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Scion’s face remained unmoved. “I will give you pressing issues if I’m not permitted to take my soldiers.”
I watched as the nobles exchanged uneasy glances, their brows furrowed. There was a silent understanding between them that no matter how much they wanted to, they could not surrender their military forces.
“Where are the soldiers?” I asked abruptly.
“Most are on the eastern gate,” Lady Acacia replied, her small voice shaking.
I stared at her, feeling the tension in my eyes mirrored in hers. I had no idea what was relevant about that, but it seemed to mean something to her. Granted, I could barely keep track of the winding streets and alleys, let alone remember who was fighting whom for control of this city. “Is that relevant?”
Scion still looked annoyed, but for once, I did not think it was at me. He answered, “They control that gate. It’s the closest to the seaport.”
I narrowed my eyes. Should they not control all the gates as the rulers of Inbetwixt?
“Exactly,” Lady Acacia continued before I could ask for clarification. “An entire fleet was recently attacked and sunk by the thieves’ guild around the new year. We have not yet been able to recover, and what ships have been repaired or replaced are in greater danger than ever.”
I startled, my heartbeat picking up.I found myself on a ship bound for Nevermore…
“We can’t spare any soldiers,” Lord Bard continued, “and if you take those we have already, then the trade route to Nevermore will undoubtedly fail entirely.”
Another sailor approached, shaking my shoulders. “They’re boarding!” he screamed in my face. “We’ll fucking lose everything.”
Was it a coincidence? It couldn’t be.
“Perhaps if you actually did something about the damn thieves, we could spare the soldiers,” the son said from the corner of the room.
I looked up, taking him in for the first time. His tone was sullen, bitter, a bit like Prince Lysander. He was built like his father, with his mother’s lighter hair, and his attire matched that of the rest of his family—a flashy coral waistcoat paired with a pale blue pair of trousers. When we locked eyes, I saw a mix of curiosity and revulsion in his stare.
Scion made no reply, ignoring the younger male’s comment. His silence was heavier than usual, and I saw a hint of something in his expression before he masked it with another emotion: apathy.
Finally, he said, “None of this is worth discussing, as in the end, I will still need to take the soldiers. Your inability to protect your gates is your problem and perhaps a sign that we should consider new leadership.”
Lady Acacia sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes wide with shock. As if a jolt of electricity had shot through the room, Melina snapped her head up from where she had been focused on the floor, staring at her mother in alarm.
She turned narrowed eyes on me, but when she spoke, she was addressing Scion. “I might point out they are not your soldiers, lord. They’re hers.”
There was a long, heavy pause while every eye in the room turned to me. I froze, not having expected to be needed in this conversation.
No one, least of all me, knew how to handle the political nightmare that had been thrust upon the country. Perhaps if the Everlast family had been more willing to work with me, if their advisors had been helpful rather than dangerous, things might have been different. As it was, things were incredibly tenuous for both me and the country.
“Oh…” I said awkwardly. “I am not here in that capacity. Believe me, I would far prefer not to be here at all.”
But the lord and lady had pounced on the realization of who I was—apparently, they had not put two and two together before now, or perhaps they had simply not cared enough to consider why Scion would be dragging a human around with him on his diplomatic errands.
Or maybe it wasn’t so odd. Maybe he often spoke of politics surrounded by pets and concubines. I’d certainly beheld stranger things in the courts and seen Scion himself with human women on at least two occasions. Unbidden, heat rose to the back of my neck at the thought, and I willed it away.
“Yes,” the lord said, new life in his voice. “Is it not true that the Slúagh now commands the army?”
I almost laughed. He’d said that with so much confidence it was like he saw absolutely no problem with his words.
“Lonnie,” Scion said dangerously. “Tell the lord that the soldiers belong to me. That you don’t understand nor care about the army and would never presume to…correct?”
Scion turned wooden beside me as I bit the inside of my cheek. The urge to spite him—to give Inbetwixt the soldiers just because he did not want that—was almost too strong to ignore.
Of course, the lord and lady were likely no better—they might have even been worse; I’d had no time to know—but they were not currently holding me hostage in a strange city.
“The thieves are the ones preventing you from sparing the soldiers, correct?” I asked. “Then what if we were to help be rid of the thieves?”
Eyes widened at me. Even the son who’d suggested it looked surprised. When I glanced at Scion, however, he was not surprised but furious. A prickle of fear traveled down my spine, and I ignored it.
