Page 186 of Lady of Ashes

“Yes, your Majesty,” Mikale replied. Callan could tell those words tasted like poison on his lips.

But it had worked. Mikale would be gone for a month or more.

It had been Tava’s idea. She had been there when Amaré had arrived with the letter from Cassius. It was Drake who had created the “report” based on Cassius’s letter. They knew Lord Tyndell wouldn’t be able to outright deny anything. It would only take messengers to con?rm the other two mortal kingdoms were indeed moving forces around. They had made Lord Tyndell look inept and gotten Mikale out of the kingdom, essentially killing two birds with one stone.

Now they only needed to worry about Veda.

A quick rap on his chamber doors told him it was Finn, and a second later, Tava was entering the room with Finn and Sloan behind her. She was dressed in pants and a tunic. She wore those boots that went nearly to her knees, and her hair was braided in a plait down her back.

“What are you doing here at this hour?” Callan asked Sloan. He was his guard all day, but the night guards took over when Callan retired for the evening.

“Your betrothed has an agenda tonight,” Sloan said, nodding his head in Tava’s direction.

“It is not an agenda,” she said with a smile at him. “I call it an opportunity.”

“Call it what you want, Lady Tyndell. It’s dangerous as shit after what I was told happened last time,” Sloan countered.

“What is this about, Tava?” Callan asked from where he’d been sitting near the hearth.

“I just learned that Veda has taken an extended leave, since her brother will be gone for the next several weeks,” she said, her smile widening.

Lord Tyndell and Mikale had left the day prior, and they had been working on how they could get into the Lairwood Estate with him gone. Veda leaving as well was a stroke of pure luck.

“You want to go to the Lairwood house tonight?” Callan asked in surprise.

Tava shook her head, moving to sit on the edge of the sofa. “I learned she was leaving from the High Healer. This is an opportunity for me to go back to the poor districts and deliver some items.”

“You want to go to the slums tonight?” Callan asked, his brows ?ying up.

“Yes. It is the perfect time,” she said excitedly.

Callan glanced at Finn and Sloan. The former looked wary. The latter had his arms crossed, with a look that said this was absolutely not going to happen.

“Tava,” Callan started carefully. “After our last escapade there, I really do not think this is a good idea. Not until things have calmed down.”

“Veda is not going to be here,” Tava repeated.

“I understand that, but we do not know for sure it was Veda behind your attempted abduction. She is just our best guess.”

“They depend on me for things, Callan.”

“And you are still getting them necessities, Tava,” Callan countered. They had discussed it a few times, how she found other ways to make sure they were getting blankets, food, tonics.

“And they did tell you not to come back, Lady Tava,” Finn interjected. “I do not think Lady Veda would need to be our only worry there any more.”

“That was one man,” Tava argued. “What of Helen? Of Mary Ellen? Of the families who were not involved in any of that? Who are simply trying to survive?”

“I am not trying to imply they do not matter,” Callan said, attempting to reason with her. This was so unlike her. She was always so logical and astute. Granted, he had only truly come to know her these last several weeks. But they’d spent enough time together in those weeks, he felt like he could say he knew her fairly well.

“Then what are you trying to say?” she demanded, her voice beginning to rise.

“That it is not your responsibility,” Callan answered, his own voice rising. “Someone is trying to kidnap you, Tava! How can you have such little regard for your own wellbeing?”

Tava stared back at him, her eyes hard. It was so silent in the room, all Callan could hear was the quiet ticking of the clock. The silence seemed to stretch on and on before Tava cleared her throat, clasping her hands in her lap. “Have I ever told you how much I love hot summer days?”

Confusion had his brows knitting together at the sudden change in subject, but it was mere seconds before realization dawned on him.

Thiswas what was going to drive to her to seek an end to their arrangement?

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