“Help” my ass. He wanted any excuse to kill us.
Ronan has not forgotten. He regards Fushi icily, waiting for an excuse of his own.
“We mean to break the blockade,” says Ronan, reluctantly turning to Karis, not wanting to miss his opportunity. “Allow us to leave on one of the new ships, and we’ll return with a navy and an army from one of our allies abroad. We’ll end the blockade, and then, if you’ll agree to it, we’ll retake Faros from the north.”
Karis taps her long, slender fingers on the dark wood of the chair. “I do need the blockade broken. And you know there’s no one who wants to carve that Verran woman up and feed her to the crows more than me.”
“Want to bet?” says Quinn.
Karis smiles. “But the last we heard, the brother was on her side. Is he your prisoner? He wasn’t restrained when we found him.”
“No,” says Ronan. “He is loyal to…well, not me exactly. But he has sided with his other sister. I trust him.”
“I trust him as well,sentsis.” Taran steps forward. There’s some tension between him and Karis, but she nods without anger.
“Will you speak for him, Taran, son of Orin? Will you vouch for him while he’s on our lands?”
“I will.”
They say something to each other in Orsan. It’s an oath of some kind based on his delivery, and she seems satisfied with his response.
“But the other, Larus Adama. He has been an enemy to us for more than a generation. My people want justice, and I’m not sure I can deny it to them.”
Larus looks up defiantly from where he stands bound next to my brother, whose bindings are being cut. “It’s true, I’ve fought and killed many of your people. But I’ve watched just as many of my own people die at your hands. If this is the end of me, so be it, but I will not apologize for upholding my oath to House Verran.”
My heart pounds as I hear his defiant words. I wish he were a less honorable man. I wish he’d have the sense to lie.
Ronan interjects, keeping his face carefully neutral. “Karis, you and I share a vision of a world beyond these feuds. It’s why you stepped up to support me when my father fell. It’s why we’ve worked well together for more than six years. This man is under my protection. Your friendship is important to me, but so is he. I cannot leave here without him.”
Karis considers for a long, silent moment. The room is so quiet that a cough from Seth makes all of our heads turn in alarm. This decision will cost Karis something either way: the respect of her people, or a potentially powerful ally in Ronan. She doesn’t make the choice lightly.
“Larus may go, but on one condition: you must stay. Send whoever you like to negotiate on your behalf, but you must stay here through the winter and help us train our people for thefight. Because if I choose to support you and you fail, they will be the ones to pay the price. You must not fail.”
“You have a deal,” says Ronan, approaching the great chair to shake Karis’s hand.
“Tell me who is going, and I’ll have Fushi escort them to a ship. I suppose you’ll want to try Brakkar first?”
With Larus released, the rest of us group together to decide what to do. “Typhon and Octavia, I’m sure you’ll want to go with Larus. Quinn?”
Quinn looks at Octavia and then down at her legs. “I’d better stay here with Bitey. I don’t want to be in the way.”
“You wouldn’t be in the way, Red. Do you know how many people at sea are missing a leg?” Octavia laughs, but Quinn shakes her head.
“Probably a lot more missing one than two.”
“Bring the griffin then. They eat fish anyway. And he can take someone’s hand off if we get into a fight.”
I would worry about separating the griffins from each other, but to be honest, I think Kira will be happier without him around.
Assuming we can find them.
“Seth, you’d better go too,” I say. I know Taran will stay here with Ronan and me. It’s definitely for the best for everyone involved if Seth leaves.
“No, I don’t think I will.”
Godsdammit, what iswrongwith him? “Seth, they want to kill you.”
“He vouched for me, or whatever it was that he did.” Seth looks at Taran with a truly nauseating affection. “Besides, if the goal is to retake Faros, where do you think I’m more useful: out there negotiating on Ronan’s behalf, or here training an army?”
