By midnight, dinner is long gone, and the sky is very dark outside my brotherโs window, clouds obscuring the stars. Itโs too hot during the daytime for a fire, so the hearth sits cold, and a warm breeze eases through the room to ru๏ฌe the papers on Harristanโs desk.
Iโm sprawled in his desk chair. Weโve received early reports from the docks at Artis that confirm ships departed for โexploratory journeysโ over thirty years agoโthat never returned. After dinner, Harristan sought out Roydan himself, asking more pointed questions that seemed to strain the old manโs memories. Roydan said he does remember many lively debates about the price of iron coming out of Steel City. He said that Barnard Montague, the former consul of Traderโs Landing, used to rant about not getting a cut of the profits when steel had to pass through his sector.
We canโt ask Barnard directly because he was implicated in the assassination that killed our parentsโand he died in the attack.
I should be working through all of these details, trying to draw parallels. Trying to figure out all the points of risk and reward. I should be planning. Strategizing. Working
through the risk of traveling to a relatively unknown country, and whether itโs worth the potential reward of bringing more medicine back to Kandala.
Instead, I keep replaying the moments when Captain Blakemore quite obviously captured Tessaโs attention. Sheโs so clever. So brave. So empathetic.
Unfortunately, he seems to be the same. I saw the way his crew looked at him when he referred to the war. Thereโs no way to fake that kind of loyalty.
We need steel. You need Moonflower petals. Since apparently your own countrymen are reluctant to provide them.
Itโs a harsh contrast to the moment I was holding a dagger to that manโs throat in the candy shop. Or when I had to dash Tessaโs hopes about Laurel Pepperleafโs interest in her findings.
Thanks, she said.ย I hate it here.
Me too.
Jealousy isnโt an emotion that lodges in my brain very often. Iโm the brother to the king, so I rarely want for anything. Iโve spent years shoving away fear and anger and disappointment to where they canโt be seen. With jealousy, I have no practice.
The emotion isnโt about Captain Blakemore anyway. Not truly. I barely know him.
Itโs about everything I canโt be for Tessa. โCorrick,โ says Harristan.
His voice calls me back, and I look over. โWhat?โ โI asked if youย trustย him.โ
โIโm not sure. Thereโs a part of me thatย wantsย to.โ
I think of the man who strode into the palace this afternoon. Heโs charming. Appropriately deferential yet also unwavering in his commitment to his crew and his mission. His story is solid, right down to the flag from his
ship and the ring on his finger. His people have caused no trouble, and Harristan was right: their loyaltyย isย impressive. It does speak to Captain Blakemoreโs character
โespecially when heโs asked for nothing more than a chance to establish trade between countries. No coins, no jewels, not even a better ship or a bigger crewโand he certainly could have asked for all of it.
โAre you truly unsure,โ Harristan says, โor are you worried that heโs caught Tessaโs eye?โ
Thatโs so on point that I frown and look over. โDo you really think heโs caught her eye?โ
He sighs and runs a hand down his face. โCory.โ
I give an aggravated sigh myself. โFine. I donโtย distrustย him.โ I pause. โIโm sure itโs also occurred to you that ifย heย made it here unscathed and unnoticed, this new king could have a whole naval force just waiting to see what we say.โ
โYes. Iโve considered it. I didnโt stop a revolution just to get embroiled in a war.โ
A war we wouldnโt win. Not right now. Harristan doesnโt need me to tell him that.
โIf you send me,โ I say, โit will further complicate matters with the rebels. Tessa can remain here, I suppose, but they already donโt trust us. Iโm sure theyโll believe that any Moonflower we receive from Ostriary will go right into the Royal Sector.โ
โI considered that, too.โ Heโs watching me now, gauging my reaction. โWhich is why I believe you should bring Tessa, seeing as sheโs willing to go.โ My heart kicks, but then my brother adds, โAlong with the rebel Lochlan.โ
โWhat?โ I demand. โWhy?โ
โBecause Captain Blakemore has limited our number to six, and that will allow for three guards. Laurel Pepperleaf will demand to go as well, but I will refuse. I want to send a message to her father that I will not pander to their sector
any longer. If there are other avenues for medicine, we have a duty to explore them, and I will not risk Moonlight Plains interfering in the negotiations when theyโre already threatening to halve their production. We will see what Ostriary has to offer, and we will negotiate accordingly. Half the consuls were ready to overthrow the throne, Corrick. This is a delicate balance from all sides.โ
โNoโIย knowย that. But what does that have to do with Lochlan?โ
โHe doesnโt represent a sector from a position of authority. For us to extend an invitation to one of the rebels instead of someone in a position of privilege, it will be seen as an extension of trust, and I believe it will go far to convince the people of the Wildsย andย the wealthy sectors that we are considering the needs of all our citizens.โ
I study him. โAnd itโll get him out of the way so he canโt plan any attacks while Iโm gone.โ
Harristan gives me a sly smile. โThat, too.โ
I donโt smile back. He keeps hiding a cough. The consuls canโt be trusted. We were under attack a few short weeks ago.
