Page 41 of Realm of Thieves

“Your parents must have taken it,” Steiner ventures. “Your immunity can’t be genetic.”

“My parents?” I almost laugh. They really don’t know what it’s like to be an Eslander, do they? “They never took it. They never even had the option. Is it really as widespread as you make it seem to be? Does every Norlander take it?”

“No,” says Andor firmly. “It’s reserved for the royals, for the houses, and for the armies. Those are the only people we will sell the suen to. Some people are able to buy it on the black market—a market even more discreet than the one we deal with—but it’s very expensive and most commoners can’t afford it. Besides, the king has declared it illegal, and people are thoroughly punished when they’re caught taking it. That doesn’t just go for Norland, but also in Altus Dugrell and Vesland.”

“How are they punished?” I ask, thinking of how Eslanders deal with everything—by sentencing people to either death or the Daughters of Silence.

“Their punishment is joining the army,” Steiner says. “Men, women, anyone. The king won’t waste a drop of the power. The person will have to use it to fight for Norland.”

“My father has often floated the idea of selling some of the excess suen, if there ever were any, to other markets,” Andor remarks, “but the king would shut us all down and find another house to supply them.”

“Probably House Vilette,” Steiner says. “Theyhateus.”

“And luckily the royal family isn’t fond of them either,” Andor points out. “But they will pivot if we deviate. We sell only to the king and that’s it. He can’t afford to have his population gain magic and powers, the very things they could use to rebel against him and the army. There could easily be an uprising.”

He’s making a good point, though I think it would be better if every commoner did have the power to rise up and fight. “Is the king not doing a good job?”

“He’s never done a great job,” Andor says, sitting on the corner of Steiner’s desk. “But kings don’t need to do a great job, do they? It’s not as if the people have a choice.”

“But they could have a choice if suen was dispersed throughout the population,” I muse, tapping my fingers along my chin.

“Aha,” Andor says with a smile. “I see the daughter of rebels has emerged. I would be inclined to agree with you too, if it were any other time in history.”

“What’s so important about this time in history?” I ask.

The two brothers exchange a look that saysWhere do I start?

Andor sighs as he looks at me, as if he’s forced to play the role of tutor. “There’s a lot of history to cover first. First, let’s go make sure you and Lemi have some breakfast.” He looks to Steiner. “Since Brynla is obviously immune to the suen, we need to give her as much advantage as we can—better armor, better weapons, whatever little devices you can create.”

Andor motions for me to follow him to the door. I finish the rest of my coffee and walk across the room, Lemi trailing behind. Andor opens the door and pauses, looking at me with a torn expression before he glances back at Steiner.

“Oh, I need you to send Moon on another mission,” Andor says to his brother. “I need the raven to visit Brynla’s aunt Ellestra Doon in the Dark City. Tell her that Brynla is safe and will be coming to take her out of the Banished Land and that she should be prepared to leave in a month.”

A whole moon cycle?

How on earth will I wait that long?

Chapter 13

Andor

“She certainly knows how tofight,” Solla remarks as she leans against the stone table beside me, watching as Steiner and Brynla battle it out with wooden swords in the middle of the courtyard. It’s morning, a clear crisp day, the sun just starting to dry the overnight rain from the foliage, and Brynla’s daily training session is nearly halfway through.

“She certainly does,” I say. My eyes are locked on Brynla’s form, not just the fluidity of her movements, the way she seems to anticipate Steiner’s next move, but on her actual body. The leather armor that Steiner engineered and had our seamstress create, crafted from none other than dragonscale, hugs every supple curve, from her firm ass to her breasts, even the soft roundness of her stomach. I shouldn’t be watching her in this way—I should be paying attention to her strikes and her footwork and figuring out what she needs to work on—but I can’t help it.

“Though she is fighting against Steiner,” I add as Brynla knocks Steiner’s sword from his hand. “Even you would win against Steiner.”

“Hey,” Solla says in annoyance, and then wipes her hands—caked with dirt from her garden—on my sleeve.

I flick the dirt off. “Using your mind powers doesn’t count. You can’t use telekinesis on a dragon.”

“How do you know?” she asks smartly. “Have you ever tried?”

“No. And you’ll never get to try either.”

“What if I want to become an egg thief too?”

I give my sister a dry look. “I wouldn’t allow it. Your place is here, at Stormglen. Someone has to be the lady of the house and Margarelle isn’t going to be around forever.”

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