She spread her hands out in a gesture of confusion and began to pace near the fire pit. “That’s the other big question. I came here with my company, and he’s out there at the meeting with two dozen of his own riders. We expect him any time now.”
Jago began his own pacing. “That’s a lot of Icori on this side of Denham’s border. If that gets discovered by anyone in charge, Warren’s people won’t need to fake further conflict.”
* * *
Jago and I accepted Orla’s invitation to share a meal after that. We weren’t in any rush to ride back to Grassy Hill just yet, and we were hoping to catch Padrig and learn about the mysterious meeting. When we finished eating, Orla gave me a change of clothes. I’d made the ride here with Jago’s oversized shirt and no shoes. My homemade riding skirt had torn at some point I couldn’t even recall, possibly when I’d run from the shanty. The only extra outfit Orla had brought was a long green dress, edged in plaid, which seemed excessive. But the voluminous skirts were at least split for riding, and I supposed it beat my other option.
She sat with me while I braided my hair and Jago tended to Felicia. Watching him eased her tension a little, and she told me with a smile, “If I had any doubts about his feelings for you, they’re long gone. I never thought I’d see the day he let someone run off with that horse. I never thought I’d see the day he chopped off her mane. Does this mean you’ve solved your problems?”
“No. Not by a long shot. Everything’s out in the open now, which feels better. I didn’t like running out on him like that. But we still don’t have an answer for the money I need. And I don’t think I can bring myself to marry someone else to get it. But what else can I do without Jago losing his livelihood?”
“Forget the money,” she said bluntly. “Isn’t the man you love more important than that?”
I was tired of dancing around Merry, especially with someone I respected as much as Orla. “It’s for my daughter. And she matters more than a husband.”
“As well she should,” Orla replied, no trace of judgment. “So, the money matters. Do you have to get it from a husband?”
“I would if I could. There aren’t many other ways for someone like me to do it, unfortunately.”
Orla stared off in puzzled contemplation. “From what I’ve observed, ‘someone like you’ can do all sorts of things. You beat back nature and arbitrate between different groups of people. You lead and manage the needs of others. It seems like there’s got to be money there somewhere. If you could get paid for overcoming impossible situations, you’d be a rich woman.”
I laughed at that. Hearing me from across the clearing, Jago glanced over his shoulder. His bright, generous smile tore at my heart and filled it up at the same time. “The problem,” I said to Orla, watching him fondly, “is that I’m a woman. You should’ve heard the ridiculous pay I was offered for—”
My tirade was cut off by the arrival of a troop of Icori in red tartan. In moments, the small camp area was packed and confused. Jago slipped through the crowd and clasped my hand, pulling me along as we tried to locate Orla again. We found her near the trailhead, speaking with a man who made me gape.
My heart wasn’t fixed on anyone but Jago, of course. Still, it was hard not to be taken aback by the sight of Padrig Olaron. That might have been because he was bare chested, just like in the classic Icori stories. That and his chest and arms were hard with muscles, and platinum hair flowed down his back. Icy blue eyes glittered underneath a golden circlet.
“I can’t believe I ever likened Gideon to Kyriel,” Jago muttered to me.
“I can’t believe I thought Felicia had the best hair I’d ever seen,” I whispered back.
He and Orla were engaged in a rapid and heated discussion in Icori. Well, it was heated on her part. I had the sense he was worked up too, but his cool and aloof manner made it difficult to tell. We, and a number of Icori, waited in silence as the two continued their exchange. Neither seemed satisfied when it concluded. Noticing Jago and me, Orla beckoned us forward and made introductions.
Padrig studied us with a stoic expression, and his lack of surprise made me think Orla had told him everything about us. Ever one to get to the point, she stated flatly: “The delegations from Kershimin and Kermoyria are here in advance of their armies—which will have already crossed into Denham.”
She glanced at Padrig for confirmation at the last bit, and he nodded. “They should reach Cape Triumph in less than a week.”
