Page 43 of Rise of the Vicious Princess

Lady Channing smiled. “An excellent question. Ambassador Shyrn, can you offer assurances of their intentions?”

The ambassador hesitated. It was a millisecond, a fraction of a pause before he matched Lady Channing’s smile and hurried to assure her of Te’ash’s honor, but Charis saw it.

Charis held up a hand to stop Ambassador Shyrn’s words, and he stuttered to a halt, a frown digging into his brow. “Your Highness?”

She held his gaze for a long moment, and his fingers reached for his coat buttons again. Calera desperately needed to remain on good terms with Rullenvor, especially with the growing shortage of medical supplies they were facing. She couldn’t afford to offend him by turning down the offer out of hand. Neither could she agree to it when it seemed clear Ambassador Shyrn was holding something back.

“Thank you for sharing this offer with me,” Charis said courteously. “You’ve given me much to consider. Of course, I will need to take this under advisement from the queen and our council. If I have more questions, I will send for you.”

It was a dismissal, and Ambassador Shyrn immediately bowed, thanked her for her time, and left.

Lady Channing made to follow him but stopped before she reached the door. Quietly she said, “King Alaric has escalated things, Your Highness. We have only to look at the assassination attempt and Irridusk for proof. He must be stopped, and we should look at every option available to us.”

“Even one that puts us in debt to both Rullenvor and the Rakuuna?”

“When both allies want nothing from us and everything from Montevallo, I think it must be considered. But of course, it’s far easier being an advisor than it is being the one responsible for the decision.”

But did both Rullenvor and the Rakuuna want nothing from Calera but access to Montevallo? She knew little of the Rakuuna’s culture or value system. Without that understanding, she had no way to gauge their true motivations and intentions.

All she had was the certainty that Ambassador Shyrn had been nervous and was holding something back.

She glanced at Tal and found his expression troubled. Perhaps he’d noticed the same thing she had.

There was a knock at the door.

“Enter.” Charis looked past Lady Channing to find a page standing in the doorway. He hurried over, bowed, and handed her a message in an envelope smudged with black dirt. The blue wax seal was off-center, as though hastily applied.

“A missive from General Thane,” the page said, bowing once more before leaving.

The instant the door closed behind him, Charis tore open the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of paper inside. She scanned the words once, leaned heavily against her desk, and read them once more.

“Is something amiss?” Lady Channing stepped closer.

Charis looked up, the black dirt from the envelope staining her hands.

No, not dirt.

Ash.

“It worked.” Triumph blossomed, a hard, brilliant light that burned within. “My plan to trap the central Montevallian outpost with fire and drive them into the sea worked.”

Tal sucked in a breath from his place against the wall, and Charis met his gaze for a moment before looking back to Lady Channing. She’d forgotten that it had been his afternoon off when she’d met with the council and come up with their response for Irridusk. And though she’d talked with him in-depth at the refugee camp about Montevallo’s motives, she hadn’t yet been comfortable using him as a confidant with sensitive information, so she’d kept the plan quiet. He hadn’t known the attack was coming, but perhaps hearing that Calera had extracted vengeance for Alaric’s atrocities would bring him a measure of peace.

Lady Channing’s face looked like Charis felt. Relief and triumph at this definitive victory tinged with horror at the tremendous loss of life.

“That will certainly send a message to King Alaric.”

“And fill our people with hope.” Charis folded the general’s letter and tried to wipe a smudge of ash from her hand.

“You have him reeling, Your Highness. Now would be a good time to strike even harder.”

Charis considered her for a moment. “You mean by using Rullenvor and the Rakuuna.”

“I mean by whatever methods are necessary.”

“I appreciate your advice, Lady Channing. This victory has given me hope that we can forge ahead and find a solution without relying on outside help. At least for the moment.” Charis moved toward the door.

Lady Channing bowed. “Your mother will be very proud of you.”

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