The journey back to the castle was a quiet one, save for the low rumble of wheels over dirt. Lost in thought, Laira again failed to notice how much smoother Jack’s carriage rode.

  The thunder of his weapon still echoed in her mind.

  She had to possess it, one way or another Not having it was out of the question.

  She was mortified to find out she had been absentmindedly drumming her fingers on the windowsill. She looked at Jack, who didn’t have his usual cocky smile plastered on his face.

  “Do you have many such weapons in Chadom, Supreme Leader?” she asked him, trying not to let any nervousness show through her voice.

  “Yes,” he replied in a calm voice.

  That one word said a lot more: We might be small, but we are not weak. Forcing the secrets out of me would be a mistake.

  She wasn’t inclined toward that path anyway. Jack was much more than a source of powerful weaponry. His ideas were even more world-shattering, but his appetite for change was dangerously unrestrained. She would have to subtly control his enthusiasm.

  Once back in the castle, she let him help her disembark. The feel of his large hand enveloping her much smaller, delicate one reminded her of last night’s fantasies. She quickly pushed those thoughts away and withdrew her hand quickly.

  “That demonstration was more stirring than I could have imagined, Your Excellency,” she said, bowing deeper than protocol demanded. “Allow me some time to reflect and prepare for our shared future. Until then, enjoy our hospitality.”

  He nodded, said nothing more and departed with his silent men. She studied their retreating figures. They moved with the discipline of trained soldiers but lacked the grounding of noble lineage. Heralds of a frightening future.

  She turned to her entourage of Royal Guards. The polished armor of the eight knights glinted in the sunlight like a mirror. Their capes, cream with a blue border, fluttered in the morning breeze. They looked like heroic figures. They might as well be children with sticks in front of the new weapon.

  Some seemed to realize it, eyes glazed, while others were still oblivious to the momentous event they had been a part of.

  “Breathe not a word of what you saw,” Laira ordered in an imperious tone.

  They bowed as one.

  As she entered the council chamber, Oberstein, Reshma and Ragenwald stood up to receive her.

  Their eyes widened as they noticed her expression. She must still look shocked.

  “Well?” Reshma asked softly.

  Laira dumped her body on a chair.

  “He showed me a lot more than the weapons you saw in Nobart. Something a lot more powerful. Master Procurer, what do we know of the rumors regarding Zoran’s power that can tear down castles?”

  He looked at her quizzically, yet answered all the same. “Nothing concrete, I’m afraid. All those rumors come from the mouths of scared refugees. I wouldn’t put much trust in them.”

  “I would. I just saw a weapon in action that could tear down a castle wall in hours.”

  She looked each of them in the eyes. “Don’t repeat those words to anyone.”

  They nodded, yet their faces remained skeptical.

  “So you’ve decided to marry him?” Reshma asked quietly.

  “More or less.”

  “Your Majesty!” Ragenwald protested. “Please spend some time before making a decision of such import. Perhaps wait for your uncle-”

  Laira cut him off with a glare. “If you had witnessed what I did, you would be urging me to beg for an alliance.”

  The old Prime Minister meant well, but he clearly still saw her as a young girl.

  “You need not marry him for that,” he said gently.

  “Yes, I do,” she said with heat in her voice, that surprised even her. “I do.”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  She canceled her obligations for the day. Her mind was too storm-tossed for diplomacy or petitions.

  Laira spent the day wandering the private solar, drifting between the balcony and the tapestry-lined walls. Nanon was a pit of serpents, where every smile was a veiled threat and most allies a temporary convenience.

  She had wealth, but was destitute when it came to people she could trust.

  She wanted to trust Jack.

  He was smart, and his vision would help everyone, from the poorest to the richest Nanoan, but that intellect could be hiding other motives as well.

  She stilled the slight trembling of her fingers as she sipped her tea. How does one judge the honesty of a man with the power to unmake kingdoms?

  Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Reshma, who slipped into the room with the fluid grace of someone who belonged anywhere she walked. Laira’s gaze softened.

  “Reshma?” she asked.

  “Hmm?”

  “Do men truly hold no charm for you?”

  She raised a well-defined brow. “In what way? Oh, that way?”

  Laira nodded.

