Page 194 of Winter Gods & Serpents

“What makes you think war is his intention?”

She leaned onto her seat. “Hasn’t it always been his only intention?” she asked, her brows raising in question while she traced a hand in the air over me to make her point.

I rolled my eyes, court games did tire me, language of rulers was not one I spoke with patience. “Concrete answers, autumn queen, you came here to gain my graces or lose them?”

She smiled cocking her head to the side, the confidence of a ruler. “My spies have been after your father the day your brother was born,” she explained. “I am sure you are aware of the Adriatians under his services. Brisk is still Hanai whoever’s border they belong, Ibe Brisk is also another acquainted of mine, one very close to your fathers business. The attackers who quartered you on your return from Brogmere, they were your father’s.”

All expressions dropped and my breathing grew rapid. I should have known. I should have doubted. The direct order, how he had acted and pretended. It all had been an act as I had doubted. But why? To keep me from my duty?

She took note of my silence and continued. “Esbern Kirkwall was his closest ally despite what he made it look like in court. He was his Adriatian spy, the ex-Lord was from Sitara, son of an old priest there, one with prime knowledge of Henah’s blessed.”

“And she killed him,” Nia said absently.

And I had indeed killed him, well done me.

“Indeed, that she did. Indeed she did more than just that, she ruined a large part of his plans, there are now no eyes in Adriata and no more shadow recruits. It was smart to organize the fiasco, but it seems he was not the best judge of your character.”

I shook my head from the puzzling directions and leaned forward. “How does this have to do with anything?”

“The shadow blessed recruits, they were not only inside my court. My spies have seen them in Solarya, Vrammethen and…Myrdur,” she gave lastly. “They were not there for you, your father had kept your hiding plenty of a secret. They would fade and take coordinates as well as this,” she said, rolling an engraved emerald quartz stone over to us.

I studied the crafter's halo marked atop, the unfamiliar patter and strange runes, the ring of familiar magic being emitted. “What of this?”

“A tracking craft, they were trying to locate someone, something, somewhere, it could be anything.” She then threw five others, naming each place she had found them, “The one on your hand was found in Myrdur, Theros, Aru, Heca, Comnhall and the last one in Hayes, Seraphim.” Six kingdoms, missing only Adriata.

Nia examined them tightly, reaching for a piece of paper and tracing the patterns and runes atop. “We can ask our crafter what they exactly are,” she murmured close to me.

Moriko noted the exchange and only smiled before turning to me again. “What I meant from mentioning Adriata was not to include them as partners in your father’s plans, it was to state that you are being used to get to them. The only kingdom he has no access to freely search for whatever he is searching is Adriata, once that chess piece is in his game then he will act.”

Melanthe, that is why she had returned, my father had after all enlisted her purposefully. I took one of the stones, running my fingers to trace the halo and I felt it, the bitter and sweet scent of mint and death. Melanthe’s magic. Realization came heavy. The soldiers, Verglasers in Myrdur, were they being directed by the tracking halos? They were indeed looking for something. “What is it you propose, you certainly have come here more than to tell me a few tales?” Panic begun crawling to surface at the thought that this was beginning to make too much sense and none at all.

She laced her hands and leaned forward in the table. “They are not tales and you are well aware, otherwise you would have stood the moment I spoke. Join me, refuse the Adriatian deal to begin with, then join my army. I have heard plenty of your skill, this comes all with a promise of safe living for you and your generations to come,” she finally added, and I guffawed. No, my father did not take her for a fool, she was a fool. If my father was to rage war he would have found another deal with Adriata nonetheless. If war was to come I was not going to hide away to my benefactors underarms scared, I’d be afront cutting heads.

“You must have known I would not agree to any of this madness, yet you chose to cross to Isjord and do so, how very odd, my dear.” Amusement had now left my body completely. “But you will get what you came here for, I promise to side with you if truly my father is to rage war. Till I know those are his intentions I will not take any of the ridiculous actions you mentioned.” I was not to be bargained like the last sweet at the solstice banquet, Albius must have surely made her aware that was not how I played my games and certainly not this three-player chess. If she had come to seek my support than that she had, but to my terms. The Ianuris agreement had to be fulfilled, I’d not abandon Myrdur in the hands of my father, not again.

She narrowed her stare assessing me. “Albius was right, though I would not say strong headed as he did, more like stubborn.” Sighing she nodded in agreement.

“I also need a favour from you,” I demanded.

She laughed and leaned back, assessing me once more. “A bargain, very Isjordian of you.”

Ignoring her words I continued, “You mentioned Lord of Brisk and you are acquainted.”

“Yes…yes I did. Ibe used to be captain on one of the battalions I directed during my time as general.”

“I want him pledged on my side.” Nia nudged my foot in warning, my little toe a fallen soldier.

Moriko’s brows rose and so did her smirk. “A coup? On Silas? What about your loyalty to him,” she marked sarcastically, almost dismissive of my plans.

“Those were your words not mine, I am not planning to overthrow my father, differently from you I don’t underestimate him. What I am looking to overthrow is Isjord.”

Her expression faltered when my seriousness didn’t drop, slowly her eyes went wide in realisation I was not joking. “I came to you to end a war, not to start another one.”

My turn to laugh. “Again, you misunderstand me, Your Majesty, there will be no war.”

“How will you end perhaps the strongest kingdom in Dardanes?”

Was she mocking me? She clearly thought my allegiance to her would make an impact to this war she spoke of, why would my own not? “From within,” I revealed, and Nia stomped tightly on my foot, my hole carpals lining in mourning now. Maybe she was right, it did seem unsmart to reveal my intentions, but she needed me and hated father. Ignoring the pain, I wiggled my foot from her reach. “A whole sea cannot drown a ship but a tiny whole can slowly fill it with water till it’s too late to realize they are drowning.”