Page 57 of Suffer No Fools
Elder Beatrice sucked in a breath at that, as though he'd said too much to the outsiders.
"It's a known fact," he said. "I can only sign a trade deal from the main Hearthstone region. Elder Beatrice can work with you on a deal with Aquarion. Beyond that, you'll need to make separate connections."
Most of his negotiations ended with him rubbing sweaty palms on his thighs and drinking another glass of water to stave off the heartburn clawing at his throat.
"You did well," Elder Beatrice said when they were alone.
"For a novice," he said between gulps of water.
"They were impressed with your honesty. It's a brash move, to tell them so openly that you may have less than half of your current empire when the war is over."
"What's the point of governing people who would rather be free?" Hugo asked. "My dad was a benevolent ruler, but he still killed hundreds of people to take over the northern islands."
"Vadim killed hundreds, you mean." Elder Beatrice stood and started pacing behind him.
"Coryn killed them in my father's name. She siphoned Vadim's power and drained Melham Island, and then she burned it to the ground, unconscious people and all."
Elder Beatrice stopped pacing. "He told you that?"
Hugo snorted. "Coryn told me that to keep me in line. My cousin was the fire weaver whose power she used. He'd pretended it never happened, but then Coryn called him to the palace to be one of my stand-ins when I'd disobeyed her. The proximity ate away at him until she found him dead in his bathtub. She blamed me for that, too. She blamed me for everything."
At least now, she had a reason to hate him. He would keep giving her reasons until they finally met face to face.
"Are you ready for a happier conversation?" Elder Beatrice asked. "Stan and Tovey are in the caves adjacent, going through the gifts you've received so far."
"Gifts?"
"It's almost Solstice. Every ship that's arrived from Glamiere has had at least one trunk of goods for you."
"That's strange," he said. "I've never gotten presents from foreign countries before."
"You have, I'm sure," she countered. "Coryn probably kept them for herself." She held out her arm for him to take it. "Come. Have you found presents for your friends yet? You might find some items you wish to bestow upon them. Shopping is a little more difficult here than it was in Hearthstone, after all. I'm sure your pirate friends wouldn't mind if you re-gifted some items."
Hugo walked through the large doorway into a tunnel wide enough for them to walk arm-in-arm without brushing either side. The ceiling was as high as the banquet room, giving the cave the feel of a palace hallway instead of an underground cavern.
"I've never seen so much silver in one place," Stan said. "No wonder Vadim gave up counting it after one chest."
"He can count the gold," Tovey said. "I think it's making me sick."
"Did you find any iron shackles?" Klaus asked. "You might want to use them for ... oh, hi, Hugo!"
"We will not be using iron shackles on Hugo," Tovey muttered. The air weaver had been so focused on Klaus's first statement, he'd missed the introductions, by the bright red glow of his cheeks and his overly cheery greeting. "Hi Hugo! Look what the Glamierians sent you."
"Silver is an effective aphrodisiac for death weavers because it limits the amount of feedback they receive fromoutside sources," Stan said. "The other elements don't have the same effect. I think the gold is making me sick, too."
"I don't even want to know how you know that about silver," Klaus mumbled. "Is he always the fun killer?" he asked Hugo.
"No." Hugo couldn't hide his smile as he gazed at Stan. "He's our anchor."
"Sounds like the fun killer to me," Klaus said.
"Not when you're soaring." Hugo turned to Tovey and greeted him with a kiss. He melted against Tovey, losing track of everything around them. When he came up for air, Stan twirled him around and kissed him, too, a gentle brush of lips after Tovey's all-encompassing wildfire.
"I told you Hugo didn't need all these gifts," Klaus exclaimed behind them. "He's got everything he needs right there."
"Don't sound so envious," Vadim said. "Did I hear something about silver being an aphrodisiac?"
"That's our cue to leave," Klaus said. He placed his hand in the crook of Vadim's offered elbow, and they sauntered to the door before turning back to wave. Hugo returned the wave over Tovey's shoulder.
