Page 86 of Of Glass and of Gold

Roasting meat from a nearby spit sent a plume of smoke into the air, and children darted between the convoy members leading us through the camp. Women and men worked to distribute laundry along clothing lines, while some chopped wood or skinned their latest hunt. Efficient and simple, just as I’d noted during my last visit. This camp thrived in secrecy in the deserted space between kingdoms because they didn’t require trade. Anything they couldn’t hunt or forage or make, they relied upon their magic for.

A group to the side used their magic to force vegetation to sprout from the freshly laid dirt, while others waited with empty baskets to gather the newly created harvest. They relied heavily upon those blessed with magic that intertwined with nature, herbalists, they were called. They possessed many of the earth elemental wielders in their camp, a reason I’d learned on my last trip that citizens of Argora Vale had sought them out.

Once we fed through the hustle of the camp, we were brought before the master tent. The leader of Rahana dwelled here, and I needed a private audience. One of our escorts held out her hand, signaling us to wait outside while a few dipped into the tent to report our arrival. The seating area around the large fire pit in front of the tent remained mostly vacated, and I leaned into Nora to suggest quietly, “You should take a seat.”

Her resistance was palpable. She wanted to snap at me with some cutting reply, I could see the words storming behind her eyes, but the sheen and pallor gracing her skin were waging a winning battle against her defiance. That ride took more out of her than she wanted to admit, especially to me.

“We have until sundown to prepare and plan. You’ll be no good in a fight if you can’t take more than five steps.” In a daring move, I placed my hand at the base of her back, guiding her toward the empty wooden log that had been sliced in half to form a flat bench.

To my surprise, she didn’t put up a fight. She strode over and lowered herself, a flash of pain creasing her eyes as she lowered her battered body. I sat next to her. “I’ll see if I can get you a tent to rest.”

“Don’t worry about me,” she bit out, “just focus on finding my sister.” The stubborn effort she made to not spare even a glance at me would have been admirable if it didn’t feel like a punch to the stomach.

“I’m sorry you can’t come inside,” I said, maybe just hoping she’d say more than a few words to me.

She didn’t.

Negotiations went a lot smoother when emotions weren’t leading the discussions. Nora was in no place to bargain calmly, which was going to be essential to garner assistance. She hadn’t argued, only kept that slicing silence that drove me insane.

The man who’d led us here emerged from the tent and gestured for me to enter.

“If you need me, call for me,” I said to the beautiful woman pointedly ignoring me. With a sigh, I heaved from the bench and walked into Radhak’s tent. Three guards lined the room, hands clasped in front of them.

“It’s fine,” Radhak said, waving a dismissing hand without removing his eyes from a string of maps strewn across his desk. The men sized me up before making their exit. Radhak briefly scanned me from top to bottom before asking, “Is that new fashion all the rage amongst royals?”

I pulled down my mask. “You recognized me.” He wouldn’t be the first today. I closed the distance between us, approaching his work station.

“Considering I don’t interact with many from Highcrest, you were one of the few options to pick from. And I assume from your getup that secrecy is required. Your identity will remain unknown among my men with the exception of my brother, but you can expect the same level of discretion from him. How can I help you, Prince Nicholas?” He finally drew his attention away from his papers to extend his hand toward the chair opposite him.

“You have my gratitude. I hate to impose, but something has come up that requires immediate attention, and I could think of no better expert in the matter than yourself.”

Radhak leaned back and grinned. “Flattery will only get you so far, Your Highness.”

The first steps in a political dance that I’d grown to know so well. “Last we spoke, we left on amicable terms. Should you find yourself in need, my kingdom is open to you. I had hoped that would have come to pass before I should ask anything of you, considering the sizable difference in our respectable resources.

“But there is most likely a ship currently sailing up The Serpentine Line that I need to intercept.” I let the news settle. Radhak kept his composure, not letting any of his thoughts show.

First, establish the relationship. Second, present the problem at hand. Third, propose the benefits of the agreement. “I have recently discovered that weapons have also been smuggled aboard these ships, which makes every association a criminal act. Including the ship they’re sailing on.”

I didn’t need for him to respond before I continued with an offer I was confident he’d find interest in. “Seeing as I have many a ship in my fleet already, I should have no need of another once it is seized from the criminals. Since your camp resides quite far from the nearest reaches of my cities, I suspect travel grows tiring when you must retrieve your necessities. What time you might save from possessing a ship of your own to race down to the port for supplies.” I leaned back in my seat.

The air in the tent grew thick, as it usually did during negotiations. A play of power, who was more desperate for what the other had to offer. A simple proposal of business, regardless of the dire importance.

Radhak tapped his fingers atop his desk. “How many weapons do you expect to be aboard this ship? Sending my weaponless men sounds like a great risk on my end.”

A bite, a tease of interest to see if I had anything else to offer. “I admit, I can’t be sure as to the number of criminals on board. I doubt there’d be enough to match the cache in one crate of weaponry, but that is speculation.” Not ideal, but sometimes an admittance of truth was required to seal the deal.

His fingers continued rhythmically atop the wood. Perhaps he found my lack of sweetening the deal more of a deterrent than I’d hoped. Time to appeal to his humanity for a cause I knew we both shared.

“As you know, these smugglers are stealing my people who wield. A young lady was reported missing only hours ago, and is suspected to be on a ship traveling up the Splits. It’s imperative she’s retrieved.”

“I wonder exactly how imperative, seeing as you didn’t bring your own soldiers and are instead requesting aid from mine.” Radhak’s stare would make a lesser man cower after such blunt interrogation.

Delicate, dangerous territory. To admit the mistrust among my ranks wouldn’t bolster confidence in the leverage of what I had to offer. “Until I uncover further information regarding the group and their connections with my kingdom, I thought it best to not give the possibility for warning of an ambush. Since our allegiance is so fresh, I doubt any outside of your camp and my traveling party have heard of it yet, least of all would expect such quick action and assembly.”

His scrutinizing stare didn’t let up. I schooled my features, the art of politics. Not even the wind dared stir the tent during this masterful showdown. I continued, “We would have the utmost advantage, the element of surprise. With your skilled men, two dozen or so, the play would be swift.”

His gaze fell from me to his desk, and I knew I was on the verge of losing him. “Plus,” I threw out without hesitation, “Once these iron-made weapons are retrieved, I’ll have extra steel ones to spare.”

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