Page 17 of A Vow of Embers

So instead I was going to use it to my advantage.

“You will keep the terms of your original agreement with my father. When you send the bride price, you need to send food, animals and their feed, cloth, rope, tools, things that are useful instead of money.”

I half expected him to disagree out of spite, but he nodded sharply. “Agreed.”

“And once our situation is over, my parents get to keep the bride price.” Another thing Io had warned me about—that when marriages were ended, it was customary for the father-in-law to return the entire amount to the husband.

“But I’ll no longer have a bride.”

“Hire a new one,” I retorted. “You can afford it.” It was how I rationalized this situation—I had decided that he wasn’t purchasing me. He was hiring me, and that bride price would be my wages.

“Next?” The word sounded clipped, as if he were on the edge of losing his temper.

“I want access to your mother’s private library.”

His eyes flashed with an anger so intense I was surprised I didn’t instantly melt under the heat of it. If he refused, I wouldn’t mind. Io’s reasoning had been that her mother collected ancient books as a hobby and she thought it might be helpful to me in my search. I didn’t care about it much one way or the other.

“Io’s idea?” he finally managed to say, and I simply nodded.

It took him a good minute or so to get himself under control enough to say, “Agreed.”

The fact that he was going along with everything I wanted made me feel a bit euphoric. This was going so much better than I had anticipated. Io had assured me he would be reasonable but I supposed we were edging closer to finding out whether that was true.

“When you send me back to the temple, you will guarantee safe passage for Quynh to Locris.” My hope was that I would be on theboat with her, bringing the eye of the goddess back to my home to restore it.

“If she chooses to leave, I will be happy to put her on a boat.”

If she chose to leave? What was that supposed to mean? I hated the secretive smile on his face, as if he knew something that I did not.

Not the time or place,I reminded myself. “And she will be kept safe the entire time I am in the palace.”

“Then I’m going to have to require the same thing from you. You may not harm, maim, attack, or kill anyone under my protection.” At the noise I made, he went on, “I’ve seen the way you look at Thrax.”

I supposed I hadn’t been trying very hard to disguise my murderous intent.

“Should we also add something in about you not being allowed to slit my throat while I sleep?” he asked in a sickly-sweet tone.

“I would never do something so cowardly,” I snapped back. “When I kill you, you are going to know it’s happening.”

This seemed to amuse him. “Regardless, ‘people under our protection’ also includes ourselves.”

“Fine,” I said. “You will also help me end the betrothal between Lykaon and Kallisto. I will need a new suitor for her and you will keep Lykaon and his father in line. If they require monetary compensation for the contract being broken, you will pay it.”

He frowned. “Would you also like me to fetch the sun and put it on a chain so that you can wear it around your neck?”

“That won’t be necessary,” I said pleasantly. “But I will not allow that monster to marry my sister.”

“I think you overestimate my reach and power.” It sounded as if it had cost him something to say that.

“If you’re king, you can put a stop to it.”

“All right. A new husband for your sister and me preventing a civil war when I break off the current betrothal. What else?” he asked, suddenly sounding weary.

“One more thing. You will end the blockade and tariff on Locris.” It was the entire reason my parents had created a betrothal with Prince Alexandros in the first place. They intended for one of their daughters to find a way to end the taxes that were choking the life from us.

He let out a short laugh of disbelief. “You really do expect me to give you the world, don’t you?”

“You’re getting the throne of the most prosperous nation in the world. I’m only asking to keep my small portion of it.”

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