Page 28 of The Poison of the Earth
“Come in,” I holler, as I left it unlocked.
Lilac heads up my stairs. And, because the Gods hate me, Kai follows her.Fuck.
I try to school my face, but Kai generally knows my emotions before I do. I sit up with a groan as Lilac tosses herself into a chair and Kai takes the other couch.
“What did you learn?”
Lilac smirks. “Hello to you too, Lonan.”
I roll my eyes.
She continues, “I used the kitchen as the maid suggested. I learned a few things.”
I make a go on motion with one hand as I rub my head with the other.
“First off, there is a new Ordained at RedWater. But the old one, Rafe, is still there; he hasn’t returned to the Monastary Isles.”
“Odd,” Kai remarks.
“RedWater intends to attack Squall’s End right before the first hard frost.”
“Fuck,” Kai and I swear at the same time.
“We’ll send a messenger to Favorsham; see if we can get some more troops dug into Squall’s End. I’ll make sure the contingent at Centerhedge is ready to step in.” I frown.
Kai shakes his head. “We need more air Fae or a location closer to Squall’s End, if we’re going to do anything meaningful.”
I nod, “We need Guivre.”
They both nod.
I sigh, “I didn’t expect an attack on a town Alder relies on. Shit, Squall’s End is his nearest neighbor of any size. Do we own any of the council members there?” I ask, trying to remember.
“Three.”
“Write them,” I direct Kai. “And kill two of the other members and get our people in their place.” I look back to Lilac. “Anything else?”
She smirks. “Yes. Larkstead is flirting with them.”
“Fuck,” Kai curses angrily. “Damn them and their forty-three children.”
Lilac laughs, “Six. They have six sons.” She sobers. “One of you needs to marry one of them. I know, I know,” she raises her hands at Kai’s noise of outrage, “Just think on it.”
I chuckle, “Less enthused about a marriage when it’s your ass on the line, hm, Kai?”
He glares at us both, silent.
Lilac tilts her body towards mine. “Your turn to be pissy. I found out something you’re not going to like. That maid? Allie? She was never a maid at RedWater.”
The accusation is loud in the now-silent room. It takes me a moment to process.
“Bullshit. Says who?”
“Everyone. From the cook, to the Mistress of the Maids, the head groom, all the other maids and I spoke to nine of them, by the way. No one matching her description has been in the castle in decades.”
I stand, fear boiling in my gut.
Kai stands too, his eyes hard. He looks at Lilac, “Take her to a cell.”