“Wait, wait,” said Jago. “Cape Triumph?”
“Why in the world are they going there?” I asked, sharing his disbelief. “Not that I want them marching on any place, but aren’t their problems with the southern colonies?”
“They were,” Padrig replied, his voice as impassive as the rest of him. “Until Cape Triumph’s army was sent out to attack them.”
I turned to Orla in a panic. “Tell him—”
“I did, I did,” she interjected.
“I’m sure your intentions are good,” Padrig began, his tone suggesting he didn’t believe that at all, “but it doesn’t matter what misunderstandings or conspiracies have brought us to this point. The bulk of Denham’s army is coming—their movements are being tracked. And if Osfrid insists on such a hostile action, Kershimin and Kermoyria are going to answer in kind by striking at the colonies’ greatest cities.”
“It’s madness,” Orla hissed, a sentiment she had clearly already expressed to him repeatedly.
“Not if there’s no one to defend it,” Padrig countered.
“The militia is there,” said Jago. “It’s not like the city’s completely open for the taking.”
“Near enough—especially for their combined armies. I’ve been to Cape Triumph. I’ve seen the state of its militia. If we join up with the others and show up at the gates, the city will likely surrender without a fight.”
Orla turned on him, eyes flashing. “We are not marching up to their gates!”
He met her anger unflinchingly. “You can lead your people as you like. And I will lead mine.”
“And are you leading them to Cape Triumph?” prompted Jago. The radiant, friendly face I’d admired just a short time ago had gone pale and tense. “Maybe you can take the city without a fight, but you can’t hold it without one. You know that. It might take a little longer, but they’ll get the armies back. Probably get the navy involved too.”
For the first time, Padrig appeared hesitant. “I didn’t agree to it yet—much to the other clans’ disapproval. I came back here to discuss it with my bride-to-be, only to be met with more censure.”
“You shouldn’t have left them with any question.” Orla crossed her arms and angled herself away. “You should have refused!”
“They’re going with or without us and left it to me to join them along the way. I made the best decision I could at the time, Orla.” He was still formidable, but there was a glimmer of something in his eyes that made me think, despite the sparring, he did actually want her approval. “And it’s reaching a point where this can’t be allowed to go on.”
“It wasn’t going to go on with you much longer.” I flinched when that steely gaze turned on me, but I didn’t back down from my argument. “It was about to erupt in the central colonies! But if we can get to the people in charge—the ones really in charge—we can stop all of the fighting, both on the border and in the interior.”
“The other Icori are already on their way. It’s too late,” he said.
“Can we beat them?”
Everyone fell silent at that. It was almost more disconcerting than the earlier arguing. At last Padrig said, “From what I gathered, they were at the Yost River ford. That’s about four days out, just like us. Maybe five, but I imagine they’re moving at a good pace. They wanted to get by before the army realized they’d been passed.”
“You could jump ahead of them.” Jago ran a han
d through his hair and gazed upward as his thoughts spun. “You’d want to keep off the colony roads, of course, but you could use them if you travel at night too. And then you’d save time both because of the longer hours and more-direct routes. Then cut anything else that’ll slow you down. No one on foot. Fewer breaks. As fast a pace as the horses can safely handle.”
“I won’t go there with my forces diminished.” Padrig nodded toward his gathered soldiers. “If only the militia opposes us, we could take the city with a group this size—with a fight, but so be it. I’m not going in alone and giving them the advantage.”
“It won’t matter if you don’t have backup if you stop it from being a fight in the first place!” I pointed out. I was trying to keep calm, but it was hard when images of Cape Triumph, burning and besieged, kept playing through my head.
“And you really think I can? Just by getting my army there ahead of the others?”
