Chapter 39
Thirty-Nine
Stavros
The sight of the Darium words marching across the paper makes my skin tighten up even though I know it was a friend and not one of the enemy who wrote them.
I fought the pricks who want to take our country for themselves for years—trying to think as if I’m one of them is nauseating.
But right now, they could be the key to destroying a much more immediate threat.
With his scholarly knowledge of the language, Alek was the obvious choice to write the false letter. I coached him through the content with my understanding of the Darium forces and their interest in Silana, while Casimir guided the subtler aspects of our phrasing.
We need the letter to sound convincing but also not overly pointed. Anything too blatant might raise suspicions of it being a fake.
We accept your appeal in exchange for the stake we’re owed in Silana.
If the flag on your fort a mile west of where the three pines stand at the Seafell’s bank is burnt by the second bell of the morning, we’ll cross to the pines and convey the item by the means you requested.
Any deviation from your promise, and the deal will be forfeit.
Emperor Tarquin looks forward to reestablishing a partnership that benefits us both. In this alliance, you do the continent proud, King Konram.
Ivy paces at the other end of the abandoned outpost’s main room. “Julita knows that at least Borys can read Darium, so the Order of the Wild will figure out what it says. Would their army definitely write to our king in that language?”
I nod. “I don’t know if any of the Order members are familiar enough with our former conquerors to be aware of this fact, but the empire has always presented their own language as superior to all others.
They wouldn’t want to deal with King Konram unless he was willing to engage with them on their own terms.”
Casimir pokes his head through the doorway. “The horses are saddled. Are you happy with the letter?”
Happy isn’t the word for it.
“I think it should be convincing in combination with the show you and Alek will put on,” I say, and hand it over to him. “Make sure you’re careful about how you drop it—it has to look completely accidental.”
Casimir grins. “Ivy may be our expert at stealth, but I can pull off a little sleight of hand. It’s unfortunate how a bit of wind can snag on a piece of paper that’s jostled from a pocket with hard riding.”
Ivy rubs her hands together. “All right. You’d better go so we have as much time as possible to catch a scout.”
She glances at Rheave, who’s been watching the proceedings with quiet curiosity. “And you have to make sure they don’t see you fire the arrow.”
He hefts his bow eagerly. “I’ll climb so high up a tree it’ll soar right over the tops.”
Alek tugs at the hood of his cloak. He’s got it draped particularly far forward so it’ll hide the scarred side of his face, but I can tell he’s nervous. “We’ve worked out all the details. It should be simple enough.”
I hold out my fist for the others to knock theirs to it. It’s a simple ritual, but the resolve in the air firms as our knuckles tap together.
“Off we go, then.” Casimir gives Ivy and me a playful salute and heads for the horses with the scholar and the daimon at his heels.
The moment we hear their steeds clomp off through the woods, Ivy resumes her pacing.
“Between the dropped letter and the conversation we’ll arrange for the scout to overhear, the Order will have to believe it, won’t they?
That Darium soldiers are coming to give King Konram a means to escape the uprising?
If they don’t go to confront the soldiers… ”
“It should work,” I reassure her. “And if it doesn’t, we can send the Darium forces after the march. There are multiple ways to play the scheme. But you have your own role too. Let’s go over those lines in Darium again.”
Ivy grimaces at me. We’re lucky she knows enough spoken Darium to be able to understand basic questioning and know how to respond. Not what you’d expect from a street rat thief, but I suppose nothing less would be fitting for the Hand of Kosmel.
All I needed to help her with was some minor adjustments to her accent and a few more specialized words of vocabulary. Boating isn’t one of her regular pastimes.
I toss out the questions a regular patrol might ask her, and Ivy volleys back her answers with a casual air. I don’t know if her Darium would be convincing in an extended conversation, but I can’t criticize anything in the few sentences that are all she should need to speak.
When we’re done, I rest my elbow on the makeshift desk we’ve formed out of chunks of rubble and a larger slab of stone. “Good. I already know you can keep cool under pressure. As long as you act as if you have every right to be there, you shouldn’t have any trouble.”
“With that part, anyway,” Ivy says dryly. She sits down by the wall and tips her head back with a sigh. “I guess you have your own letter to write.”
