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“Serves the meddlers right…”
Lord Severin shook his head. “All those fair gifts, gone. Now they’ll have no chance to benefit anyone.”
“What a waste,” Cassia lamented.
Lord Adrogan narrowed his eyes. “This is all too convenient for the mages. If they think we can’t be bitter about what’s not around anymore, they are very much mistaken.”
Cassia nodded. “We know what we saw.”
“That’s right. The only thing we don’t know is how much plunder they hid somewhere safe before they started the fire.”
“I should have been consulted, I say,” Master Gorgos repeated.
“Of course, Master,” Cassia agreed. “Your wisdom and prudence would have moderated your colleagues.”
“Indeed, indeed. None of this would have happened, had I been there.”
“That’s precisely the problem. The other Masters are not”—Benedict cleared his throat—“possessed of good Tenebran sense.”
“They have gone too far,” said Lord Gaius. “We can no longer tolerate their blatant determination to act on their own and erode our influence over our embassy.”
“Wouldn’t you say they have gone too far again?” Cassia asked. “We must not forget Martyr’s Pass.”
“Never,” Lord Severin vowed.
The right words in the right ears were working their magic once more. Cassia would make sure the mages regretted this.
While the embassy conferred under their breaths, Kassandra strolled the deck. She paused to speak with the lady Hesperine at the helm, who appeared to be the vessel’s captain. The captain called out orders to her crew in a language Cassia didn’t recognize. The other Hesperines answered in efficient tones and went about their tasks with the energy of those who enjoyed their work.
When Kassandra faced the embassy, the murmurs hushed.
“Welcome aboard,” she announced in Vulgus. “It is a pleasure to have you as my guests here on theFar-Seer, the flagship of Orthros’s trading fleet.”
“Elder Firstblood Kassandra,” Cassia asked, “do you mean to say this ship is your own?”
The captain smiled as the polar wind tried to tug her locked hair out of the grip of her scarlet headwrap. “The whole fleet is hers. Blood Kassandra keeps all of Orthros’s trading ships afloat. The Queens’ Master Economist is the admiral of the mercantile fleet and the chief administrator of all economic relationships with our Imperial allies.”
Kassandra gestured around her at her crew. “And I rely on the talents of everyone in my service, from our captains to our cabin sucklings, from our negotiators to our initiate bookkeepers.”
The ship took flight, gliding through the glittering waters of Harbor. The captain guided the vessel so smoothly, Cassia scarcely needed to lean on Knight for balance. She looked back at the statue of Hespera, whose gaze promised surprises. The ship made for the gap between the arms of the bay.
Cassia found suddenly that she had no interest in seeing what lay beyond, even if it was a tour of Orthros’s coast. Not if it meant standing on a ship that was carrying her away from Selas.
“Well.” Lord Gaius lifted his gaze to the sails above. “This will certainly be a tale to carry home to my grandchildren. A ship that has sailed to the Empire and back.”
“A ship owned by a lady, with a lady captain.” Cassia turned once more to watch the crew at work. They were in the best of hands, she reminded herself.
Lord Gaius frowned. “On second thought, perhaps I shouldn’t let on about this to my granddaughters. Next thing I know, they’ll take a notion to go to sea.”
“Too late, my lord,” Cassia said. “We have seen the images of the goddess Angara in golden armor, bearing a sword. We are already full of dangerous ideas.”
He laughed as if it were the most endearing jest.
“Your Ladyship,” Benedict put in, “the iconic depiction of Angara in a warrior’s attire is entirely symbolic. She never actually fights in the battles of the gods. It is her divine task to inspire the morale of fighting men.”
How unaware they were of the very real danger of the woman next to them.
But Cassia must not stray from the Hesperine path she had chosen. She would continue striving to be as kind as she was dangerous, to nurture her compassion with her power. She would be the sure hand steering the embassy into safe harbor. She would rally the fighting men to lay down their swords.
