Page 87 of The Twisted Throne

Then a groom coughed, destroying the illusion.

“We’re done for the day.” James broke eye contact. “Get off.”

Ahnna’s eyes narrowed. Picking up the reins, she thumped her heels against the horse’s sides.

Dippy did a strange vertical leap, and Ahnna found herself rolling off the side to land in the dirt next to his hooves. “Fuck!”

But James was already leading her horse away. “You can try again tomorrow. I have duties to take care of.”

—

No invitation came from Virginiafor afternoon tea, which was no shock, given Ahnna’s confrontation with Elizabeth. A burned bridge, which was perhaps not the best strategic choice Ahnna had ever made, but she did have to live with herself. Even ifit meant one less ally in this family than she’d had before, bringing her to a grand total ofoneindividual who seemed to want her in Verwyrd.

Thankfully, that one individual was the king of Harendell.

It made her wonder what Lara would have done in a similar situation. Whether she’d have kept walking or intervened. Whether she’d have put her mission first or her morals. Grudgingly, Ahnna conceded that Lara would have done the same, but then somehow mitigated the damage done.

Pacing her room with a teacup in hand, Ahnna debated the best course of action. Whether she should apologize to Virginia. Explain herself. Justify her decisions.

“Fuck that,” she grumbled. Virginia would know damned well why Ahnna had done what she’d done, and if the princess refused to concede that Ahnna was in the right, then no amount of justification on her part would change the other woman’s mind.

Taking another sip of tea, Ahnna went to the window, considering what Lara had said about Alexandra. That the queen was the most powerful individual in Harendell, more powerful even than Edward. Ahnna had not seen that. If anything, Edward seemed to run roughshod over Alexandra, showing her an almost shocking lack of consideration, and most certainly blaming her for all the faults he perceived in their shared son. She did what he told her to do, which had been what Aren had suggested was the dynamic.

Which one of them was correct?

In none of the spy reports that Ahnna had read had Alexandra been noted to counter Edward, nor did the spies mention any ambitions on her part beyond the norm. Charity work. Support for the church. Endowments for orphanages.Organizing parties and balls. The facts showed Alexandra as a typical Harendellian lady, but Ahnna refused to disregard the views of Lara and Keris, which suggested the queen was very much a threat.

A threat, it would seem, who had to be working behind the scenes in such a manner that she was never implicated in anything but good works. Which meant she was dangerous. And very, very clever.

Looking at the dregs of her tea, the black leaves floating in the golden liquid, Ahnna ran through her conversation with the queen for the hundredth time, hunting for a clue she’d missed. For understanding of what Alexandra had hoped to achieve with the strange conversation. At no point had she told Ahnna to leave. Indeed, she had indicated her desire for Ahnna to do the exact opposite.

Do better.

“What the fuck did she mean?” Setting the cup aside on the table, Ahnna fought the urge to scream in frustration.

Beyond her own personal safety, did Alexandra even matter? Her concern was the other market that James had alluded to. Thefriend of Harendellthat William had mentioned. If there was a competitor to the bridge, she needed to find outwhoin order to mitigate it, because Ithicana would crumble if Harendell didn’t use the bridge for trade.

Bronwyn’s voice filled her head:Quit trying to do everything the opposite way of Lara.But how was spying an option? Her cursed bodyguards were right outside her door. They wenteverywherewith her and would surely take issue with her digging through the king and queen’s records. There was no way to sneak out through the window, for the walls of the Sky Palace were absolutely sheer, the windows latched in place, and the endlessservants dusting every surface would notice if she left a window cracked.

“How do you find an ally?” She looked down at Verwyrd a thousand feet below. Then she tilted her head, thinking about the nature of Harendell. “How do you find a business partner?”

Her head shot up so fast, her neck cracked. “You follow the money.”

Going to the door, she flung it open and said to Alfred, “I need to pay a visit to Verwyrd’s lending house.”

—

Verwyrd’s lending house was, afterthe cathedral, the largest building in the city. A solid stone structure that she suspected was built with the same strength as a fortress, for the banks of Harendell had tremendous vaults storing both institutional wealth and the deposits of those who used their services. While Ithicana had no banking system, Ahnna was quite familiar with how Harendell’s functioned. The bank representatives conducted a great deal of business at Northwatch, and they often traveled through the bridge. So she knew that not only did the crown maintain much of its reserves in bank vaults, but it also borrowed a tremendous amount of money from them to finance initiatives.

And shipbuilding required a lot of money.

Dressed in a simple gown Hazel had made for her, Ahnna entered the building, which was even more richly appointed than the Sky Palace itself. She was instantly recognized, and a round man dressed in an impeccably tailored morning suit approached, bowing low. “Your Highness. It is our pleasure to have you in our institution, though you need not have made the journey down from the Sky Palace. If you wish to draw upon the account Ithicana created for you, a note with your signature is all that is required.”

“I require a loan,” she said. “For new dresses.”

“Your accounts will surely cover anything you require,” the banker said. “Do you wish us to transfer to a specific modiste?”

“My brother has said no more dresses,” she lied. “I require a loan.”

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