Page 49 of Knightfall
He gulped.
I shook my head. “We were in class together ten years, Willard. Just tell me.”
“We aren’t getting enough rain.”
“Okay.” I waited, carefully blinking away the ‘sarding idiot’ face my tavern wench persona would have given him.
“A lot of our herds—they can’t breed without enough water. The grass doesn’t grow without enough water.”
I nodded. Alright. The magnitude of the problem was starting to make sense.
“We’ve asked Declan for some assistance. But the balance … we lose too much soil in return.”
“And what are the astrologers predicting this winter for you?”
“They say it’s unseasonably warm. They predict a dry winter.”
So, the situation was only likely to get worse. “I am aware that your livestock provide a good deal of your income. Would you mind telling me what percentage?”
“I … my parents have found it the most profitable avenue. In the past.” Willard couldn’t make eye contact.
I sighed. “All of it, Willard?”
He looked up. His lower lip trembled a bit. “All of it.”
Shite. I tried to keep a neutral face. “Any areas worse than the others?”
“Grazing lands near the Purl Mountain range.”
“Near the border to Cheryn then?”
Willard nodded.
“Okay, start moving your herds south if you haven’t already. I’ll talk with Declan. See what we can do.”
Willard nodded again.
I put a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll figure something out. We won’t abandon your family. Though I do suggest you put your foot down and make them diversify a bit.”
He gave a broken laugh. “Put my foot down. Yes. Mother would love that.”
“You’re the heir, Willard.”
“You’re different. Than before you left,” he observed.
I smiled gently. “Better, I hope.”
“You seem more … sure of yourself.”
“If by sure of yourself, you mean mouthy and defiant, then yes. Four years outside these walls taught me that I have to think for myself, stand up for myself. No one else can do it for me. No one else can do it for you, either.”
He mopped his brow once more and stood. “Thank you, Your Highness. If you could help us out of this predicament, it would mean … a lot.”
“I will do everything in my power. And I hope to prove you can trust me with issues like this in the future.”
Willard started to turn toward the door, and I thought our conversation was concluded. But then he stopped, turned, pursed his lips. “Your Highness, um, if you don’t mind … did you actually see dragons when you were gone?”
Shite. Mother’s cover story. And I was still bound by the mage oath. “No. I did not.”
