“And you’re who we would like.” Roan added quietly, voice dropping just enough to turn the words into something more deliberate. “And, you and your crew would be rewarded enough that it would set you up for quite some time.”
Silence stretched.
Something in the man’s expression changed then, not much. Just enough to suggest the refusal wasn’t quite as effortless as before.
“What would you require?” he asked.
Kairen smiled, leaning forward with the excitement of a man who knew we’d just garnered the attention we sought. “You’d drop us at asouthern coastal city, sail around the tip of Tavari to pick us up in Ferro and then take us North to Halsrad.”
The man’s fingers tapped lightly against the table, thoughtful. “The northern waters are dangerous this time of year.”
My breath caught as he took another slow drink of firemead, clearly contemplating.
“If I take this job,” he said, “you don’t pull rank on my deck.”
“Deal.” Roan said swiftly before Kairen could say anything else.
“My name is Antoni, my crew is small, but efficient. I will need to speak with them before I agree to anything.” He said finally. “I can send a letter to the palace tomorrow to let you know of our decision.”
“All we ask is for your consideration.” I replied easily as Antoni finished his drink and stood slowly from the table, long limbs stretching lightly overhead.
He dipped his head in acknowledgment and left without another word, slipping between the tavern patrons and out the door without even a glance back.
“Well, I do think that went rather well, didn’t it?” Kairen grinned, leaning back into his seat with a smile. My eyes cut to Roan, exasperated and amused.
“Shut up, Kai.” Was all the Kinslayer said in response, downing his own firemead.
Our group of five stood around the desk in Prince Kairen's office—a map ofTavari spread out before us.
My fingers rubbed absentmindedly at the edge of the parchment as I took in the kingdom. In the northern right hand corner was the tip of our neighboring kingdom, Kezechani, connected only by a strip of towering, iced mountains. Mount Hellenis, the tallest of them. My eyes travelled across the names of northern cities and their massive forests, before I moved a bit south. Near the middle of the massive kingdom was Amori City, all major roads and passages leading to the central hub. My gaze scanned over the cities nearest, and down past the rolling plains where the weather grew hotter, it eventually transitioned into the desert landscape of the southern stretch of Tavari. A large span of rolling sand dunes with cities spread far and wide, yet most of them were contained closer to the coast, where it was easier to make a living and the breeze of the ocean soothed the sweltering, deadly heat.
I eyed a southern town off the western coast of Tavari, the one that Prince Kairen was currently pointing at, named Port of Arisha. It was a small town, a simple fishing village, not nearly as popular a stop as some of its surrounding neighbors.
"Why would we stop there first?" Bran asked curiously. “Why not Calmier, it's larger and has more amenities, perhaps even more information?"
Kairen shook his head and smiled. “Because Port of Arisha is where the first known case of The Fever was documented."
Rena and I exchanged a wide-eyed look before I spoke. “But wouldn't you have all the royal documents of that case here to study? What information would going there give that you don't already have access to?"
"There's a difference between the medical and scientific analysis we receive in court documents versus going and hearing the stories of the town," Roan explained, nodding his approval at the plan Kairen waslaying out before us. "There might be nuances or tales the locals may know of from word of mouth that could give us new information."
"Exactly," Kairen agreed, his finger trailing from the Port of Arisha into the desert to a different town. “Then we make our way here to replenish our supplies, and rest after a trip through the desert before moving on to—"
"Amareshi." His finger tapped at the city I had spoken aloud, situated closer to the eastern coast of Tavari, but still near enough to the middle that it was clearly a desert city, not one of the coast.
My mother had often spoken of Amareshi, the city of her birth, when I was a child. She would tell me stories late into the dark nights of wide open starry skies, over the most delicious skewered pork, spiced with tastes so delicious that I could only dream of them.
l swallowed thickly. It was also the city Merle had decided to say I hailed from for anyone who grew too nosy, too inquiring.
“Do you know of it?” Roan had clearly caught something in my tone, had watched the way my hands clenched slightly at my sides before loosening.
"Yes, it is where I was born, before I came to live with my aunt. I don't remember much of it, only vague details and memories." My nails chipped idly at the wooden desk, the lie slipping easily past my lips.
Kairen nodded slowly, a look of sympathy in his eyes before he continued. "There's a rumor of a man who deals with an underground trade in Amareshi. I want us to secure a meeting and see if there's anything useful that he might know." His finger then moved. "Our ship will meet us here, in Ferro. Once aboard we will sail up the eastern coast," his finger slid along as he spoke, nearly to the Northernmost point of the kingdom, "where we will be dropped off in Halsrad."
"Why Halsrad?" Rena leaned in closer, eyeing the little northern city before a pout formed on her lips. "Goddess, it's going to be freezing there, isn't it?"
Kairen rolled his eyes. “We're going there because it's the easiest entry into the north, and then we'll continue the rest of the journey on horseback, making our way back south through the northern cities. The ones with blue marks are the locations I consider worth stopping at because they either have unusual records of The Fever, or some myth stems from them."
