“How do you know of that?” Skar growls.
“Alacine Mortis may have been the Spymistress, but she couldn’t keep her secrets to save her life. Before her untimely demise, I began to recognize what she was after. That, and your friend Vallan Stellos, who laid it bare in the Ministers meeting that got his master Barnabac Craxon killed. The poor dumb brute.”
“Vallan or Barnabac?” I quip, apropos of nothing.
Liolen simply smiles at me and doesn’t answer.
“We can fight our way through here,” Skar says, eyeing the half-dozen guards. “Probably.”
The overliege sighs, resting back laxly against their table with their arms stretched behind them. “What a bore. And accomplish what, with your daring escape?”
“Accomplish not getting forced to fucking barter with you, Sesk.”
Liolen rolls their eyes. “Tell me Sephania Lock would not agree to this deal, were she here. Truthfully.”
Skar grinds his teeth. I grind mine.
Palacia says, “She would.” All eyes fall on her—literally, because we all have to look down at the diminutive vampirex. She adds, “I am not tethered to unreality with Sephania like you two are, being her mates. I know she would make this trade to better your cause, Lord Ashfen.”
Skartovius opens his mouth to debate—
“Which is her right,” Palacia interjects before he can say a word. “And her duty.” Turning with a sigh, she faces the lounging form of Liolen Sesk. “I have a proposition, Overliege, to avoid unneeded bloodshed.”
“Do you, dear?” Liolen tilts their head hungrily. “Let’s hear it.”
“Take me in Sephania’s stead, as proof of our good will. Until she returns.”
I blink.
Skar growls, taking a step forward and turning his hands into fists. “What?!Thatwill incense Sephania more than the Loreblood drinking!”
Palacia gives us an empty smile. “I know. Which is how you guarantee she’ll come back. You know she will, Lord Ashfen, because she cares about me.”
Everything she said is said without emotion, flat, like she doesn’t care one way or another. But my brother is right: Sephania willnotlike this.
Liolen claps their hands, drawing everyone’s attention. “I love an enterprising beauty like yourself, dear Palacia. We have a deal!” They circle her like a shark, robes fluttering on the floor around them. “Oh, we’ll have such a time together.”
My jaw clenches.
The overliege’s face whips up to me and Skar. “Return here with the Loreblood and you will have the girl back unharmed, as well as access to the North Mines.”
Skar’s eyes never leave the small interfolk standing up to Liolen’s narrow chest. “Rethink this, Palacia.”
“It’s done, my lord,” she replies. “You heard the overliege.”
“Foolish girl!”
Palacia smiles. It doesn’t reach her eyes. “At least you got that right, sire.”
Chapter 14
Garroway
I wince when Sephania kicks in the door like a banshee screaming over a tombstone. With a sigh, I quip, “I thought we were trying to keep a low profile,” but no one hears me.
The small hovel is relatively sparse—cot, small table, a couple chairs, a rack of spices and herbs I assume Kep uses to concoct his drinks next door.
Hearing voices behind us outside, Vallan grumbles, “I’ll keep watch at the door.”