Page 23 of Realm of Thieves

I wince. “I’m sorry, I forgot my manners.”

“When don’t you?” Solla mutters under her breath.

“Solla,” I say, “this is Brynla and her hound, Lemi. Brynla, this is my one and only sister, Solla. She’s the sweet one in the family, don’t worry.”

“And you want the sweet Kolbeck in charge of the prisoner?” Brynla asks, raising a brow at me.

“I can bite if I need to,” Solla says, completely deadpan. I’m not worried about my sister. Even if Brynla tries something, she won’t get far. Kjell will have put the guards on high alert already. Besides, Solla knows how to take care of herself when she needs to. Her gifts are impressive.

“You certainly can,” I say. Then I sniff the air because I know it will get a rise out of Brynla. “And draw her a bath and fetch her some new clothes. She needs it.”

Brynla glares at me but then self-consciously sniffs her shoulder. Honestly we all smell the same after being on the ship, just an overall sense of fish, brine, and oil.

I let go of Brynla’s arm and Solla beckons for her to follow her down the hall to the east stairs. Brynla and Lemi reluctantly trail along, with Brynla glancing at me over her shoulder with a wary look.

I give her a reassuring smile that I’m sure she doesn’t find reassuring at all, considering how the scowl on her face deepens, and then I quickly duck down the wing to my father’s study and knock on the door.

“Come in.” I hear his gruff voice through the door.

I open it and step inside.

My father is sitting at his desk, leaning back in his chair with one leg crossed, holding a glass of amber liquid. From the way the leather chair across from him has been pushed back and the telltale ring of condensation on his walnut desk, I know Kjell must have been with him right before he came out to the yard.

“One of the guards spotted your carriage coming up the road,” my father says. “I was surprised it was you. You never come back from your voyages early. I take it you had a fruitful mission this time? Or am I just getting my hopes up?”

“Very fruitful,” I say, sitting down in the chair. “In fact, I brought back more than you bargained for.”

He gives me a tepid look, a gray brow arched. “Is that so?”

“I have suen from an elderdrage, as well as from a blooddrage,” I say, leaning back in my chair, my left foot bouncing. “And I have a thief.”

He frowns as he takes a sip from the glass. “What do you mean, you have a thief?”

“She’s upstairs. Solla has her.”

My father pauses, then slowly puts the drink down. “Andor,” he says sharply. “Stop wasting my time like you always do and come out with it. What do you mean Solla has her?”

“Look,” I say, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees, needing my father to take me seriously for once. “You know I’ve been working on a way to secure our position in the egg trade.”

“You have been doing no such thing. It’s Kjell that’s been putting in the legwork.”

I try to bury my frustration. “And where has it gotten us? Nowhere. We haven’t advanced at all. The Dalgaards still control the trade.”

“They only control the south,” he counters dismissively.

“They’re moving into Vesland, you know that’s their plan. To control their trade and then take over the entire realm.”

“And you know that we have fail-safes to prevent that from happening. The same fail-safes that will prevent another war with Altus Dugrell.” He narrows his eyes. “Or have you forgotten your duties?”

I ignore that. “But the more suen that those Dalgaards obtain, the closer the kingdom of Sorland will get to building an invincible army,” I try to explain. “Can’t you see that’s their end goal?”

“We all know that’s their end goal,” he says, eyeing me with disdain as he takes another sip of his drink. “But that’s a goal they are decades off from achieving. You know what Sae Balek has shown me. I have seen the future. I know what the goddesses have planned for us. We continue what we’re doing, which is working for the king while keeping our own interests. You, Vidar, Steiner, Solla—you’ll all do what you must to keep our fingers in every pie possible. The rest will fall into place.”

“You’re not being proactive enough.”

My father slams down the glass, hard enough that it nearly breaks. “Not proactive enough?” he bellows. “I’m sorry we can’t all be as reckless, impulsive, and foolish as you, Andor Kolbeck. What has your so-called proactiveness gotten us over the years?” He gets to his feet and my heart starts to beat wildly. “Let’s see.” He ticks off a finger with dramatic flair as he comes around the desk. “You stole my ship on a last-minute journey to the White Islands…”

“Borrowed, actually. I was going to bring it right back.”

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