“It never ends, does it?” Aren said softly. “The fight?”
Keris looked at the sky, a cloud bank rising and appearing for all the world like a beast looming over Ithicana. “No,” he replied. “It never fucking ends.”
“Keris?”
They both turned as Lara emerged from the dense jungle, several guards walking at her heels with weapons in hand. His sister wore the drab clothing that the Ithicanians favored, and if not for her blond braid, she’d have blended in with the Ithicanians entirely.
Keris stepped back to give Lara space as she wrapped her arms around Aren’s neck, knowing that she’d have been sick with nerves over this meeting. His sister always wanted to be in the thick of things, and while necessity demanded one of them remain in safety in case the worst happened, he suspected doing so had sat poorly with her.
He dug the toe of his boot into the sand while they exchanged muted words, lifting his head only when Lara turned to him.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” she said, then to his surprise, her blue eyes welled. Lara flung her arms around his neck and buried her face against his shoulder. “Everything has gone to shit.”
“I know.” He patted her on the back, and when Lara straightened, all signs of emotion were gone. “My plan for today was to drink Aren’s expensive wine and admire your progeny, not come up with creative insults for Lestara while standing on a barren and rainy rock in the middle of the Tempest Seas. I truly regret not burying that woman alive while I had the chance.”
“Lestara was there?” There was surprise in Lara’s voice, and Aren responded quietly, “It didn’t go as we hoped.”
“Did they say anything about Taryn?” a female voice demanded.
Bronwyn marched toward them, and Keris frowned at the uncharacteristic anger in his half sister’s gaze. Valcotta had spies aplenty in Harendell, so he’d known that Bronwyn was with Ahnna, as was Aren’s cousin Taryn. Dax had updated him about Bronwyn’s unceremonious return to Northwatch and Taryn’s imprisonment, but that didn’t quite account for Bronwyn’s anger.
His half sister slid to a stop in the sand, arms crossed as she glared up at Aren. “Well?”
“They confirmed they have her,” Aren said. “They’ll—”
Keris rested a hand on his friend’s forearm, silencing him. “Let’s not have this conversation on the beach.”
Aren seemed to finally register how many of his people were in earshot, and he gave a tight nod.
Bronwyn’s hands balled into fists, and her “Fine” came out between her teeth.
Their group started up the narrow path into the jungle. Lara and Aren walked ahead, their elbows pressed together as they exchanged quiet words. Keris focused his attention on Bronwyn. “Other than the obvious, what has your knickers in such a twist?”
“Fuck you, Keris.” Bronwyn kicked a stick, sending it soaring into the bushes. A red snake shot out of the same bushes. Keris tensed, but it slithered in the opposite direction.
“Taryn is my friend,” his half sister muttered. “She’s entirely innocent, but the Harendellians imprisoned her because of what Ahnna did.”
Aren heard her, and the glare he cast over his shoulder was murderous. Bronwyn lifted her hand and flipped him her middle finger, and Keris gave her an elbow to the ribs. “Enough. Sarhina won’t be best pleased if you cause trouble, and Iknowyou won’t cross her.”
“Don’t be so sure. There’s not much I won’t do to free Taryn.”
The vehemence in her voice filled Keris with unease. “Ithicana and Harendell sit at the brink of war. If you go in blades-flashing and steal away a prisoner, you might push them over the edge. Especially if you kill anyone. I think the only thing holding William back is that they have doubts that Aren is complicit. If you liberate his cousin, those doubts are unlikely to hold. The stakes are high, so every decision needs to be thought through.”
“The stakes were pretty goddamned high when you sailed to Devil’s Island to rescue Zarrah, but I recall thinking that you’d let the whole world burn to free her. Lara wasn’t much better when Aren was imprisoned. So you’ll have to excuse me, but I find advice from both of you to be the purest form of hypocrisy.”
It was a fair point.
Bronwyn caught hold of Keris’s arm, dragging him to a stop while Lara and Aren pressed onward. “Aren refuses to believe that Ahnna did this,” she said quietly. “If she makes it back to Ithicana, he won’tgive her up. It will cease to matter if Aren was involved with Edward’s murder, because he’ll be guilty of harboring the woman who killed the king of Harendell. How long until Taryn’s head is sent to Northwatch in retaliation?”
A vision of William’s face filled Keris’s mind—the portrait of a man desperate to lash out. If he didn’t get what he wanted, it was fair to say that Taryn’s life would be forfeit.
“I know we aren’t close, Keris. Not in the way you are with Lara, but I need you to be on my side in this.” Bronwyn’s blue eyes were liquid bright. “I know you understand how I feel better than anyone.”
Keris did understand, but he also felt pulled in multiple directions by those who had his love and loyalty. “I don’t have the full picture yet, Bronwyn. But I promise, I won’t stand by and allow Taryn’s life to be thrown away.”
His half sister wanted more from him, that was obvious, but Bronwyn only gave a tight nod and led him onward.
They reached a modest-sized structure made of stone covered with moss, the roof so overgrown with plant life that one could be excused for walking past the building without noticing its presence.
