His stomach gave another furious growl, but Aren ignored it. His people were hungrybecauseof him, so the last thing he intended to do was eat first. “I’m fine.”
Lia shrugged, and moments later, the stacks of pan bread werespread among everyone. Groans of delight filled the air as his soldiers ate, but Aren focused on the towering merchant ship that was easing its way into the cove, sitting far lower in the water than the previous vessel. Full to the brim with enough grain to hold his people through for weeks, if not longer. It held more soldiers than the one with the wine had, which Aren found odd given the other vessel had intended to take payment for the wine, and he frowned. “Lia, send for reinforcements.”
“You think they are planning an attack?” she asked around a mouthful of bread, lifting a hand to shade her eyes.
That hold could be full of soldiers, which would account for it sitting so low, and old habits died hard. But his concern was one of the Harendellian ships spotting the Amaridians and investigating. “Best to be prepared.” Vexis had no real strategic importance when it came to the bridge, but if the Harendellians took it, the island would be easy for them to hold.
A voice said, “I was lured in by the smell. I wonder how much bread Aster and his crew ate before shipping the rest out.”
Aren turned to find that Taryn had come up behind him, alone for once. She and Bronwyn had been nearly inseparable. “Hopefully they are rationing. I had to borrow from lenders to pay for the wine transaction, which Katarina gouged me on. None of this is coming for free.”
Borrowed from Valcottan lending houses, and Aren did not care to think about the interest that he’d have to pay the bankers if he was late on repayment. Nor did he care to think about how Zarrah had been entirely silent since this had all begun, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was out of anger over Keris putting himself in danger on Ithicana’s behalf.
“It will pay off,” Taryn said, shaking her head when Lia offered her bread. “Their wines are the best in the known world, and the South has been sorely lacking in supply. It’s a good investment.”
“At best, we break even.” To soften his words, he bumped his elbow against his cousin’s. “I’m glad you’re back, Taryn. I realize that the conservatory was your dream, but know that you are wanted here.”
She bit her bottom lip, then met his gaze. “It was incredible while it lasted, Aren. Exactly as I always dreamed, and it was so peaceful. Until JamesfuckingAshford kicked in our door.” She made a face. “It all makes so much sense now with what Alexandra told Keris. James was after Ahnna from the first day, always at her side, always with the dinners and the riding lessons. Bronwyn and I thought he was just allowing his cock to do his thinking for him by chasing after William’s betrothed, but the joke was on us.” She spit into the sand. “As though Ithicana wouldeverhave bent the knee to him. I’d say that I hope he’s dead, but I’d truly love the chance to kill him.”
“Get in line,” Aren murmured, his temper fouling at mention of the prince, but thoughts of Harendell fell away as the merchant ship’s anchor rattled into the depths. The Amaridians, who were always efficient, had a longboat loaded with sailors and several burlap sacks rowing toward the beach in short order, and he went down to the water to meet them.
“Well met, Your Grace!” The captain of the grain ship trotted up the slope toward him, handing over a sack of flour with a dramatic flourish. “Apologies for the delay. We had to evade the Harendellians, but we made it.”
Aren handed it to Lia. “Have it sent to Midwatch. Bring a few bottles of wine as well.” He was tired of Lara living like a pauper rather than the queen she was. “We’ll celebrate tonight. You can also get ready to start loading the gold.”
At mention of payment, the captain grinned. “A celebration all around, so I brought a bottle from my cabin to toast.” He took a bottle of wine from one of his sailors and pulled out the cork. Filling two glasses, he handed one to Aren. “To Ithicana and Amarid. May this be the most profitable of friendships, and together, let’s knock those cow-humping Harendellians on their asses. Cheers!”
Aren clicked this glass against the captain’s, the red wine looking like blood in the glow of the sun. “I will toast to that.”
59
Ahnna
As though the winds themselvesknew the urgency of her mission, they filled the tiny ship’s sails while they headed south to Vexis. She and James said little, her focus on navigating Ithicana’s dangerous waters and his on scampering around the small ship to adjust the rigging. Despite being in each other’s presence every day since their escape from the Furnace, it felt as though they’d barely had a moment to focus on each other since he’d asked her to marry him. Every second had been choked with anxiety, the focus survival, and she wondered if it would ever be any other way. Or whether the stars that foretold Cardiffian fates had decided to dangle that which they most desired before them like a carrot before a donkey’s nose, ever leading them on but never to be consumed.
Focus,she silently chided herself.Lives are on the line.
But her heart still skipped as James turned his head to look at her, amber eyes bright in the sunlight. Unbidden, she felt the sensation of his fingers tracing lines on her wrist echoing across her skin, the memory of his touch through that small hole between their cells in the Furnace somehow the most poignant of all. He’d been what had kept her sane, what had given her hope, and what should have been the worst experience of her life felt instead like a foundation for a future.
“How much farther?”
Instead of answering, she lifted a hand and pointed to a series of shadowed islands in the distance. A merchant vessel lurked near them. She eased east behind a series of towering karsts to keep from being spotted, but dread pooled in her stomach. The ship sat high in the water, its hold empty of cargo.
A second Amaridian ship was easing slowly into the warren of rocks.How many fucking ships of poison did she send?
“Do we wait until they’re gone?”
She couldn’t wait. Her people wouldn’t be sitting on their laurels but swiftly loading the grain into small vessels to transport to other locations. If Ahnna didn’t warn them soon, what happened in the north would happen here. “We can’t wait, James. All it takes is one sack being opened to make bread for lunch, and every Ithicanian on that island is dead.”
His jaw tightened and he nodded. “How do we warn them?”
Vexis could only be accessed through a gap between towering cliffs. Like Midwatch, it had a chain that could be lifted to block access to the cove, and Ithicana frequently used it to hide vessels that had been commandeered. They couldn’t reach it without passing the waiting ship—but fortunately, that was not Ahnna’s plan.
“We need to be clever about this,” she said as James moved next to her, reaching for the shirt he’d discarded on the deck earlier in deference to the heat. The sun was no friend to his pale skin, but he was starting to take on a golden hue that emphasized the sharp lines of his thick muscles, and the faint dusting of freckles on his face was more apparent. He looked handsome and rugged, but she shoved away the vestiges of her selfish thoughts and cleared her throat. “If we go in there shouting alarms and warnings, this will turn into a fight.”
And enough of her people had already died.
“There are scouts on the cliffs.” He lifted a muscled arm and pointed. “I just saw a glint of metal. Can we signal them?”
