“We are.” Vexley lifted his chin.
I nodded. “If you need to shift personnel, let me know.”
Half a dozen sets of eyes around the table focused on me. Nearly every person was older, and likely wiser too, yet they all looked to me for orders.
“That is not all, Your Highness,” castle steward Blackwell began. “There’s been an incident at the northwestern tower.” She stood and spread a large scroll out on the table in front of her. Even from a distance, the red marks drawn on the paper caught my attention. “Earlier today, a guard was crushed because of spalling,” the woman finished.
More death due to mismanaged resources. I blew out a breath. Things were getting worse while my father lay useless in bed, yet he still insisted I go to him before making any decisions myself.
“The ocean air continues to erode the stone despite the repair efforts.” Blackwell’s green eyes darted around the table at those who still occupied the room, knowing the conversation’s limitations.
“Commander Tashe.” I pushed away from the table and stood, the others following suit. “We’ll speak later regarding the issue at sea. For now, moor the remaining ships until we find a solution.” He nodded, and I flicked my chin toward the door.Tashe and the other commanders promptly left, leaving Leanna, Blackwell, and me alone.
“Get Elowen,” I ordered my sister. To my surprise, she left without hesitation.
I made my way to Blackwell’s side and studied the drawing depicting the castle’s layout and its surrounding grounds. There was more red on the paper than the last time I’d seen it and more areas affected than not.
The door creaked open, revealing my sister and the tawny woman following close behind. Her black eyes revealed nothing but boredom. She didn’t bow or comply with any of Rivale or the continent’s customs; it was the agreement my father made with her when they’d begun working together.
“Good evening,” I greeted and gave her a tight smile, despite my misgivings. “It appears there are issues with the work you’ve done on the grounds, specifically the stone repair.”
She glanced down at the drawing and then up at me, offering no words. Her infuriating attitude, oddly enough, didn’t seem to bother my father. I knew little of their history and nothing of Elowen. I really had no interest in her type other than her ability to bend magic.
“The stone is failing here,” I said, pointing to the northwestern tower, “and here.” I pointed to another location on the scroll. “As well as here.” I looked over and saw she wasn’t even paying attention. She was more inconvenienced than interested. “It appears your work has failed.”
“For a moment, I will entertain your inquiry.” Elowen didn't hide the smugness on her face. “Your father chose to use the byproduct of crude to repair the castle. He demanded the appearance of the bitumen to be turned white and accepted the consequences of bending magic. He knew the risk of the changed composition.” She turned to leave, allowing no time for questions.
“We aren’t finished here,” I demanded. “You will stabilize the material.”
Slowly, she turned back, her kohl eyes burning into the depths of my soul. “I do not answer to you, prince. Your father is the only person who may make a request.”
“A guard has died,” I sneered.
“There is always a price to be paid, for a deal a mouth has made,” she purred. “What price will you pay for your own requests? In the end, it may be something you ultimately detest.”
I refused to argue; she was wretched. “You’re dismissed.”
She eyed me carefully and tilted her head. “We will see each other soon, that I am certain.” The door clicked closed as she left.
Blackwell cleared her throat. “Your Highness, we could make repairs with the bitumen itself, unaltered. We only need more crude to process first.”
Leanna huffed a breath. “As if that will be easy.”
There were too many issues to address, and I wasn’t sure which to tackle first. Even if we had bitumen to make repairs around the castle, my father would order my death if I used the brown, sticky substance. Doing so would only point out how badly damaged the castle actually was.
Aesthetics were less of an issue with the ships, and I could allocate our remaining resources there to continue our trades, but then I’d need to defer other obligations. It was impossible to satisfy every need. With so many eyes watching, there was no room for mistakes.
“Quite the conundrum, brother,” Leanna tsked. “Whatwillyou do?”
“Steward Blackwell, please excuse my sister and me,” I requested. “I’ll meet with you soon to resolve the issue.”
“Please know the longer we wait, the worse the issue will become, Your Highness,” Blackwell replied, rolling the scroll tight and leaving the room.
I turned to Leanna. “I suppose you have opinions to share?”
“Does it matter?” She rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t appear you’re open to any of my suggestions regarding Rivaleorthe women here.”
“Is this really about Audryn?” I exhaled and ran my fingers through my hair. “I don’t see the problem. How can you take issue with a sparring match?”
