support her request, as we have done in the past.”
As I suspected, the harbor master wasn’t the only one in Holland’s pocket.
“It is imperative that traders in the Narrows continue to run their routes,” the Narrows Gem Guild master replied.
“Let them,” Holland answered.
“We all know that if your ships start sailing the Narrows, it will sink the trade based out of Ceros.”
The Gem Guild master from the Unnamed Sea lifted her chin. “What trade? Word has it that half of Zola’s fleet has been burned in a petty traders’ rivalry and he hasn’t been seen in weeks. Saint didn’t even bother to take his seat at today’s meeting.”
My pulse kicked up as I eyed the empty chair again. Where was he?
A sick feeling settled in the pit of my stomach then, the edges of thought coming into focus. If Saint wasn’t here, it could only mean one of two things. Either he hadn’t made it to the meeting because Holland had made sure of it, or … I swallowed.
What if he’d never intended on making it? What if this was another one of his twisted schemes? Looking out for himself. Letting me draw fire from Holland so that it didn’t find him. Maybe he’d struck his own deal. By now, he could even be back in the Narrows.
I bit down onto my lip and breathed through the pain erupting in my chest. That bastard.
“I have a proposal that I think will suit both councils.” Holland spoke again.
Both Gem Guild masters sat back down, and everyone turned to my grandmother, listening.
She flicked a finger at me, signaling me to stand, and I got to my feet, the weight of hundreds of eyes falling on me.
My mind raced and I looked to the teapots on the tables before us. If Saint wasn’t here, there was only one way to bring Holland down. But if I did what needed to be done, I wasn’t the only one who would pay the price with Holland. West would, too.
I found him in the crowd. He stood at the back corner, his eyes boring into me. The set of his shoulders was rigid as he gave the slightest shake of his head in answer.
Don’t do it, Fable.
“I would like to put forth my granddaughter as head of my trade in Ceros,” Holland crooned.
Silence.
“She was born on a trading ship in the Narrows, where she’s lived her entire life. She’s a dredger, a trader, and a gem sage.”
I blinked. A hush fell over the huge room, and I tried not to move. Holland’s attention didn’t leave the councils before us, where more than one master on the Narrows Trade Council whispered to their neighbor.
“She will sail beneath my crest with a fleet of six ships and set up a post in Ceros under the authority of the Narrows Trade Council and Gem Guild,” Holland continued. “Our inventory will be limited to gems and gems only.”
But everyone in the room had to know what that really meant. She’d start with gems. As her coffers grew, so would her inventory. Smaller traders would go under and she’d be there to pick up the pieces. In no time, she’d own the Narrows.
“Shall we call for a vote?” The master of the Unnamed Sea Rye Guild stood, tucking his hands into his gold-lined pockets.
The masters each gave hesitant nods and my hands curled to fists inside my jacket pockets, my heart hammering. She was going to win. She was going to get everything.
I took a step forward before I could change my mind, my skin going cold. But as my lips parted, the door at the back of the pier flew open, filling the room with bright sunlight. I blinked furiously, my eyes adjusting to see a sharp silhouette moving through the crowd.
“My apologies.” My father’s deep voice resonated throughout the room, and I let out a painful breath, swallowing. “I’m late.”
The Unnamed Sea Trade Council eyed Saint suspiciously as he made his way up onto the platform between the tables.
He didn’t look at me as he walked to his chair, flinging his coat out behind him before he sat. “Now, what have I missed?”
THIRTY-NINE
No one looked more shocked and outraged than Holland. She was carved from ice beside me.
“We’re due to vote on Holland’s proposal to open her route to Ceros,” the Gem Guild master from the Narrows answered. She looked almost relieved to see him.
“Ah.” Saint pulled the pipe from his pocket, rubbing the smooth chamber with his thumb,