I donโt want to leave him alone.
But if Ostriary has medicine, I donโt think we should wait. I donโt think weย canย wait.
My life, as always, seems torn between poor options.
A hand raps at the door, and we both look up in surprise. Itโs after midnight. I wonder if itโs Quint. Heโs the only person in the palace who sleeps less than I doโand the only one who might be looking for either of us at this hour.
But a guard calls out, โYour Majesty, Guardsman Rocco has requested an audience.โ
Thatย isย a surprise. I raise my eyebrows and look at Harristan. Rocco was at the kingโs side for most of the day.
โHasnโt Rocco been off duty for hours?โ
โYes.โ Harristan frowns, but he calls, โSend him in.โ
The guardsman strides through the doors to stand at attention, but heโs no longer in his palace livery and armor. I donโt think Iโve ever seen him in ordinary clothes, but heโs no less imposing in calfskin pants and a buttoned jerkin.
โYour Majesty,โ he says. His eyes flick to me. โYour Highness. Forgive me for interrupting. I know the hour is late.โ
โForgiven,โ I say easily, because Iโm more curious than annoyed.
Rocco looks to my brother. โI would have sent a message through the guard captain, but I thought it best if I spoke with you directly.โ
โGo ahead, Erik.โ
I blink, startled. โIs that your first name?โ โIt is.โ
โI donโt believe Iโve ever heard it.โ I donโt know why this is startling, whether itโs Harristanโs casualย useย of it, or the fact that I never considered it. Maybe both. The man saved my life. I feel like I should have known.
Maybe I look poleaxed, because the guardsman gives me an ironic nod and adds, โA pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.โ
His tone is so dry that it almost makes me smile. I donโt know any of Harristanโs guardsย well, but Iโve liked Rocco since the day the palace was attacked. I should probably like him best for saving my life, but thatโs not it. Itโs that he was willing to obey my order to break Allisanderโs fingers to prevent the consul from overthrowing Harristan.
Then again, maybe that says more aboutย meย than the guardsman.
Harristan gives me a withering glance. โGo ahead,
Rocco,โ he says.
โI understand you will be selecting guards to sail to Ostriary,โ he says. โCaptain Huxley presumes you will not choose from among your personal guard, but I would like to volunteer.โ
โWhy?โ says Harristan.
โCaptain Blakemore is not allowing any sailors from Kandala on board his ship.โ Rocco glances at me. โBut I believe the risk to the Kingโs Justice is rather great.โ
โSo you believe members from the kingโs personal guard should go?โ I say. โRight now, the risk to Harristan is far greater.โ
โI donโt disagree. But a sailor loyal to Kandala should be on board. Someone with the experience to know the route followed, the way the ship is sailed.โ He hesitates. โSomeone who could bring the ship back if something were to happen to Captain Blakemore.โ
โI canโt simply dress up a sailor as a guardsman,โ Harristan says.
โNo, Your Majesty,โ Rocco agrees. โBut โฆ you could send a guardsman who knows his way around a ship. I grew up around the docks in Sunkeep. My brother and his wife still sail the trade route along the coast of Sunkeep and Steel City. I joined them when I took a weekโs leave last spring.โ
Interesting.ย Harristan and I exchange a glance. โSo youโll be a sailor and a spy,โ I say.
โA guard,โ he says, a bit ruefully. โIโll keep you alive, Your Highnessโand Iโll be able to ensure your safe passage, regardless of what happens to Captain Blakemore.โ The weight of those words sink in as he looks to Harristan. โI wanted to make this offer before you made any announcements so there would be no later changes that might invite questions.โ
I watch my brother turn this around in his head, examining it from all angles, looking for points of weakness. When he settles on one, itโs not something I considered.