“Yes. Well, I can. We can.” Seeing Padrig’s skepticism, I said, “Get there quickly. As fast as we humanly can. Believe me, you’ll get their attention and secure a meeting with the government. Let Jago and me help you talk to them. We’ll tell them what we know—show them our prisoner. And we’ll just be bloody convincing. We’re good at that. Then once things are negotiated, it’ll be up to you to convince the others to back down when they arrive. Can you do that?”
The challenge took him aback for a moment, but he recovered quickly. “If the leaders there acknowledge the wrongs that have been done to us and make appropriate compensation? Of course. That’s easy compared to what you’re claiming you can do. Your people don’t have a history of treating us fairly.”
“They’ve never dealt with Jago and me,” I retorted.
I was confident I could do what I said—mostly because I couldn’t accept not being able to do it. If I failed, Adoria could be plunged into war. My friends would be in danger. Merry would be in danger.
What I was less confident of was that Padrig would let Jago and me try to negotiate. And so, it was more than a shock when he agreed to the plan. With time suddenly an issue, everything became a whirlwind, giving me little chance to agonize about what I’d just gotten myself into. As the camp buzzed around me, packing and preparing to head out as efficiently as possible, Jago pulled me aside and kissed me. It was no passing kiss either. It was a long kiss. A deep kiss. The kind of kiss that would have scandalized my mother. The fact that everyone was in too much of a hurry to even notice proved what a state we were in.
“What was that for?” I gasped when Jago finally pulled back.
He cupped my face in his hands, eyes brimming with an odd sort of wistful happiness. “Because I love you.”
The words and the expression both thrilled me and flustered me. “Well, yes, and I love you too. But that’s never made you put on a spectacle in public before.”
He grinned. “I love you for all sorts of reasons, one of which is the amazing bravery and persuasiveness you showed with that Padrig guy. And I know you’re going to do the same in Cape Triumph. The governor won’t stand a chance.”
Something in Jago’s voice raised an alarm in me. “We’re going to do the same.”
“Afraid not.” He pressed another kiss to my lips. “You’re going to have to do it alone. Because I’m not coming with you.”
CHAPTER 38
THE SMALL CAMP WAS A SEA OF NOISE—BARKED ORDERS, clanging weapons, restless horses. But for me, it all faded to a deafening quiet, and the echo of Jago’s words was the only sound in the world.
I’m not coming with you.
Wild thoughts began flying through my mind so quickly, I could barely grasp any of them. This is it. This is where he leaves me. This is the settling of debts for what I did to him.
“Tamsin. Tamsin!” Jago’s raised voice broke the spell, and the lively camp came rushing back in on me. Hands still resting on my cheeks, he leaned over so that our foreheads touched. Seeing he had me back, he dropped his volume. “I’ll see you again, I swear. I’m not leaving you—I’m just not going with you to Cape Triumph.”
I took a deep breath, still shaking with the aftereffects of that brief scare. “Why not?” I finally managed. “You have to. Look what’s on the line! If negotiations break down—”
“That’s why I’m not going. As soon as this group departs, I’m heading north, as fast and furious as I can. Based on when you said Harper’s regiment was leaving, I think I can catch up with him. He’ll stop at Fort Shorebank to relay news and resupply. I’ll find him there or nearby and tell him what’s happened. We need him to bring his men back, just in case . . .” Jago’s gold-and-green eyes looked past me, and he cleared his throat. “Well. I think Cape Triumph should have more than the militia on hand for defense.”
“But there won’t be a ‘just in case’ if you’re there! You’ll make the peace. You can talk anyone into anything.”
“It probably seems that way, seeing as I managed to win you over, but this isn’t going to come together on charm alone. Yeah, it’s going to require a good negotiator for sure, but there’s nothing special I can do that you can’t with Padrig and Governor Doyle. The strength of the evidence, plus each side’s real desire for peace, will be critical, and if those fail, it won’t matter which of us is there. I don’t want to send you on your own, believe me, but we can’t risk the city. Besides, getting those soldiers back will snarl up Warren’s own war plans.”
