Page 18 of The King of Koraha
Shyla sipped the yellow-colored brew. It had a touch of citrus and chamomile. The warmth from the liquid spread from her stomach in a soothing wave.
“Najib is a master at blending teas. He has a tea for every one of my moods.” The King smiled at his advisor with affection.
“The King is too kind.” Najib bowed and resumed his seat. “I believe now is a good time to answer Shyla’s question about how you’d like to use her.”
“Now you know some of the problems I’m dealing with, I would like to hire your services to recover our stolen coins, if possible. I know it might be too late.”
Shyla wasn’t surprised by the request. Yet it wasn’t phrased quite the way she expected. “Hire?”
“In this case we can only offer you a finder’s fee, which would be a percentage of the coins you recover. I can also offer you a place to stay as well as food and water while you’re searching.”
“What about Rendor?”
“Who’s Rendor?”
“Her companion, sire. Captain Rendor or…perhaps he isn’t the captain anymore?”
“He’s the captain of the Invisible Sword.”
“Ah, you recruited him. Well done. Do you trust him?”
“Of course she trusts him, Najib! She wields the power of The Eyes.”
“Ah, yes. Handy that.”
“What about Rendor?” she asked again.
“Will he be a part of the investigation?” the King asked.
“He’d probably insist on it.”
“Then he’ll get the same accommodations as you and you can split the finder’s fee.”
And now for the scary question. “What happens if I say no?”
“Then you say no.” All the energy seemed to drain from the King, his exhaustion now clear in the lines of his handsome face. “We’ll continue on as best we can.”
“Why ask at all? You could order me to obey.”
“I could.” He leaned forward. “And if I did, you’d be resentful, you’d make a token effort to investigate, and you’d claim the coins were gone for good before leaving as quickly as possible.”
“I—”
“You’re the leader of the Invisible Sword, Shyla, and a powerful magic wielder. If I treated you like an underling, ordering you about, I’d ruin any chance for us to be allies.”
She considered his explanation. He had a point, although he didn’t know she had no desire to be an ally. That implied a great deal of responsibility and she already had enough on her shoulders.
The King studied her. “If you decline, I will require you to promise to keep what you’ve learned a secret.”
“You’d trust me?”
“To a certain extent. That’s why I require a promise. You know the power of a promise. If you break it, I’ll know.”
“How?”
“Water. You are a creature of water. Everyone is, and I can sense it and manipulate it. Water flows throughout Koraha. It’s all connected to me.”
That was rather fascinating. Shyla would love to learn more about the King’s magic. But now wasn’t the time to ask those questions.
