“Oh, all right.” Tariana sighed and resumed her seat. She still looked troubled, lines of exhaustion plaguing her face, and the fierce, confident aura she usually emanated was nowhere to befound.
Surreptitiously, Drystan scooted a little closer, and draped an arm around Tariana’s shoulders. His eldest sister stiffened, not that he blamed her—he couldn’t remember the last time either of them had offered the other comfort. But after a few seconds passed, she sighed and leaned into theembrace.
“You really love him, don’t you?” Lucyan asked. His eyes narrowed as he studiedTariana.
She smiled. “Not at first. I thought he was far too pretty, and told him so the first time he asked me to dance. I believe my words to him were, ‘I would never fuck a man who couldn’t hold his own against me outside thebedroom.’”
Lucyan chuckled. “Of course you told him that. How did he worm his way past your icyfaçade?”
“He challenged me to a sword fight in the garden.” Tariana smiled fondly, her eyes shining with the memory. “That fight turned into a tumble in the bushes,and—”
“That’s quite enough,” Drystan said, holding up a hand. His insides were squirming, and it took everything he had not to cringe. “I’ve no need to hear about your sexual activities,sister.”
Tariana snorted. “So it’s perfectly all right for the two of you to discussyoursexual experiences together, but notme?”
Drystan and Lucyan exchanged uncomfortable glances. “It’s one thing to talk about pegging someone,” Lucyan finally said, “but quite another to talk about actuallybeingpegged—”
“Fine,” Tariana said, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, we saw each other every time he came to court, and when I was seventeen, he asked Father for myhand.”
Drystan felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on him. “He was going tomarryyou?”
Tariana scowled. “I’ll have you know that I’m quite thecatch.”
“No one is calling your sexual prowess into question,” Lucyan said with a wave of his hand. “It’s just that you’re infertile, Tariana, and Ryolas was his father’s favored at the time and therefore expected to produce heirs. I’m surprised King Andur allowedit.”
“He didn’t, and neither did our father,” Tariana said with a shrug. “We continued to see each other in secret afterward, knowing nothing would ever come of it. It became much harder once the war started, and now…” Her eyes shone with tears, and she swallowed. “We have to get him back. Wehaveto.”
Drystan hugged her, his heart aching for his sister. Tariana had a spine of steel—he wasn’t used to seeing her so vulnerable. “We will,” he promised, kissing the top of her head. “We’ll get Ryolas back, and Dareena and Alistair too. And once we’re reunited, we’ll rain hell down on anyone who tries to split us apartagain.”
Tariana gave a watery chuckle. “This entire situation is a catastrophe, but at least it has brought us closer together. It’s funny how the catalyst that is strengthening our family bonds is also the same thing that might tear our entire kingdomapart.”
Drystan smiled. “It is only in times of adversity that we discover who we really are,” he quoted some old saying he’d read in a book somewhere. “It brings me great comfort to know that as siblings, we have each other’sbacks.”
They talked for a few minutes longer, and then Tariana and Lucyan left to consult with Shadley. Drystan was just about to go check on the wounded when someone knocked at hisdoor.
“Lord Renflaw,” he said, a little surprised to see the Council Head standing outside. Flanking him were Lords Brimlow and Delvin, both highly influential councilmen. “To what do I owe the pleasure of thisvisit?”
“We’ve come to speak with you about some of your recent edicts,” Lord Renflaw said. “Might we comein?”
“Certainly,” Drystan said, hiding the uneasy feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. He offered the councilmen the chairs his siblings had vacated and poured them each a glass of wine. “How can I help you?” he asked, taking his ownseat.
“It has come to our attention that you recently decreed a two-year tax break for all Dragon Force soldiers and their families,” Lord Brimlow said. His thick, copper mustache twitched as he spoke, and his elegant eyebrows drew together in a frown. “As you can imagine, this has caused quite a stir amongst your vassals, who rely on this income in order to maintain theirlands.”
“As I understand it, my vassals have had several good years, and their coffers are quite full despite the war,” Drystan said calmly.Which is more than I can say for myself,he added silently.“I believe they can withstand two years, and besides, they will still be receiving taxes from the majority of ourcitizens.”
“That may be so,” Lord Delvin said in a strident tone, “but you did not clear this decision with the council first. If you had, we would have told you what folly itwas.”
“You are very close to inciting outright rebellion,” Renflaw warned, his eyes glittering dangerously. “The common people, from whom our soldiers are drawn, must not be exempted from taxes. If they get used to such leniency, it could prove fatal for the stability of ourcountry.”
“Just as the recent tax hikes havealreadyproven fatal for the stability of our country,” Drystan snapped. “Or did you not notice the number of Black Cloaks chanting ‘good riddance’ in the crowd the day my mate and brother were taken away? Our countrymen have long been unhappy with both the war and the taxes needed to fund it. Giving our soldiers a tax break will go a long way toward mollifying them, and might I remind you, the common people vastly outnumber thenobles.”
“Is that why you recently submitted a proposal to increase taxes for the ransom fund?” Brimlow asked. “You expect us to take this reduction to our income in silence while approving a tax hike of your own so that you might avoid touching the vast piles of gold in your treasury?” He turned up his nose, and Drystan was tempted to scorch the mustache right off his smarmy face. “I think not, YourHighness.”
“Take care how you speak to your king,” Drystan growled, clenching his hands beneath the table. The council members exchanged uneasy looks but did not seem inclined to back down. Unfortunately, Drystan could see this from their point of view. Without knowing the treasury was empty, the tax hike he’d proposed made no sense. “If we don’t get the Dragon’s Gift back, our kingdom isdoomed.”
“I suppose you’ll have to sell off a few plates, then,” Delvin said haughtily. “We all know how valuable the Dragon’s Gift is—surely she’s worth giving up the silverwarefor.”
Drystan swallowed the snarl rising in his throat. “Is there anything else you would like to discuss with me,mylords?”