  “I’m not repulsed by the thought of being with a man,” she said, as she sat beside Laira. “I simply find them graceless. Most are too crude to be attractive.”

  “Most, but not all?”

  Reshma’s lips quirked. “Remember the envoy of Mahada a few years back?”

  Laira shook her head.

  “You were visiting your mother’s family. That man was so achingly beautiful and suave that his mere presence made me feel like I was about to die from a throbbing heart. I made sure to stay as far away from him as possible.”

  “Why?”

  “I didn’t want to be swept up by his charm. Curiously, two young ladies of reputable houses and a rather fetching maid gave birth to babies with dusky skin nine months later. It was quite a scandal.”

  “I remember. So, why did you offer to share a coach with Jack?”

  Reshma stiffened. “I was just teasing him. Just wanted to figure him out.”

  “And now?”

  “You have the man’s measure as much as me, Liru. He will make a good husband for you. Smart, capable, strong and easy on the eyes. Did you tell him about us?”

  “No. I was too stunned by my world turning upside down.”

  “Was it really that amazing?”

  “It’s best kept secret until we have it firmly in our grasp. So, do you like Jack or not?” She rooted Reshma on the spot with a glare.

  The taller woman hesitated before stating, “Yes.” Then her eyes widened. “I forgot to tell you! He has a lover back in Chadom.”

  “Oh,” Laira said, as she was again hit by a maelstrom of feelings. Jealousy that was both spicy and sweet. What is wrong with me?

  “That simplifies matters for us,” she murmured, masking her turmoil with regal ease. “If he wants to keep her, I get to keep you.”

  Reshma smiled, touched. “And you’re sure it won’t bother you? His keeping another woman?”

  “Not as long as it doesn’t interfere with our marriage and succession.”

  Laira didn’t say out loud that she would very much like him to have another woman. Her eyes widened as the thought revealed itself. Is that what I truly want?

  ---

  The stench hit me like a truck: a pungent mix of brine, rot, alcohol and god-knows-what.

  I trudged through the narrow alleys of the harbor district, surrounded by buildings that looked like piles of rubble. Rickety wooden boards rocked under my feet as fishermen and drunk sailors threw suspicious glances my way.

  I tried to exhale the irritation away. Apparently, stealth was not my forte. I hoped my men, shadowing me at a distance, were faring better.

  Soon, I reached a pub, upmarket by the standards of the location, which meant the inside wasn’t as grimy as the outside. I scanned the dimly lit indoor, and my eyes fell on one of my soldiers, Ethan, who was sitting at a corner table opposite a lanky man. His clothes were deep blue, a color too expensive for the district.

  Ethan gestured me over and I sat down on the empty chair.

  “This is captain Horth, Sire.” Ethan introduced the man.

  I gave him a nod. “Captain. Would you be ready to sail at a moment’s notice?”

  “I would, milord, if I have the right incentive.”

  “You will have it.” I brought out a small purse and placed it on the table. The silver coins clinked. “Consider this your reservation fee. Be ready to sail at all times. No other passengers or cargo.”

  His eyes widened at the thud of the heavy purse. Trying his best to not appear hasty, he grabbed it and looked inside.

  Satisfied, he nodded his agreement and looked me in the eyes.

  “The Erenna is yours to command for a week.”

  I hid my surprise. That was the name of Jack’s mother. An omen?

  “Good. Don’t speak a word of it to anyone. If they make inquiries, lie and inform me. I’ll pay double.”

  He smiled lecherously at that. I stifled a groan. He was going to make up some “inquiries.”

  Annoying, but thankfully predictable. There was no price so high I wasn’t willing to pay for our safety.

  On our way back to the castle, Theo whispered. “I don’t like this cloak-and-dagger business, Sire.”

  “And yet, it’s important. The Queen instantly understood the implications of our new weapons. That understanding can lead her to make a sensible decision of allying with us, or make a stupid one of ripping the secrets out of me. I trust she will make the right one, but only fools don’t prepare for the worst case.”

  The carriage rumbled as it approached the castle. Imposing, but not as impregnable as it looked.

  I had made a big gamble of showing it’s mistress our trump card.

  Her decision would lead to either a prosperous future for us all or our undoing.

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