Page 21 of Across an Endless Sea

Wait… henamedhis tattoos?

“I suppose that’s better than nothing.” Drystan snarls.

“Rose has Danu on her side,” Kitarni says, locking her jaw. “Now. Back to the problems we can control.”

“I have four letters on my desk politely reminding me that until Rose is crowned and comes to collect the oaths from the minor royals, they don’t have to do shit to help us,” I retort.

“Then we make certain we can have a coronation at a moment’s notice.” Kitarni nods. “Which means that the temple will need to be prepared to host the mating ceremony as well.”

“Shouldn’t Rose get a say in her own mating ceremony?” I ask, then frown as something else occurs to me. “We haven’t even asked her… officially.”

“Lorcan has been putting his hat on her head at every opportunity,” Kitarni replies pointedly. “And taking her out on dates.”

I wish she wouldn’t remind me. I had a plan to court Rose properly, and I ended up spending it in the dungeons, interrogating the damned Fomorian.

Still, our mate deserves a proper courtship and the mating ceremony of her dreams. Not a rushed together ceremony to force the minor royals to behave.

“The mating ceremony requires the full Guard,” Drystan grumbles, ignoring Rose’s feelings in favour of practicality, as usual. “Do you have some plan to get Caed there? Or are we relying on Rose’s natural charm to seduce him to our side?”

I pin him with a glower. “Kitarni is right. We have to do something. So stop grouching and start helping.”

The unseelie grinds his teeth together, closes his eyes for a second and then offers us a terse nod. “Fine. Plan away. I’ll be in the library, looking for anything that can teach her how to control her necromancy or help us figure out her second talent. The sooner she learns to use her magic, the sooner we can prevent anything like this from happening again.”

He sweeps out of the room in a whirl of black, and I take a deep breath.

“He’s taken losing her hard,” Kitarni observes.

“We all have.” I glance back at Florian. “Do you have a potion that will help him?”

This wouldn’t be so bad if he were here. His calm authority made him a rock in every crisis, and without him, every knight feels cut adrift.

Kitarni shakes her head. “No. He’s responding to the salves—albeit slowly. Like the healers said, it’s up to him now.” She puts a bark-covered hand on my shoulder—though she has to reach up to do so. “He is a strong male, Jaromir. I have faith that he will make it.” She pauses. “He does not need to fight this alone, merely survive until the Nicnevin returns.”

Because Rose can channel Nicnevin Titania with her necromancy and heal him. All the healers in the world are a drop in the ocean compared to the legendary things the second Nicnevin was capable of.

I nod. “You’re right, high priestess.”

Bree makes a small noise in the back of his throat, almost like a cough, drawing our attention to him.

“How can I help?” he asks.

I grin, thinking of Wraith. “How are you with dogs?”

Maybe there’s hope for my boots yet.

Kitarni shushes me. “No, I have a better use for Bricriu. Before she left, Rose made it clear she wanted to outlaw indentured whoring.”

Bree’s head snaps up, meeting Kitarni’s eyes. “She… did?”

It’s impossible to decipher what’s going on behind his green eyes—I doubtheknows what he’s feeling. His black cat ears are swivelling around on his head, as if responding to his agitation, and I hold my breath as I wait for him to respond.

Kitarni continues before he can say anything. “I need someone to scout the brothels of Elfhame, and ensure they’re complying.”

I frown at her, because that sounds like a terrible idea. What male in his right mind would choose to go back into a brothel after years of being shackled to a bed in one?

I’m surprised when Bree swallows and nods. “I’ll do it.”

“Send me the names of the ones breaking the law,” I mumble. “I’ll send the city watch to deal with them.”

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