twodayspassedasall the finely honed pieces of their plan, years in the making, were dusted off and put into play. George and Isahn had Hildy over forcenato review details and catch up on other important matters. Namely, George was desperate to learn what happened between Hildy and Burke. Politics were of value but dull from overhandling. The drama of her friends’ love lives? That would never lose its shine.
Popping a bite of baklava in her mouth, she savored the sticky sweetness as Isahn and Hildy rehashed Viceroy Doukas’s role in the matter of the king.
“Explain this to me again. There’s a fake dinner party?” Her lord’s foot bounced beneath the table, his knee vibrating against hers.
“It’s not a fake dinner. He’s really hosting. The invitation’s symbolic though,” Hildy explained patiently. Like George, she picked up on the fact that Isahn went full-Burke when he was anxious.
“Right, right. Because of the fake holiday.”
“Yes. Appia Day—which doesn’t really exist—is to celebrate the old goddess of life, fertility, birth, or—” She looked pointedly at George. “Rebirth, as it were. Maybe we should’ve invoked Lellin for a stronger death and rebirth theme.”
“Too obvious,” George replied.
By inviting all of their allies to the Appia Day Celebration, Doukas was effectively telling those who’d stayed in Nowosmont after the Great Assembly to prepare for an overthrow; to come over forcenaand an update. The invitation was also being sent far and wide to call back those allies who’d departed for their summer homes. The move was brilliant. Viceroy Doukas was making an easily refutable, but clear-to-those-in-the-know, statement. When the vacated viceroys received the symbolic invitation he’d insisted be forwarded, they’d turn tail and return to Nowosmont immediately, eager to witness the changing tides themselves.
“And you have everything you need, right, Georgie?” Hildy verified.
“Tucked safely away. Adda gave me extras, too.” Ceadda had finally perfected his recipe over years of morally dubious experimentation. His pill was a lethal mixture of extracted and powdered herbal toxins. If it could kill, Adda got his hands on it and worked it into the creation. Infused with his powerful but undervalued magic, it tasted like honey and relaxation.
“I hate playing hurry up and wait,” Isahn grumbled as he topped up his whiskey.
“I know, love. It’s only a matter of time before my father invites me to dine again.” She squeezed his hand. Their fingers were perpetually intertwined ever since his return, unless they were otherwise occupied. That thought brought a rush of heat to her cheeks, which Isahn did not miss.
He began to snake a coil of deliciously hot water up and around her calves, and George widened her eyes as he reached her thighs.
“All right.” Hildy tossed her hands in the air as she pushed back from the table. She pointed back and forth between Isahn and George. “I don’t know what you two sick fucks are doing beneath that table, but I’m out of here.”
“Wait!” George laughed, using her touch magic to push back Isahn’s wandering water. She shot him a look that said “You wait, too,” before pouting at Hildy. “Please stay. You only finished talking business. I want to discuss the fun stuff.”
“Fine.”
