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Instead, settling into life together would have to wait. He and Jalissa were leaving for a dangerous mission to Mongavaria. They’d have to constantly be on guard. There would be little safety to relax, even behind closed doors. They’d be back to masks and pretending.
They didn’t have a choice. Someone had to go, and there was no one else who could go in their place.
Nor did he want to send anyone else. He had seen the pain and death caused by the poisoned grain sent to Kostaria. He’d watched as the trolls mourned and buried their dead. He’d looked into the eyes of the orphaned children. He’d seen the hollow eyes of those who had survived the poisoning, only to realize that their loved ones had not.
An anger burned deep inside his chest every time he thought about it. After what he’d witnessed, he was determined to find answers. If the Mongavarian royalty were behind the poisoning, then he would find out. And if an Escarlish lord had aided in the poisoning by smuggling, then Edmund would discover that too.
He shook himself, realizing that his grip had tightened on Jalissa, giving away the tension inside him. He released a long breath that stirred her long, dark brown hair.
Beyond his worries and determination, there was the thrill of a mission. Strangely enough, he was looking forward to facing a spying mission with Jalissa at his side. He just wished it wasn’t so soon after their wedding and wasn’t going to cause them to miss being there when Essie and Farrendel’s son or daughter was born. It was the timing, rather than the fact that they were going at all, that he had a problem with.
Even in that, they’d had no choice. At least Averett had negotiated so they could leave after their wedding rather than before.
After another moment, Edmund released Jalissa and forced himself to take a step back. “I suppose we should dress, finish packing, and leave. We wouldn’t want to be late.”
Jalissa’s mouth got a coy little curve to it that he had seen often this past week. “Probably not. But I do not think our brothers would question us if we were late.”
Edmund reached for her, smiling even as he drew her in for a kiss. No, they likely wouldn’t.
* * *
Jalissa directedtheir small boat to the dock on the Tarenhieli shore. The small town beyond—normally a quiet port along the Hydalla River—bustled with the activity caused by the visit of not only their king but Escarland’s king as well.
She secured the boat to the dock so it wouldn’t rock, then waited for Edmund to hop out first and extend a hand to her. She didn’t need the help in gracefully exiting the boat, but it was an excuse to hold Edmund’s hand and linger just a moment longer before politics and peril came crashing down on them.
Her brother Weylind and Edmund’s brother Averett waited at the end of the dock, supervising as servants loaded items onto the elven boat that would carry them to the meeting with the Mongavarians.
As Edmund hefted their bags out of the boat, Jalissa swept toward her brother. Well, brothers. King Averett of Escarland was her brother too, now that she had married Edmund.
Weylind stepped forward and gripped her shoulders. “You appear well, isciena.”
“Linshi, shashon.” Jalissa resisted the urge to give in to a dreamy smile.
Edmund sauntered down the dock, both of their travel bags slung over a shoulder. “We had anexcellentweek, thanks for asking.”
Weylind shifted, going stiff. “I did not ask, and I donotwant to know.”
That just made Edmund grin wider as he halted next to Jalissa.
She gave him a nudge to the ribs. He got far too much pleasure out of teasing both of her brothers. Farrendel was becoming adept at teasing right back, but Weylind still had a ways to go.
“I see marriage agrees with you.” Averett grinned, then nodded to Jalissa. “Both of you.”
Now her ears were getting a little hot. Would anyone care if she ducked into her room on the boat to hide while she died of embarrassment?
Edmund grinned back at his brother, then adjusted the travel bags on his shoulder. “If we have a few minutes, I wouldn’t mind sorting through our things to make sure we have everything.”
Jalissa tensed, her stomach giving a lurch. Edmund seemed to think she was ready for this mission, but what if she was not? What if she made a mistake and it got Edmund hurt? Or killed?
She was a liability on this trip. Everyone else was either a soldier or a spy.
While she was a princess with mere months of training in spying.
Edmund reached for her hand and gently squeezed her fingers. Telling her without words that he believed in her.
She lifted her chin. She could not doubt herself. Not now. She was as ready as she possibly could be. Life as a princess had prepared her for masks and intrigue, even if the elven courtiers did not lie outright the way a human court would.
And she had her magic, small as it was. Hopefully it would be adequate for the task. It had served her well in Kostaria, where she had gained a great deal of practice in detecting the poison ricin.
