Phoenix Flame - Sara Holland Page 0,13
before. “That’s good for us, right? Whatever he’s planning to do, the fewer people behind him, the better.”
“It could be good.” Enetta speaks for the first time. Her voice has a brittle quality. “Or it could mean that absent the responsibilities of the throne, he will feel free to do whatever he wishes, whatever all this”—she waves her hands over the pile of papers—“is.”
“We know he wanted control of Havenfall,” I say quietly.
I remember what he said that day we fought in the tunnels. His vision for the inn. Not just a crossroads. A throne room. For all the Realms.
“We still control the doorway,” Marcus says. “I’ve spoken to Sal about bringing more security in, but even with the team we have now, no one’s coming into Havenfall who we don’t let in. It’s a bottleneck.”
The words of Brekken and Cancarnette earlier this evening whirl together in my mind. Magpies. A knight who journeyed across the worlds. “What if he does have another way in?”
Marcus’s mouth turns down at the corners. “Then why would he need Havenfall at all?” he says heavily. “And it’s not as if we can go search the whole world for the Prince, especially when that would mean leaving the inn more vulnerable. I think it’s best that we stay on our guard here and hope that whatever he was trying to do, he’s given up.”
A suspicion is forming in my head. I know I should probably keep it to myself until I’m more sure of things, but I can’t stop myself from giving voice to it.
“It seems like a big coincidence,” I say. “That everything with the Silver Prince happened just as the soul trade was coming to light.” I look around the table; Marcus, Graylin, and Enetta are all looking intently at me, but I can’t make much of their expressions. “What if he’s involved with it somehow? I’ve been wondering how the silver traders moved their goods between the worlds without us knowing.” I take a deep breath. “We probably should have been watching more closely, but still … it doesn’t seem likely that all the souls and the silver came through Havenfall, does it? Maybe there are other openings, passageways between Fiordenkill and Byrn and Solaria. Or even in other places here on Earth.”
I turn to Marcus, wanting his support, wanting to be believed. He, more than anyone else, knows how important this is—in general, because it’s the right thing to do, and to us, our family. Nate—my brother—was a victim of the soul trade. And he might still be alive. But I don’t want to spend all our efforts on Nate—it would be all the more devastating, then, if we didn’t find him. Plus, the problem is way bigger than just one Solarian. Still, I can’t stop myself from hoping.
“Maybe if we look into the soul trade, we’ll learn more about the Silver Prince too,” I finish breathlessly.
Marcus’s expression is carefully neutral. “Then we run into the same problem. As horrible as the soul trade is, we don’t have the numbers or the resources to root it out. Not when it could be literally anywhere. If I could stop it, I would have already.”
“But we can narrow down where to look.” I glance at Enetta. “I was talking to Lord Cancarnette earlier, and he said something about magpies. People who collect magical artifacts. That must have something to do with the trade, right? If we got their names, if we investigated them …”
“I’ve heard tell of the magpies too,” Enetta says. Her voice isn’t harsh, but it isn’t exactly warm either. “But the rumors I’ve heard point to powerful people in our country. Influential ones. And relations with Havenfall are strained enough as it is. The Fiorden delegation will not appreciate being asked by the Innkeeper to spy on their own, as a favor to Solarians.”
My breath sticks in my throat. I want to argue, but I know Enetta is right. Half of the Fiordenkill delegation left the summit early a few weeks ago, angry and afraid because they found out a Solarian was on the grounds and I hadn’t told them. An unprecedented early departure, and it was my fault. I want to remind Enetta that they were never really in danger from the Solarian—Taya wouldn’t have hurt anyone—but that isn’t the point. The keeping secrets and telling lies is where I went wrong.
“I know how important it is to stop the soul trade,” my uncle says gently. “I’ve been