Page 7 of The Empty Throne

Despite himself, Kite laughed. "I don't knowwhy I thought the Fazekas heir would be anything but claws andteeth. I think that's enough for now, hmm? Believe it or not, YourLordship, Cremisio has no interest in more power and glory. All wewant is to be left alone, to not constantly feel like a minnowsurrounded by hungry sharks. But it's late, and the circumstancesof your arrival are hardly ideal, so let's call it a night, shallwe? We can resume this discussion tomorrow."

"You say that like I'm allowed an opinion onthe matter," Fazekas said, bitterness etched deeply into the words.Kite had a growing suspicion that he was seldom allowed an opinionor voice on anything, and knowing what little he did of LairdFazekas, that wasn't really surprising. A man like that would seehis son as just another pawn.

That still didn't explain why Fazekas woulddo something as dangerous and stupid as run away, but it was clearthat getting any sort of answer from him would take a great dealmore effort.

Summoning servants and guards, he had themescort Fazekas to suitable quarters, then closed up the office andreturned with Sobeki to his own suite. "Let's hope tomorrow bringssome good news," he said at his door. "I can't take one more bit ofbad news."

"Everything gets worse before it gets better,and I think we'll be able to get Fazekas to cooperate with us, nomatter how hostile he is right now. I think that's embarrassmentand wounded pride more than anything. I'd certainly feel stupid andhumiliated if my father's enemies caught me using their port to getoff the continent."

Kite gave him a look. "What in the worldmakes you think he'll ever cooperate? He was ready to rip my heartfrom my chest with his teeth."

Sobeki laughed. "He was not, you melodramaticbrat. Anyway, those marks on his cheek—those are the marks of aMaster Historian. I've never seen someone earn those marks soyoung. The average age for that achievement is forty, thirty-fiveat best. He's smart, Kite, and more importantly, he's probablydamned good at seeing the bigger picture—more so than his father,I'd think. So give it time, and be your sweet self, and we'll havehim cooperating in no time."

"My sweet self. You've lost your mind. I'mgoing to bed."

"Good. You really do need the rest. I'm goingto do a bit of reading, then go to bed myself. I'll see you atbreakfast."

Kite hugged him and bid him goodnight, thenslipped into his room and locked the door behind him. Sighing, heheaved himself across the room to the waiting bath, pressing thecharms carved into the front end of the tub so the water wouldreheat. When it was steaming, he stripped off his clothes andclimbed in, groaning as the heat and the salts immediately set tosoothing the tensions of another long day.

When he finally grew too hot and sleepy tostay in the water, he climbed out, dried off, and pulled on therobe a servant had left to warm near the fire. At his writing desk,a clerk had left his schedule for the following day. Meetings,meetings, and more meetings, interspersed with lunches and teas andgarden parties that were just fancier meetings.

There was also a stack of papers thatrequired signing, but he was too tired to look at them. Setting itall aside, he discarded his robe and climbed into bed, snuffingcandles and lamps as he went, until only the crackling fire in thefireplace was left to cast soft light across the room.

He rolled over, tossed and turned, neverentirely able to get comfortable, though it was his mind more thanhis body that wouldn't settle. A month now he'd been Regent. Amonth since the royal family had been horrifically murdered, leftto drown in their own blood from a poison that turned their insidesto mush. If there was a more terrifying way to die, Kite neverwanted to know it.

On that pleasant thought, he finally driftedoff to sleep.

Three

Bittersea tried to limit his attachments, hisweaknesses, but at least privately he couldn't deny he'd missedCremisio. The world was a beautiful, fascinating, lucrative place,but there really was no place like home.

It was also much easier to get lost in thecrowd here, where he knew the customs and mannerisms instinctively,rather than constantly having to recall them.

He stepped off the boat and weighed hisoptions. Food first. Next, he'd secure transportation. Thensupplies. After that, he could finally rest. Tomorrow came the realwork: traveling across Cremisio to the best starting point he couldthink of for what he needed: the Lindquist Estate, on the tidalisland that was also named after the family that owned it.

After the monarch, Cremisio was looked afterby the four Great Houses, nigh legendary in their status and powerfor all they'd once done to make Cremisio a kingdom in its ownright, six generations ago now.

The House of Beltres, the Great Sharks.Amusingly, fire magic had always run strong in the line, the onlyexception being the current heir, Lady Oskia Pakier, who'd wound upwith something far more unusual and interesting. Currently led byLady Tsira Pakier, though rumor had it she never left the familyestate anymore, and Oskia would soon take her place asmatriarch.

The House of Havenstrite, the Stingrays.Their magic had always been a mixed bag, especially since thecurrent heir and spare were adopted. Lord Kite Myre, the heir, hadno magic, and Lord Sobeki had the dubious gift of spirit walking.They were both sanctimonious, know-it-all little brats, but theywere keeping everything from completely falling apart, if currentwhispers had any truth to them.

The House of Lindquist, once known as theDivine Storm, a dying house now, with only a sole member of thefamily remaining: Lord Cohea Szelis, the self-righteous ass knownfor refusing to ever act dishonorably, while also being as craftyas a fox. Counter to the strong wind and water magics that hadalways run through his family line, Lindquist had none at all.

The House of Kuluris, the dead house, onceknown as the Monsters in the Deep, their family crest a black beastwith countless tentacles and blood red eyes. The only survivingheir was a man exiled for murdering the rest of the family and thentaking up murder as a professional calling. No one yet knew whatwould become of Kuluris, those once named Bittersea for their darkand bloody ties to the tragedy that was now the Dead Sea.

Bittersea smirked and went in search of food.He settled several minutes later on a bench in front of aramshackle street vendor's cart, eating a bowl of vinegared ricewith strips of buttery white raw fish. That was another good thingabout being home: the food. Even heartless assassins enjoyed a goodmeal.

When he was done, he returned the bowl to thecart and headed off, bound for the bustling heart of the marketarea that was Yoor's primary source of income. Any ship with evenhalf decent cargo stopped here, and there wasn't a merchant alivewho didn't do their damnedest to have a presence here. The onlycities in Cremisio more affluent were Cremins, the royal capital,located at the north end of the isthmus, and Ketar, located at thesouth end.

Bittersea, however, was bound for the east,the city of Faldisio. From there, to a quaint fishing town on anisland an hour or so off the coast. Fromthatpoint he wouldhave to hire one of the fishing boats to take him out to LindquistIsland, as this time of year the land path was deep beneath thesea, and wouldn't be usable again until the storm season waspast.

A long way to go, danger on all sides, andnot much time to accomplish his goal.

Which wasn't, contrary to whatever Fazekasthought he was paying for, to find Lindquist's stupid Bonded. Thatwas a waste of time; Lindquist's insufferable honor would neverpermit him to bond to someone who wasn't just as willing to die ashim. If Fazekas thought that Lindquist and his Bonded would doanything but declare their love before dying together with theirsecret intact, Fazekas didn't understand the Fox of Cremisio nearlyas well as he thought.

So Bittersea was going to put his effortstoward finding the heir, as Lindquist had been infuriatingly closedmouth about it, exactly as His Majesty had hoped.

All foxes had a den, though, and dens heldsecrets. Bittersea had found Lindquist's secrets before, and he'dfind them again. Too bad this one wouldn't be nearly asinteresting.

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