I’d been physically drained all morning, and now, I felt as though all my mental energy was going too. I couldn’t argue against him, because I knew he was right. I hated that he was, but he was right.
Staying close to Jago let us keep our conversation private under the guise of a lovers’ sweet moment. “I don’t think Padrig’s going to let you go,” I murmured. “Even if he really doesn’t want war, he’ll be suspicious if you’re going off to bring soldiers back to the ‘wide-open’ city.”
“Agreed. That’s why I didn’t ask him. I told Orla I want to take Felicia back home and that I’d eventually meet up with you all on Dove. She knows how much I fawn over Felicia, and one fast horse won’t speed up a party of this size.”
“But she’ll make a difference if you’re trying to catch up to an army. It’s okay,” I said, seeing his glum face. “I know you don’t like lying to her, but it’s for the best. Don’t pit her against her fiancé.”
“I know, but it’s still hard. I keep trying to tell myself it just evens things out after she cheerfully sent me from Kerniall without mentioning she knew I was going to be detained for questioning.”
There were shouts to mount up, and I pressed closer to Jago, my fingers curling into his shirt as I clung to him. “This is it,” I said.
He sighed. “This is it. And you can do it. Think of all the different people you’ve had to arbitrate with since coming to Adoria. There aren’t many who can claim that kind of experience. If they’re all sincere, you’ll get them to where they need to go.”
“I just want you to get to where you need to go safely.” Orla called my name, but I held on to Jago a moment more.
“I’ll be safe. Felicia’s forgiven me for the hair.” Jago kissed me and then released my hands as he backed away. “See you soon.”
The throng of Icori swept us both away, and by the time Orla and Padrig had their companies lined up, Jago had already taken off on Felicia. As I began my own journey, sitting on Pebble, I found myself replaying some of his parting words: Think of all the different people you’ve had to arbitrate with since coming to Adoria. There aren’t many who can claim that kind of experience.
He was right about that. But in reflecting over all my interactions, I couldn’t help but recall how the Gray Gull’s crew had nearly left us on the beach, the Heirs had imprisoned me, and a suitor had tried to drown me. Maybe I did have experience in dealing with all sorts of people . . . but was I any good at it?
* * * r />
Considering how fast we moved, the journey felt agonizingly long. I was worried about Jago, worried about the great task before me. And behind all of that, driving everything as usual, I was worried about Merry. Her ship was due in about two weeks, and I’d heard that in lucky conditions, ships could arrive a week or more early. What if hers had? What did I have to show for myself? I had no husband, nor a desire for any available ones that could improve our prospects. More than one person wanted to kill me. A negotiation to prevent bloodshed and despair rested on my shoulders.
Some of the Kerniall Icori I knew talked to me along the way, but mostly, I kept to myself. We were riding long days—and part of the night—and no one felt much like conversation. Orla had her own concerns to deal with, and when she noted my dreary mood, she said kindly, “Don’t worry, he’ll probably reach us soon. He won’t have lost much time going back on Felicia, and the other silver’s fast too.”
I smiled my gratitude, even though her concern made me feel worse. Ironically, the one traveling companion who spoke to me the most was Padrig. He was suspicious of the Osfridians and the circumstantial evidence surrounding the conspiracy, but once he’d committed to this path of trying for a truce, he threw his weight behind it and interrogated me on what to expect and what I thought Governor Doyle and the other leaders in Cape Triumph would do.
“They’ll be uneasy about a group of Icori knocking on their door, to put it lightly,” I told him once. By day, we’d traveled on stealthy ways, meaning our arrival should come as a surprise. “It’ll be important for everyone to stay calm. That’s when I should also take on my biggest role—they need one of their own people to reassure them. From there, I’ll work to get you a meeting with the governor. Everyone involved is proud and looking out for their people. Everyone has their own procedures and formalities. If we all remember that and act accordingly, this will work.”