Page 8 of The Traitor Queen (The Bridge Kingdom 2)

Lara had been present when the Ithicanian princess had received the letter from her father. Had read it herself while Ahnna was doubled over with grief, the words dancing across her thoughts now.

To Her Royal Highness, Princess Ahnna Kertell of Ithicana,

It is time this war came to an end. In a gesture of goodwill, your brother, Aren Kertell, will be delivered to you upon the surrender of Eranahl Island to the naval forces surrounding it. Assuming they are peaceable, your people will be brought to Maridrina and, after a suitable length of time, will be gifted lands in the interior where they may settle. We hope you will employ more empathy and foresight toward the future of your people than your brother.

Our most sincere of regards,

Silas Veliant, King of Maridrina and Master of the Bridge.

“He’s lying,” she said to Ahnna. “If you open the gates, he’ll slaughter everyone.”

“I’m aware,” Ahnna answered, lifting her face. “But if I refuse, he might decide that Aren has outlived his usefulness.”

“He knows that I’ll come for Aren. He won’t give up the chance at seeing me dead.”

The princess met her gaze. “He knows you’ll come to rescue Aren. But he knows you’re equally likely to come for revenge.”

Jor coughed, pulling Lara back into the moment. “Your father knows Ahnna isn’t going to take that deal.”

“Maybe. But one can’t leverage the dead, and it costs him nothing to keep Aren prisoner. He’ll keep Aren alive at least until the war is won.”

“You mean until Eranahl falls.”

Lara grunted an affirmative.Thatwas the clock they were running against. The city was at capacity, and even with rationing in place, the stores were running down at an alarming pace. The fishermen were out in force whenever there was a break in the storms, but they didn’t dare venture far. Not with her father paying the Amaridians to risk violent seas to keep watch over the island fortress. Eranahl had enough to last them until the beginning of next storm season, but not a day longer. If they reached that point, Ithicana was well and truly lost.

Jor glared at her. “And with that much at stake, you want us to sit and wait while you attempt to organize a family reunion?”

“That would be ideal.” Lara frowned at the dawn sky. “But I expect you’ll continue to throw away the lives of our best men and women in an attempt to infiltrate my father’s palace. Which will make this rescue even more difficult when the time comes. We need to work together if there is any chance of freeing Aren. And if that’s not enough for you, remember that Ahnna agreed to this plan. And last I checked,shewas the one in command.”

Jor exhaled an aggrieved breath, and Lara eyed him warily. This was hard for the old soldier. He’d been with the group skirmishing with the Maridrinians when Aren had been captured, and she knew he blamed himself, though it was no fault of his. Lara had managed to extract the details from Aren’s bodyguard, Lia, and had learned that Aren’s risk-taking had finally caught up with him. He’d gotten in too deep, and when the Maridrinians realized the prize they had, they’d retreated, allowing Jor and the rest no chance to retake him. “It’s not your fault.”

“You’re right,” he snapped. “It’syours.And there is nowe.There isusand there isyou,so don’t think to lay any sort of claim to the men and women who’ve fought and died trying to undo your . . .mistakes.”

Despite nearly every Ithicanian she crossed paths with having spit some variation of those words in her face, Lara flinched. She deserved their ire, their distrust, their hate because itwasher fault that Ithicana had fallen. That it had been a mistake compounded by her own cowardice only made things worse. “I know, Jor. Which is why I’m doing everything in my power to undo the damage that’s been done.”

“Can’t bring back the dead.”

“Best you hope otherwise,” she replied, remembering how her sisters had sprawled across the dinner table, chests still and eyes unmoving. “Or we’re well and truly screwed.”

Jor spit into the sand. “You can have your weapons back.” He reached for the sack at his feet, then swore when the fabric swung limply as he lifted it.

Smiling, Lara pulled up the hem of her skirt, revealing one of the blades she’d stolen back hours ago.

“We thought Maridrina had sent us a sheep,” he said, shaking his head. “But the whole time we had a wolf dining at our table, deceiving us all.”

“Aren knew.”And had loved her, in spite of it.

“Aye. And look where it got him.”

Aren’s face, stricken with the anguish of betrayal, filled her vision, but Lara shoved the memory away. She could not change the past, but she damn well intended to shape the future.

“I’ll be back in a few weeks. If I’m not, it means I’m dead.” Lara turned her eyes back on Maridrina. If what Marylyn had said was true, her sisters were out there, alive and well.

And it was time Lara called in her due.

7

Aren

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