“As it is, we wouldn’t be having this conversation at all if my return to Pyrinat had not made clear to me certain details about my aunt’s plans for the future.”
Lara was watching Zarrah with narrowed eyes. “I think you need to start from the beginning.”
“I don’t have time for that.”
“Make time.”
Exhaling a long breath, Zarrah began. “I’ve been stationed in Nerastis since I was seventeen. Which means for nearly five years I’ve been on the front lines of the war with Maridrina, watching as we fought and killed over the same pile of rubble, the same ten miles of coastline. Back and forth with no end in sight. And why should there be an end, when we’ve been fighting this same war for hundreds of years? No one even knows what it’s like not to be at war.”
How well Aren knew that feeling.
“Except my aunt does see an end.” Zarrah hesitated, biting at her bottom lip. “She believes Silas has overcommitted himself in taking the bridge, and she’s right. Maridrina is stretched too thin, and that makes it vulnerable. Valcotta has been blocking trade so that the bridge earns no money in tolls, knowing well that there will come a time when Silas won’t be able to pay the Amaridian queen for the use of her navy. And when that day comes, what remains of the Ithicanian people will begin attacking the Maridrinian forces holding the bridge, which will mean that Silas will have to pull more soldiers from his war against us in order to hold it. That raiders and pirates will attack those men in the hunt for Ithicana’s hidden fortunes, requiring even more of Maridrina’s soldiers to bleed in its defense. Which means he’ll have to pull all of his naval forces from the coast around Nerastis in order to combat them, because his pride will force him to do what it takes to keep the bridge.”
“And in doing so, he’ll be leaving Maridrina ripe for the picking,” Aren said, his stomach twisting. “The Empress intends to watch and wait until Maridrina is weak, and then attack. That Ithicana won’t survive long enough to see Maridrina lose the bridge doesn’t matter to her.”
Zarrah shook her head. “It matters. But she’s deemed the loss worth sacking Vencia and eventually conquering all of Maridrina.” Her eyes met Aren’s. “The game is bigger than you realize, and infinitely more far-reaching.”
The words echoed those Aren had once heard Keris speak. “What is Keris’s opinion on the matter?”
“How should I know the thoughts of a Maridrinian prince?”
“I was under the impression that you two were rather close.” Next to him, he felt Lara straighten, her surprise palpable. “Why else would he risk so much in breaking you free from his father?”
“Keris Veliant is my enemy.” Zarrah’s gaze met his, unblinking. “He offered me a deal: He would get me free of Vencia if I agreed to supply Eranahl. As we both delivered on our ends of the bargain, our arrangement is over. Even so, I’d rather the Empress never learned the arrangement existed at all.”
Aren gave a slight shake of his head. “Anyone with money and means could’ve delivered a ship full of supplies into Ithicana, and Keris has both. If all he’d cared about was Eranahl enduring, he could have managed that without either of us. Which suggests to me that supplying my city was merely bait to entice me into achieving his greater goal.”
“And which goal might that be, Your Grace?”
“Freeing you.”
Zarrah rolled her eyes. “You’re insane. Why would he want that?”
“Because you and Keris plan to end the war between Maridrina and Valcotta.” Leaning back on his hands, he tried to keep the smug smile from his face. “That is Keris’s long game, but it’s not one that has a hope of being achieved if the Empress takes advantage of Silas’s greed and invades Maridrina.”
Zarrah was silent, then she finally said, “Keris and I are like-minded in our belief that the war between our nations needs to end.”
More than like-minded, Aren thought, but he kept his suspicions about the nature of the relationship between Zarrah and Keris to himself. “Then why not just tell Keris the Empress’s intentions? He could supply the information to his father, and Silas would have to withdraw from Ithicana to protect Maridrina and his throne. We could win this war without a fight.”
Lara clicked her tongue against her teeth, shaking her head. “Ithicana would win its war with Maridrina, but what are currently border skirmishes and a few sunken ships will turn into a war between Maridrina and Valcotta unlike any seen in generations.”
Zarrah gave the slightest of nods.
“So what is your suggestion?” Aren asked. “Because I’m not allowing my people to be starved and stripped of their homes for the sake of preserving the peace between Maridrina and Valcotta.” Jor and Lara nodded their agreement.
“I would not suggest that, Your Grace,” she answered. “Ithicana must be liberated from Maridrina, but it must be done in a way where Valcotta is perceived not to be involved. Which is why I intend to sail with you back to Nerastis, crew the Maridrinian vessels we’ve captured with my soldiers, and then take back Southwatch for you.” She smiled, and as much as the young woman might be fighting for peace, Aren could see she was also one who knew war, and knew it well. “The only witnesses to our involvement will be the dead we leave behind on your island.”
It was overcomplicated, with too many players, but Aren didn’t have any other options. “One problem,” he said. “You’ll be going directly against the Empress’s orders. Sabotaging her plans to invade Maridrina. And as loyal as your soldiers might be, there is no way you can possibly keep something like this quiet, especially given that casualties are inevitable. You’ll be charged with treason and executed.”
Licking her lips, she hesitated before speaking. “My fleet witnessed the Maridrinians moving on Southwatch, and we knew they intended to attack. We had the opportunity to warn Ithicana but did not.”
A warning that might have changed everything. “Your naval vessels had been warned to stay clear of Southwatch or our shipbreakers would be turned on them. I can’t hold you—”
“With respect, Your Grace, do not attempt to absolve me. I could’ve warned you, but I did not. Kings and queens make decisions, but it is the common folk who pay the price.” Her voice quivered ever so slightly, but she lifted her chin and stared him down. “There was no honor in what I did, Your Grace. I will not insult you by asking for your forgiveness, but please know that I will fight until my last breath to see Ithicana liberated.”
He had his alliance. “I pray you won’t breathe your last for many years, General.”
Zarrah gave a slow nod, and in her eyes, he saw a dream fading away. Not just one for her country, but one for herself. “Some things are worth dying for.” Rising to her feet, she said, “Pack your things. We sail for Nerastis tonight.”
43
Lara
The Valcottan soldiers arrived shortly after to escort them to the harbor, the Empress clearly having no interest in either Lara or Aren remaining in her country any longer.
Zarrah was already aboard the ship when they arrived, once again wearing the uniform of a Valcottan general. Soldiers and sailors scurried about the deck as they readied to make way, but as the young woman lifted her hand, every one of them stopped in their tracks.