Queen's Hunt (River of Souls 2)

“That is not long enough,” Valara said sharply.

Raul’s mouth curled into a smile. “It is more than enough. Agree, or I leave you to wander Veraene alone. Unless you think you can find another ally, Leos Dzavek or Markus Khandarr will eventually recapture you. The consequences you can picture.”

“Is that all?”

“No. We require a hostage in return. Once the ship reaches Morennioù, you will choose someone from your court. Ilse Zhalina must approve the choice, of course. That person will sail back with my ship and my crew. It is the only means I have,” he added, “of ensuring your cooperation.”

As expected, Valara Baussay argued every point. Each time, Raul Kosenmark repeated his willingness to set her free in Veraene to find her own way home. In the end, she conceded the time limit and the need for an exchange of hostages. More argument followed on the logistics for exchanging those hostages. Valara wanted Ilse to come ashore on Enzeloc first. Raul insisted the man or woman from Morennioù’s Court board the ship. They bickered over guards and weapons and how to ensure that one side did not gain undue advantage over the other. In the end, Valara agreed that Ilse might remain on the ship until her own candidate boarded. After all, she said, Morennioù’s navy could overtake them if his people reneged on Lord Kosenmark’s promises.

But the limit of one year she refused to allow.

“You want me to promise my kingdom’s neutrality,” she said.

It was an hour after they had set aside their plates and coffee mugs. An hour of wrangling and bickering. Of accusations wrapped in polite tones and oblique terms. Eventually, Valara agreed to a limit of three years. After that, depending on the state of her kingdom, she would release Ilse Zhalina to return home, but she would make no promise beyond that about her kingdom’s role. At Raul’s insistence, she pledged never to release Ilse to Lord Markus Khandarr.

The compromise was imperfect, but it would do.

Raul and Ilse retired to their tent, where Raul would write the detailed instructions to his secretary for securing a ship.

“Do you believe her?” Ilse asked, as she watched him unlock his portable desk and lay out his writing materials.

“No,” Raul said. “But she has conceded enough that I do not mind.”

He did mind, she thought, observing the tense line of his jaw, the overbrightness of his eyes. She minded, too, if you could use so mild a word, but she also noted that neither of them mentioned breaking the agreement, or proposing a different plan. They had little choice, if they wanted to prevent war between the three kingdoms.

Kingdom. Empire. Shatter. The next word link hovered just beyond her grasp.

She gave that over and watched as Raul wrote his orders to his secretary. “What are yo

ur plans, then? Your next plans?”

He answered without a pause in writing. “Gerek will find a ship. He thinks he cannot, but he will. He underestimates himself constantly. Once he does, he will send it to the Kranje Islands. We, however, will march in double time to the coast. There we will hire or steal a boat and sail to Hallau.”

The Kranje Islands were part of Károví, but isolated from the mainland by a storm-ridden strait. Hallau was the largest of the Jelyndak Islands, which lay a hundred miles south, off the coast of Veraene proper.

“You don’t trust him?” she asked. “Your secretary, I mean.”

“I trust him. I do not trust Markus Khandarr.”

He was remembering Dedrick’s death at Khandarr’s hands. She could tell by the way his gaze turned inward. Deception would not save Gerek if Khandarr questioned him and disliked his answers, but it might deceive the man long enough for Valara Baussay to escape home. Raul knew that, too.

Raul finished his letter, sealed it with wax and magic. He used a complicated spell that Ilse did not recognize. Then he wrote a second letter, which he sealed with ordinary magic. He summoned Katje and Theo, and handed them the two envelopes. “Give these into Gerek’s hands directly. No one else’s. He will have further orders for you both.”

Ilse waited until they had gone, and Raul had packed away his pens and ink into his writing desk. “I have one more concern,” she said.

“Your brother?” he asked.

She had not expected that. It took her a moment to quell the old memories of Melnek. “No, it’s about Galena Alighero. She risked everything to help us. I would like to know what happens to her after I’m gone.”

He locked the desk and laid a hand over its latch. His movements were so slow and deliberate, she decided he was avoiding the question. “Well?” she asked.

Raul shrugged. “Tell me about the mark on her cheek. The word says Honor.”

“You are ruthless,” she murmured.

“Of course. Tell me.”

With a sigh, she recounted Galena’s story. She told Raul about the girl’s infatuation, her quarrels with Ranier Massow, the moment of cowardice during the battle, and how she wanted Ilse to lie for her. After briefly describing Galena’s punishment, including the mark, she went on to the night when Valara escaped. How Alesso meant to kill Galena, and the moment in Osterling’s streets when Galena realized it. She offered more detail about the journey, and how they would not have reached Emmetz without Galena’s experience in tracking and hunting.