“Yes, sir,” a soldier replied. “Should we look for any Ithicanian survivors?”
“Look, but don’t expect to find any. The Amaridians poisoned the lot of them, and any Ithicanians found alive were probably put tothe sword. This is an empty kingdom, which means it’s waiting for the strongest to claim it, and that, my friends, is us.”
“Katarina was mad to think she’d get away with it.”
“You saw her.” Archie gave a dismissive snort. “She’s ancient and probably half senile. Either way, we caught her quick as a wink, and now the old hag will hang.”
“Don’t see why we don’t string her up now and be done with it.”
“Queen’s orders,” Archie said. “She’s to be brought to Verwyrd unharmed.”
“I hope they make a spectacle of it—watching the Crimson Widow dangle and kick will be a fine story to pass down over the years.”
Everyone laughed.
“Before we set sail, plant a flag on the highest point of this island to claim these lands for Harendell,” Archie said. “King William is now Master of the Bridge.”
The alliance between Katarina and Alexandra was broken, but this was no victory. Ithicana had only exchanged one invader for another.
Ahnna waited until the Harendellians had abandoned the house, then rolled out from under the foundation and sprinted into the trees. Her clothes blended into the jungle as she wove her way to where Aren, Lara, and the rest would be hidden.
“What is happening?” Aren demanded the moment he saw her. “The Amaridians allowed the Harendellian ship to unload without argument, but the moment they reached the beach, it was slaughter.”
“I don’t know what’s going on.” Ahnna’s fear was rising, choking her. “Katarina told Hector about her alliance with Harendell. Said it was freshly inked, and that he would be negotiating with both nations as a united force. She said that representatives were expected, but then…well, you saw what happened. They’ve arrested Katarina and are bringing her back to Verwyrd to be put on trial for the mass poisoning of Ithicana. They think we’re all dead, and they’ve claimed the bridge for William.”
Her brother went deathly still.
“A ruse?” Lara demanded. “A scheme concocted between Alexandra and Katarina to lure us out?”
“I don’t know. It was under the queen’s orders that she be brought back to Verwyrd unharmed, but they were rough with her. I don’t think that Katarina would risk her own neck that way.”
“Any mention of Cardiff?” Aren’s voice was toneless. “Or James?”
“No.”
“Did he betray us?” Anger rose in her brother’s voice. “Was this all a trick? Was he in on Alexandra’s scheme, and all of this, everything with you, was just a ruse to get us to let them in without a fight?”
“No!”
“Aren, James didn’t betray us.” Lara stepped between them. “Something has gone wrong in Cardiff. Something has happened. He’s loyal to Ahnna, you know that!”
“All I know is that I sat in the jungle andwatchedwhile we were invaded, and now the most powerful nation in the known world is inside my defenses!”
“I’m sorry.” Ahnna’s tongue was thick and it tripped over her words. “I…I…” She trailed off, because she had no defense here. This had been her plan, and it had made everything worse.
Aren wouldn’t even look at her. “No need to abdicate now, is there?”
Bile burned up Ahnna’s throat, and she swallowed hard to keep from vomiting. “Aren, no. Maybe…maybe there is something going on here that we don’t know. Maybe James convinced William to take our side and this is just a ruse. Maybe—”
She broke off, because Aren had turned his back on her and was walking away. Before she could go after him, Lara’s hand closed over her wrist. “Leave him be.”
This was her fault.
All her fault.
Ahnna doubled over, hand pressed against her mouth while the jungle around her spun around and around. There was no answer, nosolution, because it was one thing to try to fight Harendell off when they were on the far side of Ithicana’s defenses, quite another to expel them from the inside.
She’d done exactly what Lara had done, but unlike Lara, Ahnna could not claim to have done it unwittingly.
