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I sigh. All the more reason for me to handle father and his vicious temper. “I’ll speak with him.”
Kaithar turns to Sergeant Luvan. “The guards can escort the arriving party into the forecourt. I’ll be at Lady Solisar’s side.”
They exchange a look; a silent communication. The atmosphere has changed. The air is charged with icy tension.
“Come, my lady.” Kaithar gestures toward the gates. “Let’s go and greet your father, Baron Solisar.”
I reach his side, walking briskly to match his big strides. “About the archduke,” I say quietly; insistently. This is starting to get ridiculous. I’m like a dog with a bone now. The more Duthriss avoids me, the more I want to meet him. I’ll give him a piece of my bloody mind, too. “I trust that he will introduce himself to me before he meets with my father. It’s only decent. Iamhis betrothed, after all.”
“He isn’t going to do wrong by you, if that’s what you’re worried about. Corvan has his reasons for the way he goes about things.”
Did he just call him… Corvan?
I shake my head. Kaithar’s casual use of the Rahavan Crown Prince’s first name is jarring.
Nobodydoes that.
The big Vikurian lowers his voice conspiratorially. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but… I like you. You’re direct. It’s refreshing. I haven’t met anyone from the minor nobility like you before. I think you’ll be good for him.” Kaithar’s dark eyes are piercing, but his shrug is laced with good humor. “So anyway, let me tell you this. About Corvan…”
I hold my breath.
“Lady Solisar, I think you have enough common sense about you to understand that things…people…aren’t always what they seem. No matter what Corvan looks like; no matter the way he goes about things, or that you might not understand him… the way he is now…” Kaithar sighs; a tired, almost exasperated sound. “I’ve known him for a long time. Even though you might think he’s always had all the trappings of power and wealth at his fingertips, none of that’s come easy for him. Underneath everything… he’s got a good heart, and that’s why he’s got a little fear of what he’s become.”
“What he’s become…?”
Kaithar doesn’t answer. He turns away, leaving me no choice but to follow as we pass the looming stone walls, our footsteps ringing in the cold, still morning air.
A lone crow caws, splitting the cold morning air with a harsh, jarring note.
And then I hear a familiar voice in the background; belligerent, demanding, laced with entitlement.
My heart shrivels.
This castle feels like a den of wolves. For all his arrogance and cunning, my father has no power here.
Does he even understand that?
Canhe?
15
CORVAN
Irub my forehead and frown, trying to make sense of the numbers and graphs and diagrams on my desk. I’ve arranged them in meticulous order as is my habit, by geographical location rather than name.
Over the past year, my surveyors have collected an impressive amount of data. Even in the midst of winter, they hunker down in their underground base beneath the mountains, slowly making sense of the hidden depths.
Preliminary signs point to the presence of large mineral deposits at the exploration site.
High-grade Ruvenium. Extremely rare and valuable Luthenia.
Andserpenstone.Coveted by sorcerers and witches alike.
I scan the documents, my attention briefly caught by a paragraph detailing the presence of thick Luthenia veins in igneous rock.
It’s the kind of information that would make my father’s eyes glitter with avarice.
Few things can excite my old man these days.
