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Which he does, a few minutes later. The youngest of the three bosses—though he’s still got at least a decade on me—saunters into the room with a swipe of his hand through the strip of bleached hair on top of his head.
Hellar took over the Witorek family’s part of the Black Talons a couple of years ago after his mother and last remaining parent was offed under typically murky circumstances. I’m not sure whether rival criminals or the Crown’s Watch were responsible, but I suspect he’ll be the hardest sell on our proposal.
His scars form a geometric pattern that dapples his pinkish brown skin around the sides and back of his scalp, leaving a narrow crop of hair on top. The fine strands flop over the edge of scarring like wheat drooping in a field.
He drapes himself across one of the armchairs without prompting and considers us with an air of boredom. “What was so urgent you had to disturb my game, Garom?”
The older man lifts his chin toward me and Casimir. “These two have come to speak to us on behalf of the woman who would be queen.”
The newcomers know he wouldn’t say it if he hadn’t judged it to be true. There’s no mistaking the interest that sparks in both of their eyes, though Sonia is better at tempering it.
She adjusts her position, taking a skeptical tone. “Oh, really?”
Hellar chuckles, but he’s straightened up to give us more of his attention. “And what does the supposed queen want with us?”
I keep my posture straight and my voice steady. “You’ve obviously heard about Princess Petra and the message she delivered yesterday. Every word of it is true. Advisor Lothar launched a conspiracy against the king, murdered him and Queen Ishild and attempted to do the same to the royal children, and has been encouraging scourge sorcery among his followers.”
Hellar twitches his shoulder in a careless shrug. “What’s any of that to the Black Talons?”
Sonia’s gaze has turned to a glower. “It’s not as if we had things so sweet under King Konram. Let the scourge sorcerers tear each other apart. We’ll be fine no matter what.”
I focus on her. “Are you sure about that? Have you heard about the kinds of behavior Lothar and his Order of the Wild are encouraging? They want everyone to tap into their baser instincts—they want violence and chaos. What kind of an advantage will any of you have if everyone is willing to ignore the law and act out however they want?”
Hellar makes a scoffing sound. “We’ll still be the experts.”
“But you’ll be up against people who can tap into more magic than anyone should be able to. Who are only looking out for their own selfish interests. The moment they want something you do too…” I wave my hand through the air. “It’s gone.”
Garom leans back in his chair, seeming to watch both me and his colleagues with equal interest. “And how would things be better under another Melchiorek? We’ve lost good people and good deals in the years of Konram’s reign and his father before him. This new queen might be even worse.”
I snort. “Do you think I’d be backing her if she had it out for everyone who’s remotely criminally inclined? She knows about my past. She knows—” I catch myself before I mention my own illicit magic, which this trio doesn’t need to find out about. “She knows, and she hasn’t judged me for it. She recognizes that things need to change so all of Silana’s citizens can make their living as they see fit.”
“She says that now,” Hellar remarks dryly. “Watch how fast she changes her tune once she gets what she wants from us.”
Sonia leans forward. “What exactly does she want from us? Why are you here?”
“She asked me to reach out to people in the city who could help her get a foothold against the Order of the Wild,” I say. “It’s no easy thing with the kind of power they can throw around and how they’ve been smearing her family. They’re killing everyone who opposes them—everyone who’d be her allies. She needs people who know the city and its people, who can speak to those people and tell them what we’re really up against, convince them that Lothar and the Order need to be taken down.”
Hellar wrinkles his nose. “And her put up in his place.”
“She has the training. She’s been preparing for this her entire life. And most of the nobles trust the Melchiorek name. It’ll be hard for anyone to set the country back in order without their agreement too.”
A tingle passes through the air beside me, telling me Casimir has extended his gift. He lets out a soft cough to catch the gang bosses’ attention. “Princess Petra isn’t asking anything at all of you yet, other than to talk. This is your chance to have a direct influence over the running of the entire country. I’ve spoken with her too—I can vouch that she wants to negotiate with you.”
“And what could she give us that we don’t already have?” Sonia asks.
“She can call off the Crown’s Watch. Ensure that you maintain a monopoly over certain types of trade. Negotiate lesser punishments.” The corner of his mouth quirks upward. “I’m not saying she’ll look the other way when it comes to issues like murder, but you could arrange a lot more room to maneuver.”
Garom lifts his voice with a twinge of reluctance. “He’s telling the truth. He truly believes all that. Of course, the princess herself could be a fabulous liar.”
I pounce on the opening. “You could find that out easily enough. We’ll arrange a meeting on neutral ground. It’s not as if you have anything to fear from her. The only crimes she’s interested in tackling right now are her parents’ murder and the illegal sorcery being practiced in this city and the rest of the country.”
He looks as if he’s leaning toward accepting the offer. But then something shifts in his eyes, and he peers at me with an intensity that sends a shiver through my nerves.
His lips curl with a hint of what I think is revulsion. “Back when you had to make your hasty exit from Florian, word was going around about a riven sorcerer on the loose. The description reminded me of you—pale hair, pale skin, short and slim.”
My gut lurches, but I set my face in the blandest expression I can summon. My tone matches. “That’s quite a joke. Do I seem insane to you?”
His gaze skims up and down me, and the chill seeps deeper into my body. I didn’t exactly answer the question, not in a way he can judge my honesty by.
