Sunil held her glare for a moment. He shrugged, stepping away from Quentin. “What do I know? We haven’t had any direct contact with the Onitan court in so long. I’m simply looking out for my people—you understand.”
“Yes. I understand.” Quentin turned his head at Delaynie’s quiet, deadly tone. “I understand how secluded from our country your people have been. But not secluded enough, it seems, to not do secret trades with the queen’s enemies.”
Sunil narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”
Delaynie’s chin lifted further. The cool demeanor of the perfect, polished Lady fell away, replaced by something wilder. Fiercer. Dangerous.
Quentin would be lying if he denied that his blood heated at the way her blue eyes flashed, at the way her auburn hair caught the firelight.
“Have you ever heard of the drug calleduxosil, Sunil?”
Sunil stiffened. His jaw went slack. “How doyouknow ofuxosil, Lady?”
Delaynie’s lip lifted, just the barest hint of a snarl. “Let’s just say my queen once told me a story about a rare drug that was sold to her enemies from an Idrixian supplier. A drug that was used on her to try to get her to break.” The set of her shoulders was rigid. “It’s good for us all that Mariah is stronger than anything weak men throw at her.”
Sunil didn’t even try to hide the stunned horror on his face. He ran a hand over his beard, swallowing thickly. “They…your queen was drugged withuxosil?”
“She was. Her enemies told her themselves, the idiots.”
“That is—” Sunil swallowed again. “That’s impossible.”
“Impossible or not, Sunil, it happened. And with the help of one ofyourcountrymen.”
Sunil took a staggered step back, collapsing into his chair. His guards around the room exchanged glances, their nervousness and shock clear beneath their masks.
“Luckily for you,” Delaynie said, forging on, “our queen is willing to forgive the injustices of the past. Only so long as we—her court—are allowed to pass freely through Idrix. We won’t stay long; we’re looking for something, but as soon as we know it’s not here, we’ll leave. And our passage will be safe and uninterrupted.”
The silence in the tent was broken only by the crackling hearth. Quentin still watched Delaynie, but she never once toreher stare from the seated Idrixian captain. He was confused about what she’d said—he’d never heard of thisuxosil, or whatever horrible thing Mariah had told Delaynie about her imprisonment in Khento—and while he planned to ask later, he was also a bit out of words.
Because Delaynie wasremarkable.
“Uxosilis supposed to be an Idrixian secret.” Sunil’s soft words pulled Quentin’s gaze from the Lady beside him. “A ritual herb that we keep in small supplies, only to be used under the supervision of aneta. For one of our own to sell it past our borders…” He shook his head. “This is as much an affront to our culture and way of life as it was an attack on your queen.” He met Delaynie’s gaze unflinchingly.
“I cannot speak for all Idrix, but on behalf of the Tumala Tribe and myneta, your queen has our sincerest apologies. If this traitor came from within our own ranks, I promise that we will do all we can to root them out.”
Delaynie dipped her head. “That means a great deal to us.”
Sunil nodded in return, still visibly uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat. “You also mentioned looking for something? Here, in Idrix?”
“Yes.” Ciana stepped forward, shoulder brushing Delaynie’s. “Information, mostly. From the time of the First War.”
“The First War?” Sunil chuckled. “You won’t find anything that old in Idrix. We keep no permanent libraries. Our only knowledge is kept in our connection to the earth and the marshes, and the compounds passed down through generations.”
“You mean poisons.” Delaynie’s tone was biting.
Sunil smiled sheepishly. “Yes, Lady. I mean poisons.” He turned back to Ciana. “If knowledge that old is what you’re after, the Vathan library is where you’ll need to go. But?—”
“I know,” Ciana said abruptly. “We plan to approach the Vathan King with terms he cannot refuse.”
Quentin cut his gaze sharply to the golden-haired Lady. What was she talking about? He knew of no such terms.
He shared a look with Sebastian. The other man didn’t know, either. Though the stern line of Sebastian’s brow and the purse to his lips told Quentin that Sebastian would be finding out what, exactly, the girls had been keeping from them.
Sunil shrugged. “That’s your gamble. I certainly won’t try to dissuade you.” He swept his gaze across the group. “Besides knowledge, what else do you need while in Idrix?”
Delaynie hesitated, the first sign of uncertainty she’d shown the entire conversation. Quentin opened his mouth but closed it after a moment. His skin pricked under the watchful gaze of the captain’s guards. His previous anger had cooled, but he knew his words still rang in the air.
Perhaps he wasn’t the best at this diplomacy business.