โThis is a good suggestion,โ Harristan says. โYou didnโt want to discuss this with the guard captain?โ
The guardsman hesitates. โCaptain Huxley still has not determined how the rebels were able to gain access to the palace during the initial revolt. Iโve already seen how quickly Rian Blakemore and his crew have heard rumors around the Royal Sectorโrather specific rumors about you, Your Highness, and Miss Tessa, as well. If I made my skills known to Captain Huxley, I worried that there would be no way to keep them secret.โ
He has my full attention now. โAre you saying you think the guard captain is a security risk?โ
Rocco glances between me and my brother. He might be in the kingโs personal guard, which carries some benefits, but heโs not an officer. Making an unfounded claim against the guard captain could put him out of a job, and he looks like heโs just realized heโs cornered himself.
โGo ahead,โ says Harristan. โAnswer freely.โ
Rocco hesitates again, but then he nods, and I realize that he might not trust the guard captain, but he must trust my brother. โCaptain Huxley has been known to accept a bit of coin for gossip about the royal family. If someone started asking questions, I think heโs likely to look the other way if a bit of silver crossed his palm.โ
โAre there any other guards with your skills?โ says Harristan.
โNot that I know ofโbut again, I didnโt want to inquire and invite questions.โ
Harristan nods. โVery well. Iโll accept your offer. Iโll be sending three guards. Choose the two who you feel would
make the best match for this assignment, and bring me their names when youโre on duty tomorrow. Anyone but Thorin. Donโt go through the guard captain. Iโll tell him I made the selection myself.โ
Roccoโs eyes widen in surprise. โYes, Your Majesty.โ โYouโre dismissed,โ Harristan says.
Once heโs gone, I say, โThe guard captain will choke when you donโt involve him in the decision.โ
โRocco has earned the chance to choose his own team.โ He pauses. โAnd I trust him to bring guards who will be loyal.โ
I study him. โI donโt like that he doesnโt trust Captain Huxley.โ It makes me not want to leave, but I donโt say that. โWhy did you tell him not to choose Thorin? He probably would have been his first choice.โ
โBecause youโre leaving.โ For the first time I see the worry in his eyes that I already feel in my gut. โI need someone I can trust, too, Cory.โ
 |
Itโs late enough when I leave my brotherโs room that I expect Quint to be asleep, but when I stride down the hallway to his chambers, I find him up and waiting with a half-finished bottle of wine and a quarter-finished book.
His door was slightly ajar when I arrived, but I push it closed behind me. Quint slips a piece of paper into the book to mark his place, then adds it to the pile of books and papers on his desk. Servants tend his rooms just the same as everywhere else in the palace, so my friendโs quarters arenโtย messy, but thereโs definitely a good dose of clutter, as if one thing drew his attention before something else claimed it.
I remove his abandoned jacket from the other chair, toss it onto the foot of his bed, then drop into the chair myself. He doesnโt ask if I want a glass of wine; he simply takes one look at me and pours.
โItโs late,โ he says. โI wasnโt expecting you.โ
I raise an eyebrow. โIโm never asleep at this hour.โ
โAt dinner, you looked ready to take Captain Blakemoreโs head off. I fully expected you to be spending the evening making Tessa forget that a ship even sailed into port.โ
I frown and take a gulp of wine. I probably should be. But I was worried that every petty and jealous thought would find its way out of my head. Sheโs asleep by now anyway.
Probably.
I wish I could stop thinking of that moment in the carriage when she was afraidโand some of her fear was ofย me.
This is too complicated. I shove the thoughts away and focus on more immediate matters.
โI was discussing Blakemoreโs offer with Harristan,โ I say.
โAre you going to go?โ โYes.โ
His eyebrows go up. Maybe he wasnโt expecting such a definite answer so quickly.
โTessa was right,โ I say with a sigh. โAnd as much as I hate it, he seems earnest enough. If theyโre willing to provide medicine in exchange for steel, we have an obligation to do what we can to provide for our people.โ I tell him about Harristanโs suggestions for Lochlan to attend
โand Roccoโs clandestine offer.
โI donโt like this uncertainty among the palace guards,โ Quint says. โEspeciallyย now.โ
โI agree,โ I say. I think about the day that Tessa snuck into the palace. She followed some girls right into the servantโs entrance, and even though I had the guard dismissed who overlooked it, this is the first time I examine that moment from a new angle. Could the guard have been preparedโor bribedโto allow a rebel into the palace?
But Tessa herself did it on a whim. She wasnโt an assassin.
Did someone else slip into the palace that day? Itโs been too long. Thereโs no way to know.
