"She’s using you.She has to be; what other reason would she talk treason in the ears of a stranger?"
"I am aware."
"And you're actually considering this?"
Ragnar looked at him, and Thane found himself unable to argue.There was a reason he had submitted to Ragnar as his general.That reason was his uncanny ability to win any battle set before him.That look in his eyes was wild and vicious, like the day they fought side by side for the first time.Barely alive, malnourished boys fighting for their lives, for their freedom.
Those eyes, the ones that looked at him, were the eyes of death.
Thane caught something on the bed.A small glint in the lamplight.
A silver hairpin.
He didn't ask where it came from; he didn't need to.
"General," Ragnar said, and his voice had regained its usual command."At dawn, I want scouts on the Ameachi border.I want to know exactly what we're walking into."
Thane hesitated, then nodded."And the Akwaugo?"
"I will handle the Khatun."
The morning sun was still pale when Nkiru slipped into Azul's room, a folded parchment in her hand.Incense, mixed with a little hemlock, burnt strongly, hanging heavily in the air.Azul's gold waist beads jingled as she moved.
"Akwaugo.A message from the First Prince."
Azul took it without comment, her fingers already breaking the seal.Borji's handwriting was hasty, the ink smudged in places—he'd written it quickly, probably before dawn.
Third Prince Ameachi sends word.His gratitude for your letter runs deeper than ink can express.Just write a reply for him, and send Nkiru to deliver it to me.Also—the scholar met with me again last night.He spoke of rivers and roots once more, but this time he mentioned a particular bridge that might be 'unstable.'I have no idea what this means.I assume you will.
Be careful today.Somadina is in a mood.
Azul read it twice, then reached for her writing materials.
To the Third Princeof the Ameachi,
Grief is a river that carves its own path.Let it flow; do not dam it.In time, the banks will settle.
As for need—only your continued health and the knowledge that you are not alone.When the moment comes, remember: the coward dies a thousand deaths.The brave die only once.
She paused, thinking, and wrote a few more lines.Then she focused on Borji.
The bridge is Iyom's father.Cross it carefully.Eat less; don’t get poisoned.
She sanded the ink, folded the parchment, and handed it to Nkiru."See that this reaches the First Prince before noon."
Nkiru nodded and vanished.
A day of foreign visitors meant a day of games and merriment in an attempt to entertain their guests.Azul found herself standing at the edge of the training fields, watching servants erect pavilions and groom horses for the day's competition.
The archery grounds stretched before her, green and vast, with targets set at increasing distances.Nobles had already begun gathering—wives in their finest, elders in ceremonial robes, warriors polishing their bows and exchanging boasts.The air smelled of horse sweat and the fine perfume of the women who gathered.
Azul settled onto the cushions prepared for her under a wide canopy, accepted a cup of wine she had no intention of drinking, and reached for a cluster of grapes.The young women of her age seemed to avoid her and whispered as they passed; Azul pretended not to see them.
"What did Borji say?"she asked Nkiru, who had stationed herself at her mistress's shoulder.
"He said he couldn't find anything about the girl, Akwaugo."
Azul sat quietly, so Kamsi was somewhere in the palace, but no one could find her?She couldn't help but feel something bitter in her gut, she even sent the little snake with Borji just in case it could help.After watching the archery preparation for a while, she let out a deep sigh."This is boring," Azul murmured.
