Page 37 of The Poison of the Earth
Ollie opens her mouth but I cut it off, “Enough.” I look at Kai. “Tell me of the progress. And you can speak freely.” I give him, and Lilac, a bit of a glare so they know I’m not fucking around.
He huffs, “The assassinations at Squall’s End will be completed by sundown tomorrow. I’m sending Caspian and Tazi to interview replacements.”
“I’ll ride in Cas’s feathers,” Tazi preemptively says before I fuss over the temperature.
Lilac pipes up, “Centerhedge is ready. We have wings on the ground there and Squall’s End.”
I nod. “Good.” I turn to Ollie, “Alder is planning an attack on Squall’s End. We keep standing contingents around Faery, the closest of which to Squall’s End is Centerhedge.”
She blinks. “Why would he do that? He gets most of his supplies, and fresh soliders, there.” Another blink of her unique eyes. “Where are the other contingents?”
“Favorsham, Homestead Village, Knife’s Edge,” I answer, “And we have spies in every town of any size.”
I watch her consider this.
“So you do not have allies in Guivre or Larkstead? Or Monkswick?”
I shake my head, pleased with my Queen’s mind for strategy. “Not yet.”
She tilts her head and something crosses her mind but she remains silent.
I turn back to Lilac. “Any word from Korben?”
“No, but he should be back soon, or else he’ll be stuck there until spring thaw.”
“Where?” Ollie asks.
Lilac gives her a wilting look but answers, “Guivre.”
“Anything else?” I ask my Circle.
When they remain silent, I say, “Go. Lilac, go home to Rosetta. Caspian, check in with Thistle Grove’s mayor again, see if there is aught she needs. Tazi, go chat with the Daven sisters. See if you can recruit them as messengers. We need the wings. Not Bay, of course, she just had her faeling.”
They all nod and stand. I make a minute gesture to Kai. He stops, still standing, and he seems torn on who he’d rather glare at: me or Oleander.
When the door shuts behind them, I turn to Kai and Ollie.
“Sit,” I say to Kai, going to get more booze.We’re gonna need it.
He snorts. “I’m not in a taking orders mood, Lonan.”
I chuckle as I pour, my back to them. “Suit yourself, but I think you’re gonna want to be sitting.” I turn and bring the three shots over, before heading back to grab the ciders.
“Bottoms up,” I say once I put a cider in front of each of us, grabbing my shot, “Hopefully in more way than one...”
Ollie’s eyes narrow but she grabs her shot and downs it with nary a blink. Kai and I take ours and I collapse onto the couch.
I drop my head into my hands.It’ll be fine. They’re both mine, right?I feel Kai sit on the far end of the couch. I don’t think Kai is ready to hear that Ollie is my mate as well, however.Leave that particular shocking revelation for later.
“Kai,” I reach over, placing my hand on his knee. He jerks, but settles. We don’t show affection in public usually. “Oleander is a Stonesthrow, this is true. The sister of the King.” I can sense Ollie tense at my sharing of this but she stays silent. “She will take the throne when we kill him.”
“And why would she remain loyal to us if we put her on the throne? She owes us nothing; she has no years of loyalty to recommend her to us.”
Another deep breath. “She will, Kai. Trust me. She hates Alder as well. She will not betray us.” A loaded pause, “Especially if I marry her.”
I wait, but he says nothing.
I turn to Ollie, “And... Kai is my lover of many years.”
