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“No matter what has happened between you, it’s important we are in accord before the summit tomorrow. Surely we can put everything else aside until a later time.”
Interest flickered through me. Emara was finally stepping into her role as queen.
Despite Conreth’s overall distaste for the situation, he nodded, gesturing to the circular table on the other side of the room. I’d spent hours sitting at that table, gorging myself on sweetbuns while my mother gently teased me.
Prisca slipped her hand into mine and squeezed. Our eyes met before her gaze dropped to the blood on my skin.
I squeezed her hand back, leading her to the table.
Emara took a deep breath as we sat down, clearly unused to such tension. “Shall I call for tea?”
Despite his mood, Conreth managed to eke out a smile for her. “I don’t think this will take long.” His gaze slid to Prisca’s and turned cold. “The day we met, you asked me what it would take for me to ally with you. I told you to show me your people would rally behind you. To make the Gromalian king switch his allegiance from Regner, and to find allies. So far, I cannot see that you have achieved any of this.”
Fury blazed through me. “Prisca has been a little busy being tortured.”
“She had time to find her hourglass. That was where her priorities lay. With her own selfish needs.”
My muscles locked up. Prisca squeezed my hand. I knew that look. She wanted to handle this herself.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t trust my new ally not to take that hourglass the moment my back was turned,” she said softly. The barest hint of a flush rose to Conreth’s cheeks. Prisca’s eyes gleamed. “We are still working on the Gromalian prince. When he turns on his father, we need it to be completely irrevocable. That takes time.”
Conreth opened his mouth. Prisca merely lifted a finger. “I’m not finished.”
Emara’s eyes widened and met mine.
“You told me to find allies,” she said. “And I found perhaps the most important ally of all.”
Conreth leaned back in his seat and waved his hand.
“I have a formal alliance with Regner’s queen.”
If there was one thing my brother was proficient at, it was keeping his thoughts from his face. But I was watching him closely enough to catch the surprise that tightened his lips.
“The human queen has no armies,” he said.
“No, but she has given us information that allowed us to take Jamic before Regner could bring down the barrier. That’s another thing we have been working on, by the way. Preventing Regner from becoming so bloated with power, he could kill you with a mere thought.” She gave him a humorless smile. “You’re welcome.”
Gods, I loved this woman.
Conreth linked his fingers on the table in front of him. “I told you to make sure your people would fight in your name. Instead, I’ve learned that your cousin now controls twenty thousand hybrids trained for war. Hybrids who would likely enjoy cutting down my people. So, where are the rest of your allies?”
Pain flickered across Prisca’s face. “I’mworking on it.”
“Working on it?”
Prisca angled her head. “Yes. Remind me—while I’ve been looking for allies, finding my birthright, watching a friend die, and freeing Jamic…what exactly have you been doing?”
Conreth’s eyes widened. Likely, he was stunned by her sheer audacity.
“Be careful,” he breathed.
Slowly, I got to my feet. “Threaten my mate again,” I suggested.
Emara held up one hand. “Please,” she said, although her voice trembled. “If we are this divided tomorrow, we have no chance of convincing the wardens to help.”
“It’s a valid question,” Prisca said, her tone cool. “From where I sit, the only thing you’ve done is judge our actions, all without getting your hands dirty yourself.”
“We gave the hybrids a place to hide, and they stayed safe for decades. Perhaps it is time for them to fight their own battles.”
