Syla nodded and held up a finger, telling Vonla, “We’ll go back to Lyvor before heading to the capital. Teyla, I need to royally requisition your carriage.”
“You can have it,” she said, “as long as I can come along.”
“Of course,” Syla said before the niggling doubt about Teyla possibly being her father’s murderer returned to her mind. But even if shehaddone it, that didn’t mean she couldn’t be an ally to Syla in dealing with Fograth. “Grab some supplies out of the farmhouse. There should be plenty of food in the kitchen. Maybe even tarts and cobblers.” She smiled in Vorik’s direction.
He’d stepped to the side and his face remained grim, not brightening even at the mention of desserts.
“I’ll handle it, Your Majesty,” Vonla said, then headed into the house with Teyla.
“What happened?” Syla asked when she joined Vorik, speaking softly since the Royal Protectors remained outside with them.
“Jhiton is alive.”
She blinked. “Agrevlari told you that?”
“Yes, and I saw him.” Vorik pointed toward the cloudy night sky. “He flew over Castle Island and looked right at me.”
“Did he communicate with you?” Syla had hopedJhiton had been dead, but after learning that the magically enhanced Lesva had survived, she wasn’t that surprised by the man’s resurrection. He’d seemed as powerful as Lesva and Vorik, if notmorepowerful.
“No, but I think Agrevlari spoke to Ozlemar and that he and Jhiton are heading to the meeting of the tribes. If I show upand want to challenge Chieftess Shi for leadership and deliver your message, I’ll first have to face Jhiton—and explain to everyone my actions in the mine. Lesva has already told people what happened, and Jhiton will back up her account. He knowsexactlywhat I did.”
“What you did was save Tibby’s life. And probably mine too. Lesva wouldn’t have stopped trying to kill me.”
“My people won’t appreciate those choices.” Vorik shook his head bleakly.
“Maybe I should send Agrevlari with a letter to your leaders, saying I’m open to negotiations, and you should stay here.”
“Aletterwouldn’t do anything to sway the vote among the stormer chiefs and bring this war to an end.”
“What would? It doesn’t sound like your people will listen to you even if you’re allowed to challenge your chief to a duel and win.”
“I know, but… I have to try, don’t I?” Vorik rubbed his head, not looking that certain. “I would rather stay with you and help you take back your throne, but then what? If there’s not a resolution between our peoples…”
“We can figure that out later. Maybe if I give you political asylum here and later send you as an official envoy with diplomatic immunity, you could walk into your camp and not be immediately slain. Thereisa precedent for that. Your people and mine have recognized diplomatic immunity in the past.”
“Yes, I’m aware, but exiled stormers were never the ones who received that immunity. They were Kingdom diplomats that your people sent to negotiate with mine.”
“Well, this would be a first, then. Would you like me to have a special robe made for you? Our diplomats usually wear blue with silver-fur trim with the Garden Kingdom emblem on the chest.”
“That’s two crossed scythes, isn’t it? And a wheat stalk? Wearing grain on my chest would surely impress Jhiton and keep him from running me through.”
“I could send tarts along for you to give people too.”
“That might sway some of the chiefs, but Jhiton would skewer a tart with his sword.”
“He really is an animal, isn’t he?” Syla almost told herself not to speak ill of the dead, but hewasn’tdead, she reminded herself. Throwing insults at a living enemy seemed permissible.
“A ruthless predator.”
Syla remembered the cold eyes of the man who had, without any hint of sympathy, ordered that drug injected into her vein and questioned her. Even worse than that, he’d been the one to lead the initial invasion of the Kingdom, to order the royal family be slain.
“Stay here, Vorik,” Syla whispered. “I’m afraid that even if you show up with my emblem and my tarts, the stormers will kill you instead of listening to you or giving you a chance to challenge your chief.”
“I think if I show up with your emblem, they’llespeciallykill me,” he said dryly.
How could he sound even slightly amused by the prospect?
Syla gripped his arm, afraid he would go even if it was unwise. No, even if it wassuicidal.
