“All right,” she said. “I’ll find the Skyweaver’s knife and do what needs to be done.”
Theo tilted her face so that their gazes met. “And I’ll getyou the support and protection you need. I won’t let you come to any harm—I swear it.” He cupped her face in his hands, peering down at her. “I’ll send for you after my meeting tomorrow and we can make a plan.”
She nodded. The ache of her sister’s absence was sharper than ever. The empty space where Essie should be grew bigger every day, threatening to swallow Roa.
If I fail,she thought,I hope it does swallow me.
Theo moved to the bedside table, jolting Roa out of her dark thoughts. Sliding the white rose out of the vase there, he snapped off the stem and came back to her.
“What are you doing?” she asked as he tucked it behind her ear.
“Treating you as you should be treated,” he said, running the backs of his fingers down her cheek.
This is not what you came for,Roa told herself.
She stepped back, putting space between them.
Theo’s hand hovered in midair for a moment, then clenched as he brought it back down to his side. “Your mind plots against your husband, yet your body remains loyal to him.”
She looked away, down to the carpet beneath her feet.
“I should go,” she said. “Before my guard comes looking for me.”
Before turning for the door, though, she remembered the letter from Asha. She’d meant to ask about the shipment Torwin was tracking.
“Do you remember the name of the wealthy Firgaardian who bought the Skyweaver’s knife?”
He tilted his head at her. “His name is Baron Silva.”
Roa’s blood hummed in her veins. She’d been right.
“I’m having dinner at his home tomorrow night,” she said.
Theo’s eyes widened. “What?”
“What do you know about him?”
“Only that he’s the wealthiest man in Firgaard.”
“Barring the king,” Roa corrected him.
“Barring no one,” he said.
Roa shot him a look.
“His daughter, Rebekah, is Silva’s only child. He dotes on her. He even purchased her place on the king’s council.”
Roa shook her head. “That’s not possible. Councillors are voted on.”
Theo snorted and shook his head. “Elections are held every three years, but you have to pay a fee if you want a vote.”
Roa hadn’t known that.
“A girl from Sky, Selina, is employed in his household. From what she says, Rebekah has half of Firgaard in her pocket,” Theo said. “She sounds like a force to be reckoned with.”
“Are you certain Silva has the knife in his possession?”
Theo nodded. “Selina confirmed it arrived several days ago.”
