“That should be adequate. Any longer and he might kill my brother. The gods know I’m tempted to do it after ten minutes in his oafish company. No idea what Marstyn sees in him.”
“I’ll go talk to the king.” Ronan pushed himself back from the table.
“Why you?” Mischief asked.
“Only one who can become a fish. Well, except for Gisela.”
“No,” Xaydin said firmly. “She doesn’t like the water. And…” he glanced at Mischief, according to Mardyth, your brother is a nereid. Is there something else you’d like to confide?”
She actually blushed. “A lot of Marauders are nereids. But I don’t like being in the sea. Just on it.”
“Noted.” Ronan put his coin on the table for his drink. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Without another word, Mischief got up and went after him.
Xaydin shook his head. “I really wish they’d find their peace.”
“They will.” Masakage put one of his coins on the table. “But it won’t be easy.”
“Hate your coins.” Xaydin picked it up to study it. It was three swords piercing a heart. “Looks like they won’t make it.”
“Bleeding and broken hearts heal. No one knows that better than you.”
Xaydin hated that his brother was right about that and he prayed Masakage was right when it came to Ronan and Mischief. If two beings ever born deserved happiness, it was the two of them.
“You got a coin to tell me how this mess with King Mardyth will end?”
“I do, but I don’t want to pull one.”
Really? That had to be a first. “Why not?”
“Because I’m terrified of the answer. There are some things that no one needs to see in advance.”
That made his stomach cramp. “Thanks, alley rat.”
“Demon.”
Normally, they’d play this game a bit longer, but Xaydin wasn’t in the mood.
He needed to make peace with a sea king who was determined to war, avoid his own brother who wanted him dead, find a lunatic queen out to kill them and get a contract to Dash before Meara reclaimed it.
At the moment, he was hating his life.
Except for one part of it. A part he hoped would heal and survive the mother who wanted her dead.
21
Diflyn cursed at the fact that he no longer had his contract. Meara would kill him if she learned it’d fallen into enemy hands.
She’ll kill me for not taking care of her daughter, too.
True. His life was basically over.
Damn it! He’d barely escaped them with his life. And he still wasn’t in the clear.
It’d seemed so simple in the beginning. Kill theaþaswereand then Gisela. How had they screwed up so badly? He could feel the executioner’s blade on his neck. It was a terrifying sensation.
He pulled out a skin of wine while he sat on the side of the road, trying to figure out what to do. He’d just taken a drink when he heard the brush around him move.
