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My eyes burned. I wanted to kick Tavion’s arse for putting that doubt on Lucius’s face, but then everyone was laughing at another one of Dane’s ridiculous stories.
Between countless ales, Dane had done most of the talking tonight, telling us about the High Barrens, the passes through the high mountains, the trolls and the stonewraiths, and gods help me,the dragons.
Even Tristan snorted into his ale at that.
The old male didn’t have a shred of shame and I admired him for it. His stories were a mix of humor and fantasy, and while Tavion shook his head in dismay, I noticed Lucius encouraged his brother’s embellishments, not that Dane needed any encouraging.
Finally, after the food was gone and my eyes were drooping, Raz set down his empty mug, squeezed my knee, and turned to Dane. “We’ll leave before dawn. From the sound of it, you know these mountains. What’s the fastest route into Caladrius?”
Dane scratched his chin. “There’s a high mountain road that crosses the wall then leads south to Tempeste. That’ll take you four days, if nothing goes wrong. I don’t know where this Wynter Palace is, but if it’s anywhere close to the city, you’ll never get there in two days.”
The room went silent, all of us wondering the same thing.
What was the cost if we were late?
Dane sopped up the last of his gravy onto the last of the bread. “I know a shortcut, if you’re interested.” He sounded too casual, his gaze flicking to Lucius first, then to Tavion. “We use it during the heavy snowfalls when the mountain passes are closed off.”
Tavion’s head snapped to his uncle, but Raz was already leaning in. “How short?”
“Cut your travel time in half.” Dane’s tone was too casual for my liking. “Safe as can be, since the tunnels have been abandoned for thousands of years.”
A shiver went down my spine. “What sort of tunnels?”
Dane shrugged. “I’ve heard so many stories over the years, it’s hard to say. But they’re dry and wide enough for a fully loaded wagon to pass through. We’ve mapped them out, though some have collapsed over time. The main tunnel, though, leads straight to Tempeste. We use that route to transport goods into the city.” Dane grinned wolfishly. “For a fee, of course.”
“You’re a smuggler?” I shot back.
He winked. “I prefer to call myself an acquisitions specialist.”
“Whatever you call yourself, you’re smuggling goods—”
Dane cut me off, his eyes hard. “And people, and weapons, and pretty much everything else into Tempeste. Where do you think their food comes from?” Dane raised an eyebrow. “Since they can’t grow a fucking thing in that barren wasteland.”
“Dane,” Tavion said warningly at the same time his father said, “Anaria doesn’t know how things work up here.”
Lucius set down his fork, slowly enough the room went silent. “Don’t be an arsehole, Dane. You’ll guide them, and you’re not charging them one gilder to use your precious tunnels.”
Raziel cocked his head. “I highly doubt they’re Dane’s tunnels.”
“They’ve been mine for five hundred years, so you’re free to call them Montgomerys’ Tunnels, if you wish.” There was a too much wolf in Dane’s toothy smile, and a bit of Fae male challenge, too.
In that split second, everything came together. “Ah.” I looked across the table, Tavion’s face tightening when I met his eyes. “I see now.”
“See what?” Raz leaned back in his chair but never took his hand off me.
“I see where Tavion got the money to pay the Shadow King. Those tunnels are a fucking gold mine.” I shook my head. “You realize you funded this entire war, don’t you? That a lot of males will die because of that gold.”
“If not for me, the Shadow King would have sold you to Gravelock.” Tavion’s voice softened the longer he looked at me. I glanced away. “You would be in the Shadowlands right now, at that bastard’s mercy, and he isa fucking animal.”
I didn’t feel it necessary to point out that Tavion transformed into anactual wolf.
Because the bastard was right.
And I hated that he was right. Hated that he’d saved me when I should have been able to save myself.
Hated that I owed him. Because this debt between us would have to be repaid.
“I have to admit…it’s genius.” Raziel leaned back in his chair, eyeing Tavion, Lucius, and Dane with new appreciation. “Taking the Fae King’s money and using his gold to fund the war against him. If you’re lucky, Montgomery, you might get the chance to tell both those bastards how you played them.”
