Corrin opens his mouth to answer—no doubt with something sly and sarcastic—but Damia gets there first.
“Why shouldn’t he be?” she says, her voice taut with challenge. “He spied for us in Elmere. He got split open in Qimorna trying to keep the clerics at bay. Is that worth nothing to you?”
Harman doesn’t say anything, and neither does Corrin, but the crime lord leans back in his chair, looking very smug.
“Damia’s right. Corrin is our ally,” Ana says firmly. “He fought bravely on those missions and when we were attacked a week ago on our way to the border.”
Harman raises his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn’t heard about the attack at Ribold’s yet. We haven’t exchanged any messages with the Hand since agreeing to this rendezvous point. Those with decent messenger magic are a commodity anyway, and it’s hard to find trustworthy people on the road.
“And most importantly,” Ana continues, “Corrin helped save Leon’s life in Lavail. So yes, he is part of our inner circle. I trust him, and that should be enough for you.” Her tone is that of a queen—it brooks no argument, and Harman, rather than seeming annoyed or offended, looks quietly impressed. I feel a surge of pride and reach out across the mooring.
“Nicely put,”I say.
She throws me a grateful glance. Behind her, Corrin sits silently, but I see the smile on his face and, beyond him, Damia watching him closely.
“Alright then,” Harman says, pressing on. “Then I’ll tell you all that we’ve made some progress on the seal. Although probably not as much as you’d like.”
“Always such a pessimist,” Alastor says, shaking his head fondly.
“We had our contacts talk to people in Warlarn, the valley where Prince Keleus and Princess Helena’s traveling party were attacked,” Harman clarifies for the benefit of the others. “You probably know, Leon, that they only had two guards with them when they died, as well as a driver.”
“Yes,” I say. “It was partly what made it so suspicious. They usually would be traveling with a much larger detail, but they’d sent most of them ahead to Filusia while they took a scenic route back.”
For years, I was so angry with them for having been so careless with their safety. Now I feel like a guilty idiot. Of course, they had good reason to want to hide their movements from people who might report back to Respen. The carriage driver was a Trovian man they’d hired en route, and the two soldiers killed were longtime, deeply loyal friends of my parents—people they could trust.
“We talked with a few older folks who lived in the area back then,” Harman continues. “From them we managed to trace some of your parents’ route. The most unusual thing we could find was that they passed through a region to the southeast called Rhasborne. It’s out of the way, so they would’ve deliberately chosen to go there, but we don’t have any more specifics than that.”
My disappointment rises. Harman’s right, it’s not as much as I’d hoped. Ana takes my hand.
“It’s a start,” she says gently.
“More than a start,” Alastor says. “Sounds to me like the seal is probably hidden in this Rhasborne place. How big an area is it anyway?”
“About the same size as Godom,” Harman says.
“Ah,” Alastor steeples his fingers, clearly considering the area of land that stretches from the southern coast all the way up to the Wirstones. “I see.”
“I brought some maps,” Harman says. “We can take a look at them later and start marking out potential hiding places. Something might ring a bell.”
“Can I ask a question?” Mal pipes up from the corner.
“Of course,” Ana says.
“What are you going to do if you actually find it? The seal, I mean?”
“Well, use it to beat Caledon, obviously,” Tira says.
Harman looks quickly at Ana. “Aren’t you going to destroy it?”
“I…hadn’t really thought about it either way,” Ana admits.
“But the whole point is to stop Caledon from trying to use Ethira’s tokens to ascend. If you got rid of the seal, you’d guarantee he’d fail,” Harman points out.
“It might not be that easy to get rid of,” Lafia says tentatively. She shifts, uncomfortable as ten sets of eyes settle on her. “Objects as powerful as Ethira’s tokens would usually take a lot of power to destroy.”
“So why not keep it?” Stratton says. “I agree with Tira. An object that offers protection to whoever carries it? Sounds pretty damn useful. It’s not like it’s inherently evil or anything?—”
“Isn’t it?” Damia says coolly. “I’m not one for superstition, but these religious artifacts seem to leave a trail of blood and death behind them.”
