Page 26 of The Twisted Throne

“I think we may need to reconsider our opinions of what they will and will not do.” Ahnna pushed her long hair, which was woven into a thick braid, back over her shoulder. Her hands were marked with scrapes and scabs, her cheek with a purple bruise—further injuries to add to the old scars already marking her body. “Have you put more thought as to why Queen Katarina is willing to risk so much to see you dead? Or why she believes she can pin your death on my brother?”

“To start a war between Ithicana and Harendell,” he said reflexively. “If my father believed Ithicana’s king had me killed, he’d come for blood. Which would mean pulling resources from the Lowlands, which would allow Amarid the opportunity to attempt to reclaim them. We’ve been warring with them over that territoryfor decades, so the chance to win it back is well worth the cost of a few ships.”

“Except what possible reason could Ithicana have for killing you?” she demanded. “Not to hurt your feelings, Your Highness, but you’re rarely more than a footnote in our spies’ reports because your role has always been focused on said conflict in the Lowlands, which is no concern of ours. We gain absolutely nothing from killing you, but we’d lose our most powerful ally in the north. It doesn’t make sense, and Queen Katarina would know such a ruse wouldn’t work on your father because there is no logical reason for Ithicana to want to harm you.”

Except that there was, but only if James’s ambitions were not as secret as he’d believed.

James’s heart lurched. If Ithicana learned that he was attempting to divert trade from the bridge to Cardiff, theywouldhave grounds to want him dead. If Amarid intended to use that as grounds to frame Ithicana, it meant that Katarina knew about his role as mediator between his father and his uncle, and that…that was impossible. No one knew.

No one.

Ahnna’s eyes narrowed, and though he’d not allowed anything to show on his face, James knew his silence had spoken volumes. “What aren’t you saying?” she asked.

Georgie coughed. “It’s a delicate matter, my lady. Not fit for your ears.”

Ahnna’s brow furrowed in annoyance even as James looked to his friend in confusion, because he had no idea what Georgie was talking about.

“I’m a soldier, my lord,” Ahnna snapped. “I do not put much weight on propriety when lives are at stake.”

“Of course.” George gave a soft cough. “It concerns a recentfight that took place between His Highness and the Beast of Amarid. Prince Carlo Serrano.”

Oh, bloody hell.

“I know who the Beast is,” Ahnna said. “What happened?”

“A border skirmish.” James glared at Georgie. “Not justification for any of this.”

“Jamie, with respect, the man lost half of his capacity to father children because of your well-placed boot. I doubt there is anyone the Beast hates more thanyou.”

“You kicked the Beast of Amarid in the balls?” Ahnna demanded. “And he lost a testicle?”

“This is not fit conversation,” James growled even as Georgie said, “That’s the sum of it. I was there, so I’m happy to reenact the fight if someone wishes to volunteer to play the Beast.”

Ahnna’s face filled with incredulity. “You think Katarina sent three ships and hundreds of men to kill you for revenge over her son’s testicle?”

Why did she insist on using that word? “No, I don’t—” James broke off, because while he didn’t believe that was the motivation, it was better than Ahnna digging deeper down a hole he wanted left unexplored. “Who can say? The Amaridians are proud people.”

“Yes, they are,” she replied, but James could see she was not convinced. “Which is why I’m surprised Carlo didn’t demand to have personal vengeance over his lost testicle.”

James squeezed the bridge of his nose, desperate to be away from this conversation even as Georgie declared, “Because he’s now possessed of only half his courage!”

Ahnna’s lips parted, but she was cut off by a shout from overhead, “Sableton on the horizon!” and instead looked toward the sea.

Within moments, the haze that was Harendell’s coastline appeared, and James heard Ahnna’s breath catch.

“I’ve seen it on maps,” she said. “But I’m not sure I ever appreciated how large it was until this moment. I’ve never traveled farther north than Emesmere Island, where I met with your father.”

They’d passed Emesmere just before dawn, the island being the southernmost landmass controlled by Harendell, most often used as a harbor of last resort, for there was nothing there but rock. Ahnna’s meeting with his father had been brief, and she’d worn a mask the entire time, which had delighted his father to no end. “You’ve never been to the continent?”

“I’ve never left Ithicana,” she answered. “Never needed to. Never wanted to.”

What changed?James wondered, because it had been Ithicana who’d abruptly pushed for a wedding date to be set. Ahnna had been of marriageable age for over a decade, yet Ithicana had seemed content to keep her. Why now?

The port city of Sableton grew, smoke rising from countless chimneys, the piers bustling with ships beyond counting. Yet even from here, James felt the shift from the wilds of Ithicana and the Tempest Seas to the pretense of civility that reigned over his homeland. And next to him, gooseflesh rose on Ahnna’s arm as though she felt it, too.

“How long will it take to journey to Verwyrd?”

“Two days by coach,” he answered, watching how the wind caught at the tendrils of hair that had come loose from her braid. “Longer if it rains and the highway turns to muck.”

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