“Because an alliance between the Northern Islands and Arden will dilute the effect of the project Rogan and I have been working on for three years. And because the loss of your father as High Wizard makes us more vulnerable to magical attack than before. Lord Bayar has stepped in, but—”
“Bayar is High Wizard? Really?” Micah Bayar and his father had been rivals, if not outright enemies, for years. Whether intended or not, the grudge had been passed along to Ash.
“You really need to get out more, sul’Han,” Lila said, looking amused.
Ash had been in a bad mood since the meeting with Montaigne, and being blindsided like this didn’t improve things.
“So stop it. Kill the king. Kill the emissary. Launch an invasion of the Northern Islands. There are so many options.”
“The thing is, I need your help.”
What could a spoiled, entitled, runaway princeling possibly do for you? Ash thought it, but he didn’t say it out loud, because then he would sound like one.
“What kind of help?”
“You’re not going to like it,” Lila said, shifting her eyes away.
“That doesn’t surprise me. Go on.”
“The simplest way to prevent the deal from going forward is to eliminate the girl.”
“As in kill the girl.”
“Yes.” Lila had the grace to look sheepish.
“And you want me to do it.”
“You still have access to her, right? You’re likely the only person who could do it and get away with it.” She leaned forward, speaking fast and persuasively. “Look at it this way, healer. If not for you, she’d be dead. So, in a way, you’re just undoing what you did.”
“Breaking what I fixed.”
“Exactly,” Lila said, looking proud that she’d come up with that.
“You can find a way to justify anything, can’t you?”
“Look, it’s the only way to kill the deal without giving everything away.”
“Without giving your scheme away, you mean.”
“Well, yes,” Lila said. “Plus, we survive. It’s all good.”
“For everyone but Jenna.”
“Do you think it’s better to send her off to the Northern Islands? Have you heard the expression ‘fate worse than death’?”
“You need to get out of the habit of thinking of me as stupid,” Ash said. “I’m not going to help you kill Jenna, and it’s not because I’m naive.”
“If I went to her, and I told her what the stakes are, what do you think she would say?”
That was when Lila crossed the line.
In a heartbeat, Ash had her pinned up against the wall. She tried some cagey moves, but got nowhere. “You will not go near her, do you understand?”
Lila stared at him, an incredulous look on her face. “Blood and bones. How could I of missed that? You’re not stupid, you’re in love!”
“Just because I won’t sign on to whatever plan you come up with doesn’t mean I—”
“I can’t believe it!” Lila crowed. “He has a heart after all.”
“You’re not improving your chances of winning me over,” Ash said. “Just so you know. If you want my help, you’re going to have to come up with a different plan.”
37
A PLEDGE AND A PROMISE
When Ash arrived at the tower room that night, the posted guard had been doubled. Whether because of Jenna’s demonstrated market value or mistrust of the pirates, it was getting more and more difficult to get in to see her. Just another sign that time was running out.
When he finally gained entry, she was sitting, looking out the window, a book lying forgotten in her lap. She’d changed out of the dress she’d worn to the interview with Strangward and into the one she’d worn the day before. She’d pulled her hair free, too, and it hung softly around her shoulders.
When she turned and saw him, she launched out of the chair, the book thunking onto the floor. They came together like two magnets slamming home. Ash could feel Jenna’s wildly beating heart through his velvet and her silk. It was like kisses were oxygen and they’d been drowning.
Or they were about to drown.
Finally, she broke away and held him out at arm’s length so she could look him over. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing to the bottle he carried.
“It’s wine,” he said. “To celebrate some good news.” He set the wine jar and two cups down on the table next to her chair.
“So,” she said, “what’s the news? Wait, don’t tell me—the king is dead.”
There was something in her voice that caught his attention—some private knowledge or intuition. He hadn’t told her about his attempts to poison Montaigne. He didn’t want to get her hopes up, and she’d told him not to make promises, after all.
He studied her a moment, then said, “Not yet. We’re celebrating for two reasons—first, Arden and Carthis were unable to come to terms. Montaigne is demanding his army before he hands you over. That buys us a little time.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Jenna said, pouring them each some wine.
“It might just be a temporary setback,” Ash warned.
“Remember my rule? Savor the moment.” She raised her glass and they toasted.
“Secondly, have you heard that Delphi has fallen?”
Jenna was swallowing down some wine, and she all but choked on it. “F-fallen? To who?”