I suspect she’s more concerned about the plan as a whole than her own part in it, which plays to her strengths. The entire idea was hers. Crazy but brilliant, really.
If it saves her from the insanity of her magic while also saving the kingdom I’ve sworn to defend, I’ll go with crazy. Even if the thought of this final letter makes my stomach clench around a fresh twinge of queasiness.
I retrieve the paper and the ink we acquired for our purpose. “Yes. King Konram will need to be informed of what’s going on and why so he doesn’t make any rash moves.”
“He isn’t going to be happy about this tactic.”
“Most likely not,” I admit. “But as long as he’s pleased with the ultimate outcome, that’s what matters.”
And that has to be all that matters to me as well. Never mind that carrying out this plan is the closest I’ve actually come to real treason.
I stare at the paper for a long moment, grappling with the fact that I’m going to have to inform my king of that treason. But if he doesn’t understand what we’ve set in motion, it could be disastrous for all of us.
I simply have to hope that he eventually sees that everything I’ve done, including this, has been for him and Silana.
Struggling my way through writing the letter at least gives me something to distract myself with while we wait for the others to return. Ivy gnaws on our last apple and goes out to stretch her legs with a stroll around the building.
I’m sure she’d have wanted to be right there with the other men if discretion weren’t so important.
I hear the distant bells ring for one hour and then the next before I sign my name at the bottom of my missive. I fold it firmly and tuck it into the inner pocket of my cloak.
If everything goes according to plan, I’ll be setting it on its course late tonight.
As I get up from the makeshift desk, Ivy reappears. She takes one look at my face, and hers falls. “I’m sorry. You must hate this.”
My heart stutters. She and I are going to have to be apart for more of this scheme than I like. If something goes wrong, we may not make it back to each other, as much as I loathe to think about that.
The last thing I want is for us to part ways with her imagining that I resent what she’s asked of me.
“Ivy.” I walk up to her, holding her bright blue gaze.
“This is a fantastic plan. I doubt I could have come up with anything more likely to work if I’d had weeks to consider it.
And you’re the one who put all the pieces together.
I’m grateful to get another chance at destroying the scourge sorcerers. ”
“By turning your worst enemies into sort of allies?”
I make a dismissive sound. “They’ll face their own dire end. What’s a little more treason after everything I’ve already been accused of?”
Before she can do more than wince, I draw her into my arms, my voice dropping low. “The real treason is that King Konram hasn’t yet seen how inspiring you are.”
Ivy manages to form an incredulous sort of huff. “I guess even Signy faced plenty of doubt before she proved herself.”
“And as far as I’m concerned, you’ve proven yourself a hundred times over already.”
I dip my head to catch her mouth with mine.
Ivy sinks into my embrace, one hand gripping the front of my shirt, the other rising to trail along my neck. Her fingertips ignite sparks that shoot straight to my groin.
Gods help me, if we didn’t need to be ready to ride out at a moment’s notice, I’d remind her of just how much I enjoy being with her in the most concrete way possible.
I end the kiss but keep my head bowed over hers, our foreheads brushing. “I need you to know that no matter what happens tonight, it’s been my honor fighting these pricks alongside you. No matter how hard the journey became, there was never anywhere I’d have rather been than next to you.”
Ivy swallows audibly. “I don’t know where we’ll go from here, but I really want the chance to find out. I couldn’t do this without you.”
Not just me. It’s all five of us and the strange sort of family we’ve become.
Somehow our joint relationship feels more fulfilling than when I had a woman I was meant to marry all to myself.
A sustained rustling in the forest outside puts me on the alert. Giving Ivy’s shoulder one more squeeze, I step past her to peer out the ruined building’s doorway.
It’s Rheave, making his way toward us on Toast, who we didn’t trust to carry Alek or Casimir appropriately through their charade. The stallion looks typically disgruntled but gives a soft snort at the sight of Ivy stepping out next to me.
The daimon dismounts with a smile. “I saw someone coming from the camp site and signaled Alek and Casimir. The scout didn’t see. I rode back as soon as he was out of view, but the others shouldn’t be far behind.”
“Good.” His report only offers a fragment of relief.
I motion to Ivy. “You should get on your horse. Every minute makes a difference.”
The sun has already dropped lower than I like, though the dusk will make traveling unnoticed easier when we can’t rely on Ivy’s sorcery.