I sigh. โAny kind of instability among the guards puts Harristan at risk. I wonder if there are others who feel similarly about Captain Huxley.โ I pause, thinking. โI wonder if heโs the only one.โ
Quint reaches for one of his little folios and makes a note on the page. โMany of the guardsmen linger with the kitchen girls. Iโll find a reason to be in the kitchens and see what I can find out.โ He sets down his fountain pen to look back at me. โYouโre not as severe as you used to be. I wonder if thatโs emboldened some dissenters.โ
I grunt noncommittally. As much as I want to disagree, a man leapt at me with a knife in the middle of a candy store this afternoon. My chest is tight with indecision. I hated being Cruel Corrick, but I hate the idea thatย notย being Cruel Corrick will bring about more problems.
Especially if Iโm about to leave.
Tessa once asked me why I couldnโt just step out of my role and lose myself into the Wilds as Weston Lark if I hated the palace life so much.
I couldnโt leave my brother.
Thatโs what I told her.
And now Iโm doing exactly that. Rebels got into the palace a few weeks ago, and we narrowly escaped. Would Harristan be able to escape again, if he were alone? I might
have Lochlan with me, but that doesnโt mean there arenโt a hundred others who could build an explosive.
I wish I could go to Tessa, but Iโm terrified of admitting weakness just now, as if putting voice to my fears would make them more real. Iโd give anything to don a mask and climb down a rope and find her in the workshop, the way I used to. Now, everything is just as dangerous, and somehow ten times more complicated.
And Weston Lark is dead anyway. I frown and run a hand back through my hair.
โCorrick.โ
Quintโs quiet voice snaps me out of my reverie, and I realize itโs the second time thatโs happened this evening. โWhat?โ
โAs much as I adore being audience to your silent angst, I should remind you that itย isย late.โ
Heโs right, and Iโm being rude. I sigh, drain my wineglass, and stand.
But then I stop. Quint wasnโt sleeping. He was reading.
His door was open.
There was an empty wineglass waiting.
โYou never chase me out of your quarters,โ I muse. โIโm hardly chasing you.โ
โQuint.โ I feign a gasp. โAre youย waitingย on someone?โ
He gives me a look. โDonโt invent drama for me when your own is too much to bear.โ
Heโs probably right, but now Iโve found a thread to pull, and I want it all to unravel. โWho is it?โ I say.
โNo one. Truly.โ
Heโd fool anyone else in this palace, including my brother, but I know Quint far too well. I lean in. โYouโreย lying.โ
He sighs. โYou have far more important things to worry aboutโโ
โPlease tell me itโs Captain Blakemore, because that would solve theย vastย majority of my problems.โ
โI rather doubt it would.โ
โAs your friend,โ I add conspiratorially, โIย doย feel an obligation to warn you that I didnโt get the impression that he would be interested inโโ
โCorrick.โ I stop.
โHonestly.โ He gives me a withering glance. โItโs not Captain Blakemore, and itโs nowhere near as salacious as what youโre imagining. But thatโs all youโre getting out of me this evening.โ
โFine.โ I smile, and for a moment, Iโm grateful that heโs given meย somethingย to draw my attention away from matters that seem so impossible. โEnjoy your visit.โ
I sayย visitย like I mean something else entirely, but Quint doesnโt take the bait. He picks up the book he was reading when I walked in. โHave a pleasant evening, Your Highness.โ
โYes, of course, Master Quint.โ My smile turns into a grin. โIโll leave the door open when I go.โ
But at the door I hesitate. A moment of distraction isnโt enough to bury all my worries.
Quint looks up. He knows me as well as I know him, because any teasing disappears from his voice. โI truly wasnโt chasing you out. Sit if you need to sit. A game of chess perhaps?โ
I consider it for a moment, but he clearlyย wasย waiting for someone, so I shake my head. โYouโre right. I should retire.โ
But I still donโt move. Quint waits.
โHeโs never had to do this alone,โ I say quietly. He looks at me steadily. โNeither have you.โ
The thought is jarring. But โฆ of course heโs right. Iโve been thinking of all the risks to Harristan. I hadnโt considered that weโll be apart for the first time since our parents died. I hadnโt considered that Iโll be boarding a boat to negotiate the price of steel with a king Iโve never met in a kingdom I know little about.
I have to force worries out of my head, or Iโll stride right back down the corridor to tell Harristan Iโve changed my mind.
But I look back at my friend, one of the few people in this palace I truly trust. โTake care of him, Quint.โ
He nods. โYou have my word.โ
