Page 150 of Winter Gods & Serpents

“For it all to end, the fear that creeps up every now and then, that we might again lose to your father.”

I sighed in relief. I knew he needed comfort, one I did not know how to give, so I said the only thing that always felt comforting to him. “I will kill him.”

“I know.” He threw me another piece of candy. “You see, I never doubt you. Maybe I should, considering the ledgers of history we two have but somehow, I never do.”

Always—he’d given me that promise—the promise to always be there. “Did you know that Nia wanted me to give up?”

“Yes,” he admitted, standing and throwing another candy to me before masking behind shadows of the library. “Long time ago.”

I knew, yet why did it hurt to hear? I pushed up from my chair. “Where do you get the candy?” Silence. “Cai?” More silence. “I’ll pay you.”

I only heard faint laughter that didn’t belong to my friend. “Heard you Mal, go on be an accomplice, betray me, your queen.”

Then I heard two sets of chuckling men somewhere behind the long rows of bookshelves, feeding on my frustration.

* * *

Two long hour had passed alone with silence. “Sam,” I waved him down when he entered the library.

He settled down and without hesitation spoke, “The merchant, I have found him, and he was not only that.” He handed me a letter. Official order from the Sun court sealed with King Magnus’s name.

I flipped through the cerulean paper and the orders written in Tahuma. “He works for Magnus?”

Sam nodded. “A few days from now a new delivery is to be sent from Theros. My informant is the merchant’s apprentice, his father and I were on the same order back in Whitebridge where our orphanage was. He says the merchant is taking his chances now that you have appointed Celdric on duty. I need you to let the ship through quietly, once it docks in Casmere I will follow the mercenaries.”

“He’d been right, King Magnus truly has sent the mercenaries.”

“It was hard for me to believe too. Snow, I know Magnus well, he’d have to be truly provoked to act to this degree against your father.” Sam seemed distressed and tired, had I overworked him on this case?

“I will send word to Celdric. Thank you, Sam.”

* * *

“Both of you, stay behind. I am going to Elias,” I said, straightening my cloak that hid very little below.

Pen had stood her ground not to assist me in any form in seducing a betrothed man, and so I’d settled on the best next and found myself a thin thigh length gossamer slip that hid just enough with intricate stitching in all delicate area. It had taken me too long to sort out where anything was and I was already late, he’d leave at dawn and I only had few hours left. Elias was slowly starting to loosen around me, and shortly he’d received duty from Moregan to be sent up north for a week with his team, therefore I wished to prepare ground before his leave. He’d tell me, I was sure of it, if not, I’d use my owed debt. Right now however many times I tried to convince myself otherwise, I was doing it for myself too. Forgetting the silver eyed snake was difficult, while he’d slipped me out of his mind and attention easily, not even struggling to avoid me like I did to avoid him. So again, I took the next best advice in dealing with matters of men with the help of an old courtesan of a pleasure house in Fernfoss. Get in the bed of another. This had never happened to me before, overthinking a man, actually…thinking a man at all. When one had no mother, a guardian who took four hours to explain bees and caves, a friend who had betrayed me and another who’d laugh at my issues, it didn’t seem the next best thing, it was the best thing, so I took the advice. It had to bring me of this unprecedented haze, or I’d officially claim myself deranged.

“No,” Kilian called strongly. Now he spoke? Days of barely even glancing at me and this is it? No?

“Yes,” I said, adjusting my braid. “It was not for discussion.”

He shook his head. “Leaving you alone is not up for discussion either, especially with him.”

What did especially him mean? My lip quirked to a sneer. “My, do join us in bed.”

He drew close, his teeth gritting, and that strong twitch etched in his jaw. “Fine.”

I knew he’d give in. I gave him a short smile. “Fine.”

“I’ll be chaperone, not my fancy watching you being fucked but it comes with the job I suppose.”

I almost bared my teeth at him. “You absolute arsehole.”

He crossed his arms tight and nodded courtly. “You are welcome. Saved you from two minutes of work. The hassle of undressing, washing, and dressing spared.”

My mouth dropped open, and I could see Nia barely holding her amusement, which only angered me further.

“Send word for the idiot, you are not going.”